
- For PC
- For MAC
- For Linux
- OS: Windows 7 SP1/8/10 (64 bit)
- Processor: Dual-Core 2.2 GHz
- Memory: 4GB
- Video Card: DirectX 10.1 level video card: AMD Radeon 77XX / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. The minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p.
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 17 GB
- OS: Windows 10/11 (64 bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or Ryzen 5 3600 and better
- Memory: 16 GB and more
- Video Card: DirectX 11 level video card or higher and drivers: Nvidia GeForce 1060 and higher, Radeon RX 570 and higher
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 95 GB
- OS: Catalina v.10.15 or newer
- Processor: Core i5, minimum 2.2GHz (Intel Xeon is not supported)
- Memory: 6 GB
- Video Card: Intel Iris Pro 5200 (Mac), or analog from AMD/Nvidia for Mac. Minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p with Metal support.
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 17 GB
- OS: OS Big Sur v. 10.16 or newer
- Processor: Core i7 (Intel Xeon is not supported)
- Memory: 8 GB
- Video Card: Radeon Vega II or higher with Metal support.
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 95 GB
- OS: Most modern 64bit Linux distributions
- Processor: Dual-Core 2.4 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB
- Video Card: NVIDIA 660 with latest proprietary drivers (not older than 6 months) / similar AMD with latest proprietary drivers (not older than 6 months; the minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p) with Vulkan support.
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 17 GB
- OS: Ubuntu 20.04 64bit
- Processor: Intel Core i7
- Memory: 16 GB
- Video Card: NVIDIA 1060 with latest proprietary drivers (not older than 6 months) / similar AMD (Radeon RX 570) with latest proprietary drivers (not older than 6 months) with Vulkan support.
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Hard Drive: 95 GB

All shells in the game - ground vehicle, aircraft and naval - will now have their own volume. Learn more about damage model improvements brought to you in the recent update.
Hello!
In addition to new vehicles, a new location and numerous fixes and improvements, in the War Thunder: Raining Fire update we are introducing “volumetric” shells - a very important feature for all game modes. Previously, shells in our game did not have their own volume. In fact, each projectile fired was a material point that reacted with the ballistics of its real life prototype, and upon contact with the enemy, a complex multi-vector simulation of the interaction of the projectile at the point of impact, say, with the point of armor on an enemy tank took place. In this case, the point-shaped projectile in some cases could inflict penetration or damage where a real projectile was not able to fit in reality - for example, a ricochet and flight under the turret ring area, slaughtering all crew members and modules in its path.
We decided to fix this. In the "Raining Fire" update, all shells in the game, from 15mm calibre or more, are now simulated by several rays at once, which indicate the real dimensions of the shell for a more reliable calculation of damage - on armor, in it, and behind it. Large calibre projectiles are additionally modeled with two ray circles. Now the projectile cannot penetrate where it cannot physically fit. The changes affected all ground, sea and air vehicles in the game, both player-controlled and AI vehicles, including AA guns.
Now you are able to more precisely simulate the most diverse scenarios of damage from any shells in the game - we have added functionality for protection analysis not only for tanks, but also for aviation. Welcome to the War Thunder: Raining Fire update! Our favorite game just got better!
The War Thunder Team
Previous Development Blogs
Comments (41)
Quality over quantity indeed . I fall for new vehicles pretty much but sometimes it is great to appreciate these technical changes . Thanks o7
They said shells slaughter the crews! Impossible! They are simply sleeping not dead. That’s why it says knocked out and not dead smh.
GREAT JOB!
Awesome change to the game
Given the mention of "15mm calibre or more", does this mean USA, Soviet, and Italian 12.7mm plus German, Japanese, and Swedish 13mm rounds not have volumetric shells? In any case, this is a great addition to the game!
Its quite possible that 50 cal was the original default size. Or one could argue the bullet isn't realistically different enough in size to matter. There's only a few situations where it would make a difference and with the quantity of bullets you're putting out from a gun of that size...
All answers (1)Alexsis8, That is not correct. Previously they were 1 pixel big, well small.
"Large calibre projectiles are additionally modeled with two ray circles" what exactly does this mean? How do they differ to smaller ones? And how large do you mean by "large". Also, "Now the projectile cannot penetrate where it cannot physically fit." Despite this some spalling/material could manage to go through (not the entire shell) and deal some limited damage, is this modelled?
All in all, the update - if it works as intended - is a major improvement over the previous system: we might lose the rare possibility of some shell fragments going through some optic/mg ports (in some rare occasion) and wounding 1 crewmember - but we also finally stop having 120+ mm shells going through 20-30 mm gaps and completely destroying tanks, that were *specifically* designed with such narrow gaps around their turret rings to prevent large shells from penetrating.
It's likely that "all shells in the game, from 15mm calibre or more, are now simulated by several rays at once, which indicate the real dimensions of the shell for a more reliable calculation of damage" = means shells are now calculated using 2 or 3 rays ("lasers"), and if one of the ray collides with something (armor for example), it will run its collision routine (= penetration or not? ricochet or not?). It's intended for turret rings or MG/optics port penetrations that weren't possible IRL.
Is this means that 50 cal gets buff now?
How is that even remotely relevant to this system improvement?
...no... 50 cal didn't get changed... That's not a buff. Also I'd like you to find me a tank with an exposed turret ring with a gap smaller than 12.7mm.