WarGaming’s World of Tanks: HEAT might have turned a few heads when it was first announced during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live, but after getting hands-on with the game in a behind-the-scenes opportunity, I’m pleased to say it’s awesome!
For full disclosure and context, I have played a few hundred hours of World of Tanks and World of Tanks: Blitz, so I am pretty familiar with WarGaming titles and the mechanics behind tank combat in their games (important for later). Unfortunately, my hands-on opportunity was limited to around 15 minutes against AI bots, which, for a multiplayer title, is never great. Still, I managed to gain a good understanding of where the developers want to take HEAT and why they picked this particular direction.
Call of Duty Meets Tanks
I don’t think anyone was crazily surprised to see yet another free-to-play multiplayer shooter announced during Gamescom, but WarGaming’s World of War: HEAT has something fairly unique going for it – Tanks. Sticking with the World of Tanks has been criticised by the community that has been testing the game under the codename Project Cold War, but honestly, after getting hands-on with the game, it makes sense. While I understand that the World of Tanks brand is catered to a specific audience that prefers accuracy, HEAT offers the brand a chance to tap into a wider and more accessible audience.
The only way I can logically describe HEAT is that it’s similar to Call of Duty in terms of accessibility and gameplay loop. If you view the Tanks as Weapons (which I suppose they are), things make a lot more sense. In HEAT, your Tank can be fully customized just like a weapon in Call of Duty with paint jobs, charms, and even a 100-point system for different upgrades (similar to Battlefield 6’s 100-point system for firearms).
The Call of Duty similarities don’t end there, either, with HEAT offering players various game modes, including Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Search and Destroy.
However, one layer of complexity that’s still maintained in the game from the classic World of Tanks title is that players still have to learn Tanks’ weak spots and vulnerabilities in their armor. However, to make the game more accessible to players, the crosshairs are similar to those in World of Tanks Arcade mode, where they indicate the armor’s penetration points, but this time in a handy x-ray-like vision.
A Hero Shooter?
The game’s setting in an alternative WW2 universe gives the developers the chance to be a little bit more creative with the tanks and their accessories, allowing for some tanks to have Gatling guns, missiles, and so on attached to the vehicle.
In HEAT, the ‘heroes’ are the Tank drivers, who, at launch, only have two tanks assigned to them. The developers tell me that on launch, each character will have an initial tank unlocked, with the second tank being unlocked through progression, or, of course, paid premium features to make the progression faster. They also tell me that this is just for the initial launch of the game, and that more tanks per character will come at a later date.
Other additions to tanks outside of the customization options are a boosting feature, which allows you to get from point A to point B quickly, or flank around enemies to hit their weak spots. At one point, I needed to unleash my inner ‘Fury’ and boost around an enemy and hit the tanks weapon spot from behind.
Just like in other hero shooters, Tanks also have abilities, which charge up over time, allowing for some hectic moments with weapons, shields, and more, which can change the course of a match in a matter of moments.
Genuinely Great
It isn’t often that I walk away from a game demo, especially at a convention where you’re tired and playing on an unfamiliar setup, but overall, I think that WarGaming does have something special on their hands with HEAT.
The potential to grow the game beyond what I played with other progression options, expansions, and even Esports, which the developers say they currently don’t have planned, but is something they will do if there’s a demand, is exciting.
As for the release date, the developers tell me that while an exact release date isn’t planned, they are aiming to release World of War Tanks: HEAT in 2026 on the PC (and Steam Deck!), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. I did ask about Nintendo Switch 2, but currently, they are focused only on these platforms and will reevaluate when the game launches.
Are you looking forward to World of Tanks: HEAT?
Let us know in the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming previews at Gamescom, check out my WW1 Gallipoli hands-on preview.
Tom Henderson is Insider Gaming's Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief. When he's not running one of the industry's leading independent video game websites, he's probably playing an FPS like Call of Duty,…
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