New “Kivu” map, battles for up to 128 players, and troop transport vehicles are coming to the game
Gaijin Entertainment announces that the third stage of closed beta testing for infantry battles in the military online action game War Thunder will begin in July. Participants will be able to try out the new “Kivu” location, designed for large-scale battles with up to 128 players simultaneously.
The new map is four times larger than previous infantry locations and is inspired by the landscapes of Central Africa. It is built around battles for five capture points. During this testing phase, players will encounter a wide range of modern military hardware, including M1A2 SEP V2 and T-90M main battle tanks, AH-64A and Mi-28N helicopters, 2S6 and LAV-AD air defense systems, as well as modern small arms used by the USA and Russia.
To support large-scale engagements on “Kivu,” new gameplay rules for bigger maps are being tested. Players will be able to respawn not only at their base but also at capture points already secured by their team, making movement across the vast battlefield more dynamic. War Thunder will also introduce its first troop transport vehicles — light cars capable of carrying up to five soldiers at once — allowing faster deployment to key objectives. In addition, new UAV control range settings have been added for large-scale battles.
Arcade Battles will return to infantry combat during this third testing phase. The marker display logic has been reworked: markers are now shown only when a player has a direct line of sight to an enemy model, and they disappear when the target is obscured by smoke, explosions, trees, other obstacles, or is at extreme distance. This change improves readability in Arcade mode while preserving the importance of cover and concealment. Movement speed has also been adjusted — heavily equipped soldiers move faster than in Realistic Battles, making the mode more dynamic.
Significant changes have also been made to soldier classes. Weapon presets have been revised, and specialized equipment such as RPGs, MANPADS, and drones is no longer available to every soldier. As a result, players will need to choose more carefully between the four available classes and tailor their loadouts to the situation on the battlefield.
Players who have not yet joined the test can apply for access on the official War Thunder website.
About Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, CRSED: F.O.A.D. and Star Conflict as well as other PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/
About War Thunder
War Thunder is a free-to-play, cross-platform, massively multiplayer military masterpiece with millions of fans worldwide, that allows players on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Mac and Linux to fight their way across air, land, and sea in the same battlefield. War Thunder offers 2000+ playable aircraft, armored vehicles and ships from the 1900s to the 2010s. The US, Russian, British, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Israeli, South African and French military vehicles represented in game are carefully researched, historically accurate recreations of their real world counterparts. Fans can expect hundreds more added as Gaijin Entertainment commits to ongoing development via regular updates. Official website: http://warthunder.com
