Comparison library: online vehicle combat games

Five games, each described against the same six questions in the same order. Publisher links open the official site for that game, which is where pricing, platform support and regional availability should be confirmed. Nothing on this page is a recommendation.

How to read an entry

Read down one entry to understand a game, or read across two entries question by question to compare them. The questions are defined in full on the comparison method page; in short they cover what you control, how a match is shaped, what your computer and connection are asked for, what an account involves, how money enters the game, and where the publisher's own information sits.

When an entry says information is not stated, that means Pioneer Point could not confirm it from the publisher's public material and has declined to estimate. It does not mean the answer is unfavourable, and it is not a criticism of the publisher. It means the reader should look at the source rather than trust this page.

Side by side

The six comparison questions in short form. Sorted alphabetically by title. Reviewed 17 September 2026.
Question	DCS World	Enlisted	War Thunder	World of Tanks	World of Warships
Vehicles in play	Aircraft and helicopters	Infantry squads with tanks and aircraft	Planes, helicopters, tanks and ships	Tanks and armoured vehicles	Warships
Kind of game	Study simulator	Combined arms	Combined arms, online multiplayer	Arcade-leaning shooter	Arcade-leaning shooter
Requirements published	On the publisher's site	On the publisher's site	On the publisher's site	On the publisher's site	On the publisher's site
Account registration	Publisher account	Publisher account	Registration on the publisher's site, email address confirmed	Publisher account	Publisher account
Money enters through	Purchased aircraft and terrain modules	Not stated here — see publisher	Not stated here — see publisher	Not stated here — see publisher	Not stated here — see publisher
Publisher	Eagle Dynamics	Gaijin Entertainment	Gaijin Entertainment	Wargaming	Wargaming

The row of blank answers about money is the honest state of this table rather than an oversight. Monetisation in this category changes with seasonal events and regional pricing, and the publisher's store page is the only place where the current position is visible. The spending page explains the mechanisms in general terms so that a store page is readable when you get there.

DCS World

What the player controls. Aircraft and helicopters, flown from a cockpit modelled at the level of individual switches and systems. Eagle Dynamics distributes the game as a base platform with separately acquired aircraft and terrain modules, so what a given player owns varies considerably from one installation to the next.

How a match is structured. Single-player missions and campaigns sit alongside multiplayer servers; the flight model does not have an arcade setting in the sense that the other titles here do. Sessions are long by the standards of this category, and a start-up procedure before take-off is part of the experience rather than an obstacle to it.

Computer and connection. Requirements are published on the official site and should be read there, particularly for anyone considering virtual reality, which changes the demand on a machine substantially.

Account. A publisher account is used for purchases and module activation. Details are on the official site.

Money. The distinguishing feature of this entry: aircraft and terrain are bought as modules rather than unlocked through play. A reader used to progression trees should understand that this is a different arrangement, and that the cost of a well-equipped installation accumulates across separate purchases.

Source. digitalcombatsimulator.com

Enlisted

What the player controls. A squad of soldiers, with tanks and aircraft available in the same battles. It is the only entry in this library where the player's primary unit is infantry, and it is included because vehicles are integral to the battles rather than decorative.

How a match is structured. Online multiplayer battles set in the Second World War, with squads assembled and equipped between matches. Gaijin Entertainment publishes the game; the developer is Darkflow Software.

Computer and connection. Requirements are published on the official site. Because battles are player against player, a stable connection matters more than a high frame rate.

Account. A publisher account is required. Registration details are on the official site.

Money. Not stated here. The official site and in-game store are the current sources.

Source. enlisted.net

War Thunder

What the player controls. Planes, helicopters, tanks and ships. War Thunder is described by its publisher as a multiplayer war simulator that allows battles to be fought using those four vehicle classes, which places it firmly in the combined-arms part of this category.

How a match is structured. Online multiplayer. Beyond that, Pioneer Point does not characterise mode structure, match length or difficulty settings, because those are not established from the material this site is prepared to rely on.

Computer and connection. Requirements are published by the publisher and should be read on the official site before downloading the client.

Account. Registration takes place on the publisher's website, and the email address attached to the account is confirmed as part of that process. The game is then installed and the first session begins with the tutorial. This sequence is described in more detail, along with what it means for the reader, on the dedicated entry page.

Money. Not stated here. Pioneer Point makes no claim about the price of the game, the presence or absence of purchases inside it, or any promotion; the publisher's site states the current position.

Publisher. Gaijin Entertainment.

Source. Visit the War Thunder website

Paid link. The link directly above is paid. If you register through it, confirm your email address and sign in to the game, an affiliate program pays a commission to Kalos investing s.r.o. It costs you nothing extra, and this entry follows the same six questions as every other entry on the page.

World of Tanks

What the player controls. Tanks and other armoured vehicles, drawn from a large historical roster and organised into national progression trees.

How a match is structured. Team-based online battles, with vehicles unlocked and researched through play. Wargaming publishes the game. It is the clearest example in this library of the arcade-leaning end of the category: matches are short, and the handling model favours accessibility over fidelity.

Computer and connection. Requirements are published on the official site. Regional server selection is relevant for Australian players and is handled through the publisher's own regional portals.

Account. A publisher account is required, and the same account family is used across Wargaming titles. Check the official site for current authentication options.

Money. Not stated here. The official site is the source.

Source. worldoftanks.com

World of Warships

What the player controls. Warships, organised by class, with the pace of a match dictated by the long travel and reload times that naval combat implies. Anyone arriving from a tank or aircraft game should expect a slower rhythm and longer consequences for a bad decision.

How a match is structured. Team-based online battles, published by Wargaming, with progression through ship tiers.

Computer and connection. Requirements are published on the official site.

Account. A publisher account is required. Details are on the official site.

Money. Not stated here. The official site is the source.

Source. worldofwarships.com

A note on latency that applies to all five

Every entry above says requirements are published by the publisher, and for Australian readers that leaves out the thing that actually decides whether a game is playable: which server you are routed to. Games in this category resolve shots on the server, so the delay between an input and its effect is not cosmetic. A player in Perth connected to a European server is aiming at where a target was, not where it is.

Before committing time to any of these titles, find out whether the publisher operates a server in the Asia-Pacific region and whether your account region can be chosen at registration. Region is frequently fixed to the account rather than selectable per session, which means a choice made carelessly in the first five minutes can be difficult to undo. The setup checklist puts this step before installation for exactly that reason.