World of Tanks HEAT HANDS ON PREVIEW: A Surprisingly Fun Hero Shooter, But With Tanks!

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WarGaming’s World of Tanks: The introduction of HEAT during Gamescom’s Opening Night Live certainly caught my attention, and following a private play session, I can confidently say that it’s incredible!

To clarify and provide some background, I’ve spent several hundred hours playing World of Tanks and its mobile version, World of Tanks: Blitz. This means I have a solid grasp of WarGaming titles and their mechanics related to tank combat. However, due to time constraints, my gameplay was only around 15 minutes against AI bots, which isn’t ideal for a multiplayer game. Despite the limitations, I was still able to comprehend the developers’ vision for HEAT and their reasons for choosing this specific direction.

Call of Duty Meets Tanks

During Gamescom, it wasn’t unexpected to hear about another free-to-play multiplayer shooter being announced, but WarGaming’s World of War: HEAT stands out due to its focus on Tanks. Despite criticism from the community playing the game under the codename Project Cold War while it was still in testing, after having a chance to play it myself, I can see why. Although the World of Tanks brand is known for catering to a specific audience that values accuracy, HEAT offers an opportunity for the brand to appeal to a broader and more accessible demographic.

In essence, HEAT can be compared logically to Call of Duty in terms of its user-friendliness and gameplay structure. To better understand this, consider tanks as weapons, because that’s essentially what they are in HEAT. Similar to a weapon in Call of Duty, your tank in HEAT is customizable with various options like paint jobs, charms, and a 100-point system for upgrades (akin to Battlefield 6’s firearm upgrade system).

In addition, the resemblance between Call of Duty and HEAT doesn’t stop at the basic level. Just like Call of Duty, players can expect to engage in multiple game modes such as Domination, Verification of Kills, and Defense and Attack missions.

Instead, let me rephrase that statement for you: Although some complexity remains in the game from the original World of Tanks version, players still need to learn the weak spots and vulnerabilities in tanks’ armor. To make the game easier to play, though, the crosshairs are now designed like those used in the Arcade mode of World of Tanks, highlighting the armor’s penetration points in an easy-to-understand x-ray view.

A Hero Shooter?

In this alternate World War II landscape I’m immersed in as a gamer, the creators get to unleash their inventive minds when designing the war machines. This means that instead of traditional tanks, we see some outfitted with Gatling guns, missiles, and other futuristic accessories straight off the drawing board.

In HEAT, the main characters are the Tank drivers, initially equipped with two assigned tanks each at the game’s release. The creators inform me that upon release, every character will have one tank already unlocked, with the second tank obtainable through in-game progress or accelerated via premium paid features. They also mention that this setup is only for the initial version of the game, with more tanks per character being added later on.

Genuinely Great

Rarely do I find myself feeling positive about a game demo, particularly during conventions where exhaustion sets in and the equipment isn’t familiar. However, after my encounter with HEAT from WarGaming, I can’t help but sense that they might have a unique gem on their hands.

The possibility of expanding the game further than my past experiences, through additional growth mechanisms, expansions, and potentially even Esports (although not yet in development plans), given that it could happen based on audience interest, is thrilling.

Regarding the release timeline, developers have shared that although a specific date isn’t set yet, their goal is to launch World of Tanks: HEAT in 2026 for PC (including Steam Deck), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X. I also inquired about Nintendo Switch 2, but at this point, they are concentrating on these platforms first. They plan to reconsider support for other platforms once the game is live.

Are you looking forward to World of Tanks: HEAT?

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2025-08-21 13:18