Wargaming showed off World of Tanks 2.0 at Gamescom Opening Night Live, complete with new tanks, a PvE event mode, and quite a lot more, and there’s even a release date. The free World of Tanks 2.0 update goes live on Sep. 3 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC via Steam and the Wargaming Game Center.
“2.0 isn’t just an update – it’s a cornerstone of the game’s future evolution that will define World of Tanks development for years to come,” Michael Broek, World of Tanks’ publishing director, said in a press release. “We’re excited to share with our players the results of the team’s hard work over the past two years. Whether you’re new to the game, a seasoned veteran, or returning to the fight, with Update 2.0 there’s no better time to play World of Tanks.”
World of Tanks 2.0 uses a new PvE event mode called Operation Boiling Point to introduce three Tier XI tanks and a new battlefield, but there’s a total of 16 new Tier XI vehicles in the initial update and more planned for the future. Wargaming also teased a new progression system, but won’t be sharing details on that until a later update.
While these new high-powered tanks might be the showstopper, they aren’t the update’s only big act. Wargaming is rebalancing more than 300 tanks for “smarter, fairer gameplay” and turning the hangar into a tank factory where you can assemble your machine and deck it out with new equipment. The interface is also getting a touch-up to make it more informative and helpful, and the matchmaking system will get queues moving faster and, Wargaming hopes, create more balanced matches. Finally, Wargaming is adding the long-requested Nordskar Scandinavian map in World of Tanks 2.0.
During the announcement, the studio also revealed a brand-new mode called World of Tanks: Heat, a hero shooter-inspired stand-alone game that borrows elements of Overwatch and Advance Wars with its tank and hero customization.