A year after its initial announcement, developer Wargaming has released a brand new trailer for its super-powered tank-based shooter, World of Tanks: HEAT, and in the process, has announced that it is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on May 26th. The trailer, which you can check out below, gives us a general idea about the story that will frame its fast-paced multiplayer matches.
Things kick off with a bang with a team of tanks being airdropped along a coastline, and as they roll further inland, they are faced with an enemy squad. The tempo is then kicked off a notch with some metal music punctuating the destruction caused by these tanks. Along with the typical array of explosive weapons, each of the tanks will also be equipped with manoeuvrability tools, allowing them to travel at high speeds, and even drift when needed.
It doesn’t look like the tanks will be the only ones doing the fighting, however. The trailer shows quite frequent fly-bys of jets and drones, helping out their respective teams with additional firepower like missiles and even more focused bombing runs. Interestingly, after the fight is over, two of the characters wave to each other outside of the tank before having to rush back in since more jets are flying overhead, which likely means there will be more tanks being dropped in.
World of Tanks: HEAT was originally unveiled back in August 2025 with a trailer that showcased how its 10-on-10 battles will look. Wargaming had also confirmed at the time that players will be able to customize their vehicles in quite a few ways, including weapons and armor modules, as well as cosmetics.
Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi has described World of Tanks: HEAT as the studio’s “bold vision for the franchise” with its emphasis on fast-paced combat when compared to World of Tanks. When it was originally announced, the studio also noted that it would be compatible with the Steam Deck right from launch. Various platforms will also offer cross-progression for the game.
Just last month, Wargaming had offered players an early look at World of Tanks: HEAT with a limited closed beta run. The beta featured eight maps and a variety of tanks across quite a few game modes that revolved around attacking and defending various points of interest on the battlefield.
While World of Tanks: HEAT might represent a new vision for the future of the franchise, interestingly, Wargaming had said all the way back in 2017 that it had no interest in making a World of Tanks 2. In an interview, the at the time publishing director of the game Alex de Giorgio said that such a sequel didn’t really make sense for the studio.
The fact that Wargaming had already spent quite a few years in adding more content and features to the free-to-play title made starting afresh on a full-fledged sequel a difficult proposition. “It’s this constant evolution; that’s been the hallmark of the game,” said he said, noting that it “doesn’t really make sense to us.”
