DCS World Steam Edition vs War Thunder
DCS World Steam Edition is an FPS open-world game from Eagle Dynamics SA (2013) while War Thunder is a mmorpg simulation game from Gaijin Entertainment (2012).
What each one is
Steam files DCS World Steam Edition under FPS and Open-World. In contrast, it files War Thunder under Mmorpg and Simulation.
Feel the excitement of flying the Su-25T "Frogfoot" attack jet and the TF-51D "Mustang" in the free-to-play Digital Combat Simulator World!
War Thunder is the most comprehensive free-to-play, cross-platform, MMO military game dedicated to aviation, armoured vehicles, and naval craft, from the early 20th century to the most advanced modern combat units. Join now and take part in major battles on land, in the air, and at sea.
At a glance
| DCS World Steam Edition | War Thunder | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.5/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (85%, 41,014) | Mostly Positive (71%, 779,529) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 81/100 |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Install size | 200 GB | 70 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | verified |
| Released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Developer | Eagle Dynamics SA | Gaijin Entertainment |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
DCS World Steam Edition vs War Thunder, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
DCS World Steam EditionFPS open-world gameWar ThunderMmorpg simulation gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
DCS World Steam EditionSimulation, Flight, Free to PlayWar ThunderFree to Play, Simulation, Vehicular CombatThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
DCS World Steam Edition ✓Score 7.5 · 85% on SteamWar ThunderScore 7.2 · 71% on Steam · 81 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
DCS World Steam Edition41,014 reviews · 179 add-ons · 200 GBWar Thunder779,529 reviews · 35 add-ons · 70 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
DCS World Steam EditionFreeWar ThunderFreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
DCS World Steam EditionPlayableWar Thunder ✓VerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Across the rounds a number can settle, it is level at 1 each. Which one is "better" is the part no figure decides, so we leave it to what you want from the two.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDCS World Steam Edition and War Thunder on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: DCS World Steam Edition (GamingPickz Score 7.5)
- Better on a Steam Deck: War Thunder (verified)
- Lighter on storage: War Thunder (70 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: War Thunder (779,529 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SimulationFlightFree to PlayMilitaryMultiplayerRealisticVRWar
Where they differ
Open WorldSingleplayerCo-opSandboxTrackIRFirst-Person
Vehicular CombatCombatWorld War IINaval CombatModernCold War
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, DCS World Steam Edition is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. War Thunder is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| DCS World Steam Edition | War Thunder | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Discrete AMD | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel | Dual-Core 2.2 GHz |
| Minimum RAM | 16 GB | 4 GB |
| Install size | 200 GB | 70 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: DCS World Steam Edition · War Thunder.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 12 accessibility features for DCS World Steam Edition and 7 for War Thunder. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are DCS World Steam Edition and War Thunder in scope?
DCS World Steam Edition has drawn 41,014 Steam reviews, ships 179 add-ons and installs in 200 GB. War Thunder has drawn 779,529 Steam reviews, ships 35 add-ons and installs in 70 GB.
Is DCS World Steam Edition or War Thunder better?
By the GamingPickz Score, DCS World Steam Edition rates higher (7.5 to 7.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, DCS World Steam Edition or War Thunder?
DCS World Steam Edition is cheaper right now at Free, against Free. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.