War Thunder’s latest major update, “Sky Odyssey”, went live on September 16, 2026 as version 2.59. Gaijin Entertainment revealed it with a trailer on September 3 and opened a dev server for testing from September 4 to 12, and the release lands with a mix of new vehicles, a new ground map and several long-requested gameplay changes.
New vehicles: Greece, the CA-27 and more
The headline addition is a group of Greek aircraft and tanks spread across the research trees. They arrive alongside the CA-27 — the Australian-built Sabre — India’s Arjun Mk 1 main battle tank, Indonesia’s Harimau and the Soviet MiG-35. As usual with a major update, helicopters and naval vessels also join several nations, so it’s worth checking your tree for new additions.
Darwin Hill brings the Falklands to Ground Battles
Ground Battles get one new location, Darwin Hill, set in the landscapes of the Falkland Islands. Gaijin also reworked several existing maps as part of the update.
Abandoning a vehicle no longer denies the kill
One of the most practical changes targets players who bail out of doomed tanks and ships to deny their opponent the kill. The vehicle-abandonment reward system, already in air battles, now covers Ground and Naval Battles: when a player deliberately leaves a vehicle, the game looks for the closest eligible enemy or incoming munition and can award partial kill credit. The search radius is three kilometres for ground vehicles and 20 kilometres for ships.
Bombers, missiles and permanent event modes
Bombers receive an overhauled damage model aimed at survivability, and several air-to-air missiles have updated flight models. In the hangar, Nuclear Escalation, Naval Confrontation and Bullet Hell now appear as permanent modes under the “To Battle!” button, and the vehicle preset limit rises from 18 to 25.
Already patched several times
Gaijin has shipped a string of follow-up fixes since launch, from 2.59.0.11 on September 17 to 2.59.0.28 on September 23, covering bugs including an Air Realistic Battles reward multiplier and aircraft handling issues. New to the game? Our War Thunder beginner’s guide covers how Battle Rating and research work before you chase the new vehicles.
