Wargaming

How many people play World of Tanks? — 2024 statistics

Commanding the battlefield in the steel jungle.

Fact-checked
Release Date
August 19, 2010
Genre
Developer
Wargaming
Publisher
Wargaming

Emerging in 2010, World of Tanks took the MMO scene by storm with its unique tank warfare. This venture by Wargaming not only survived a risky launch but thrived, spawning a whole new gaming experience. As the game marks its decade-long journey, the solid World of Tanks player count speaks volumes about its success. Delving deeper into World of Tanks statistics, we uncover the layers of strategic gameplay and realistic design that continue to captivate players globally. And for those seeking broader insights into the gaming cosmos, our video games industry statistics promises a treasure trove of knowledge.

World of Tanks user statistics

Eleven years in, and World of Tanks players are still going strong, battling it out with their tricked-out tanks. It’s all about the rush of the fight, and you gotta wonder, how many people play World of Tanks?

World of Tanks has over 160 million registered users.

(Source: PCGamesN)

  • The record for most concurrent players is 1.1 million players at the same time.
  • For World of Tanks Blitz, by August 2020, after improving the server tech, the peak concurrent users went well over 200,000.
  • Still, by August 2020, the daily average of users had surpassed 1.5 million players.

Throughout those 11 years, WoT managed to make sure to continuously score new users, up to millions of them per year. Sure, like with a lot of MMOs, they have lost quite a big chunk of those users who stopped playing after some time. However, the game is still making numbers. In addition to that, they have still managed to make more than 100,000,000 people download and play their game at one point in their life (with some even coming back years later).

Most players are over 25 years old.

(Source: Gamespot)

  • Men predominantly represent most of the players playing WoT.
  • A small poll conducted on an official forum of World of Tanks showed that teenagers are playing the game, but adults from 20-45 were dominating the scene.

Are we surprised? No. First, the dominant gender. The game is all about big tanks, not a topic that a lot of women will relate to, even if they are huge gamers. I have been gaming since I’m 6 and if I do see the value of the game in its gameplay and concepts, I have no interest at all in those big, chunky, and manly tanks. Second, the age range: the game does not require you to be quick on your feet, no need for twitch reactions. It is strategic and will require that you think about your movements. Apart from that, the tanks look realistic, it is not gory nor bloody and the substory around WWII are magnets for people from all walks of life.

World of Tanks key statistics

With such success, everyone is a bit curious about topics focused on revenues, profits, the number of downloads, and more information around the game itself.

As of April 2021, World of Tanks Blitz has been downloaded 140 million times across all platforms.

(Source: Pocket Gamer)

  • This total does not include the Switch as the game was not yet released on Nintendo’s console at the time.
  • The game has over 100 million installs on the Google Store. It has received 3,913,329 reviews and a rating of 4.2.
  • By August 2020, 2.6 million of those downloads were from the UK with WoTB.
  • In 2015, World of Tanks represented 3.48% of all time spent gaming on the online gaming platform Raptr.

The result of a ‘dinosaur’ of a game. Wargaming has always made sure to provide content, but also to promote itself to new crowds. It was not that long ago that a lot of gamer YouTubers were advertising the game at the beginning of their videos. 

World of Tanks Blitz earns an estimated $2 million every month.

(Source: Sensor Tower)

  • You can buy gold in the premium shop. Gold will allow you to buy more premium content for your tank.
  • You can also buy powerful premium tanks, exclusive skins (like that collaboration with Amazon’s The Boys or Sega’s Valkyria Chronicle), rounds, etc.
  • There is also the Battle Pass that lets you have access to exclusive specials.

The store is full of offers, items, and specials, so it is easy to understand why so many players are tempted. Plus, to always stimulate diversity in their lineup, Wargaming often has collaborations with different brands. They even had one with a Japanese anime full of cute girls and Panzer.

In September 2020, WoT was ranked #6 in the Top Grossing Titles (PC) category.

(Source: Reddit)

  • In 2013, the game even surpassed World of Warcraft in terms of profit made via microtransactions with a total of $372 million. 
  • In January 2016, the game grossed out $446 million on PC.
  • The company has been able to hire over 5,000 employees thanks to the revenue generated by World of Tanks. The original team only had 120 people.

Players in WoT gladly spend their money to buy premium content, that is for sure when looking at the astronomical profit the company makes out of microtransactions alone. It goes hand in hand with the fact that a big chunk of their fanbase is made of adults already working.

In 2014, World of Tanks had the highest average revenue per user of any game in the world.

(Source: Games Industry)

  • The main competitor, War Thunder, did not make the list at all.
  • In 2013, the game was awarded the Guinness Record for “most players logged onto an MMO server”, thanks to its 190,541 players.
  • It also won 4 Golden Joystick Awards, 1 from the MMOSite’s Reader’s Choice Awards 2010, 1 from KRI 2010, and another one from E3 2010.

Believe it or not, 2 of them are “Still Playing” awards. Its concept was also acknowledged and rewarded.

World of Tanks usage statistics

Time to take a closer look at how the game is consumed by the community. From the countries where the fans are the most invested to a ranking of the favorite heroes of professional players (with numbers!), we got it all.

The countries with the highest number of players are the US, Ecuador, and Canada.

(Source: Player Counter)

  • The US accounts for 27.82% and takes the top spot.
  • Ecuador is #2 with 6.12% and is followed by Canada as #3 with 5.73%.
  • The rest of the Top 5 is occupied by Argentina (5.55%) and Mexico (4.64%).

It is a bit surprising to not see Brazil as they tend to really like multiplayer games.

World of Tanks has a selection of over 600 armored vehicles from 11 nations.

(Source: PCGamesN)

  • You can play as France, Germany, U.S.S.R., USA, China, UK, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Poland or Italy.
  • The best tanks in the game are: (Tier I) Leichttraktor, (Tier II) Pz. II, (Tier III) Cruiser III, (Tier IV) P26/40 and (Tier V) T67.

The game can be pretty technical when giving the specs of those vehicles. As you can see, the best tanks are Tier V and up (Tier X being the weakest). A lot of work must be achieved to obtain them…or a small swipe of your credit card.

World of Tanks is ranked #57 on Twitch.

(Source: Twitch)

  • Over 7 days: the average number of viewers is 6,411, the average number of channels streaming the game is 187, the average number of viewers/channel is 34.3 and the average number of hours watched is 1,078,150.
  • The peak number of viewers was 131,606 in September 2020 and the peak number of channels was 672 in January 2021.
  • The game is streamed by 15% more channels during the weekend, and there are 40% more viewers.

Streaming is also working well for the franchise. Notice how the number of viewers tends to increase during the weekend: might be because, during the week, a lot of the players are at work.

World of Tanks Blitz is ranked #742 on Twitch.

(Source: Twitch)

  • Over 7 days: the average number of viewers is 60, the average number of channels streaming the game is 17, the average number of viewers/channel is 3.5 and the average number of hours watched is 9,805.
  • The peak number of viewers was 17,574 in June 2018 and the peak number of channels was 53 in November 2021.
  • The game is streamed by 9% more channels during the weekend, and there are 3% more viewers.

Blitz is the lesser version with fewer people in the platoons and lesser graphics, which could explain the lack of streaming. However, we also saw that most people on Steam went for this version of the game (since it took ages to release the better one), so what gives?

World of Tanks platform statistics

Starting with PC through its own platform to download the game, World of Tanks has slowly made its way on most consoles and is now available whether you are on a bus, in your bed, or comfortably sitting on your couch.

The all-time peak for World of Tanks on Steam is 4,196 players.

(Source: Steam, Steam Charts)

  • This version of the game was released on Steam in April 2021 and allows 15 vs 15 matches.
  • The highest number of average players is 1,593 in May 2021.
  • The number of players is actually pretty much the same and balanced enough with an average of 1,500 – 1,600 players. The average during peak hours is 2,400 – 3,000.
  • 12,822 reviews have been received on Steam and globally lean toward average (69% are positive).

It is a bit weird that Wargaming released the first version of the game, the one with 15 vs 15 and more content, only recently on Steam. We can see that it has some trouble starting strong, even though it is not the pits.

The all-time peak for World of Tanks Blitz on Steam is 48,471 players.

(Source: Steam, Steam Charts)

  • This version of the game was released on Steam in November 2016 and allows 7 vs 7 matches.
  • The highest number of average players is 22,343 in December 2020.
  • The number of players has been steadily increasing and the game reached the ten thousand range in October 2019. From there, it resumed its ascent and is now stabilized around an average of 16,000 – 17,000 players. The average during peak hours is 35,000 – 39,000.
  • 93,190 reviews have been received on Steam and globally lean toward really positive (80.14% are positive).
  • On PC, It received 80 from critics and 3.4 from users on Metacritic.

The game is still doing really well and stays active around the clock. A lot of updates and events are still added, so the community has content to play with. But those numbers are great to see because they are extremely balanced: there is no drastic drop between them. Blitz is also a nice alternative for players with not-so-powerful PCs.

As of April 2021, World of Tanks Blitz on Switch has surpassed 1.5 million installs.

(Source: Pocket Gamer)

  • The game was released on August 26, 2020.
  • US players represent the biggest chunk of players on the console with 345,000 players (23%).
  • Japan is second with 270,000 players (18%) and followed by France with 135,000 players (9%).
  • The rest of the Top 5 is occupied by Germany and its 75,000 players (5%) and Mexico and 60,000 players (4%).
  • After being featured in Nintendo Direct, the game received 70 million impressions, 13 million video views, and received coverage from more than 300 publications.
  • The game received 68 from critics and 3.3 from users on Metacritic.

A lot of users were discontent with the game because it was just a ported version of the mobile game. The limited number of players during a versus, a type of vehicles not being included and the poor graphics did not please them at all (even if the gameplay was still as fun). It is worth noting that this is what is happening most of the time with the Switch when mobile games are released on the console: they barely get any new enhancements.

The game was generally well-received by critics, but the learning curve is a pain point.

(Source: Wargaming)

  • For iOS, it received 83 from critics and 6.3 from users on Metacritic.
  • The game garnered 88.6K reviews and earned a rating of 4.6. It is ranked #107 in the strategy games category and is even the Editor’s Choice.
  • For PS4, it received 80 from critics and 5 from users on Metacritic.
  • For Xbox 360, it received 77 from critics and 6.6 from users on Metacritic.
  • For Xbox One, it received 76 from critics and 5.4 from users on Metacritic.

The game is pretty popular with critics and users tend to appreciate the different ports. A point that is often highlighted in their reviews is that WoT is addictive and extremely entertaining, but the matchmaking is horrendous and it can be a bit difficult for newbies. See our review on WoT to get an in-depth look into how the game works.

World of Tanks eSports statistics

Are you surprised? The game is a popular PvP with tanks and strategy. It was made for eSports.

The biggest prize pool in a tournament reached a total of $308,494.

(Source: eSports Earnings)

  • It was the prize money for the World Cyber Arena 2015.
  • It is followed by 5 different tournaments with a prize pool of $300,000.

WoT has been part of the eSports scene for ages now. There are more than 50 tournaments out there centered around the franchise. Amongst the big ones, you can also find the smaller local ones  (mostly in Russia).

The top 3 of the highest-earning players are dominated by Russia.

(Source: eSports Earnings)

  • Neskwi is #1 with a total of $116,040 (Russia).
  • He is followed by Near_You with $112,826 (Belarus).
  • Kirilloid is #3 with $100,380 (Russia).

Russian players have been loyal, active, and really good since the inception of WoT. It is no surprise to see them dominating the tournaments. You will actually find a lot of big-earning players from Eastern Europe.

Russia is dominating the chart as the top country with $1.3 million won in total.

(Source: eSports Earnings)

  • Ukraine is second with $601,972 and Belarus is third with $266,399.
  • China ($104,000) and Germany ($74,981) managed to occupy the last two spots of that Top 5, breaking the supremacy of Eastern countries.

China really is trying to shine in almost every multiplayer game on the eSports scene. Congratulations to Greece though, as they have managed to enter the chart with just one player.

To sum up

World of Tanks is an enigma. A lot of people have never heard of it, and when they did it must have been during their campaign on YouTube. But the game has been around way longer than most games we know nowadays. And even better: for a small MMO developed by a really small company, it touched the sky and went beyond.

After 11 years, the title is still going strong. From their profit to the number of active players, everything is stable. Of course, nothing is perfect and Wargaming had to go through some losses, but nothing strong enough to kill their spirit. Today they plan to hire 100 more people to work in their new office in Lithuania. Wargaming knows its public and what they want, they keep updating the game (they have done so more than 100 times by now) and they often have events and special missions.

The game is not perfect: the players complain about the terrible matchmaking that will pit Tier IX players against Tier II players, the premium content that causes a big imbalance, and some hiccups with the gameplay… but other than that, nothing major. We can only hope that the game will continue to walk the flower path. 

Sources

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