The War Thunder May sale has split into two phases, and the community reaction to the second phase has been... mixed, to put it diplomatically. Phase one wrapped up on May 7 at 11:00 GMT, taking the in-game Golden Eagle vehicle discounts and Silver Lion tech tree price cuts with it. What replaced it are the Gaijin Store pack sales, and a vocal chunk of the forum is not impressed.
What happened in phase one?
Phase one covered two types of discounts running simultaneously: Golden Eagle price cuts on specific vehicles purchased directly in the game client, and reduced Silver Lion costs on tech tree vehicles.
Phase one GE discounts
What's in the Gaijin Store pack sales?
Phase two moved the action to the Gaijin web store, where bundled packs are listed at a discount. Based on forum discussion, the discount sits at around 30%, which players have described as underwhelming. The selection itself drew more complaints than the percentage. Multiple forum users noted that Britain received almost nothing meaningful on the ground side, with one user specifically calling out the absence of the Challenger DS. The Italy and Sweden trees were similarly light, with one or both receiving a single vehicle or nothing at all.
Russia's selection drew its own criticism. Forum user whitestar_ noted that while Russia typically gets strong pack options, this cycle only surfaced the Albatross and Su-25 pack, neither of which is particularly useful for players focused on air battles.
Pack prices at full cost can reach $69 or more per bundle. At 30% off, you're still looking at $48 or higher for a single vehicle pack. The forum consensus is clear: if the specific pack you want isn't on sale, wait.
Gaijin Store sale pricing
Is the May sale worth spending money on?
Honestly, the forum response tells you most of what you need to know. User DarkSilentNights put it bluntly: "weak sale, barely anything is discounted and whatever is, isn't good." User Wheredego had been specifically waiting for the Challenger DS since the sale started and came away empty-handed. Another player mentioned budgeting for two packs but found neither on discount, leaving a $114 decision on the table.
That said, Premium Time discounts tend to hold up better as a value proposition during these events. If you're grinding a new tree or trying to push through mid-tier faster, discounted Premium Time is almost always the better spend compared to a single vehicle pack at 30% off.
Premium Time stacks with Silver Lion and Research Point bonuses from any premium vehicles you already own. If you have even one premium vehicle in your lineup, discounted Premium Time multiplies its value significantly.
Here's a quick breakdown of the sale phases based on available information:
Should you wait for the summer sale instead?
Several forum users suggested exactly this. whitestar_ advised holding off and pointed to the summer sale as the next major discount window, with community estimates placing it in late June. Historically, summer sales have offered deeper discounts and a broader selection of packs. If the specific vehicle you want didn't appear in this cycle, patience is the practical play.
War Thunder typically runs major sales around key calendar events. After the May sale, the next expected window based on community discussion is late June. No official dates have been confirmed for the summer sale as of May 13, 2026.
May monthly decals: how to earn them
Separate from the sale, Gaijin confirmed a new batch of monthly decals available from May 13 at 11:00 GMT through June 11 at 09:00 GMT. These are earned through in-game tasks rather than purchased, and all tasks require Rank III vehicles or higher. The May set includes:
- Democracy Deliverer Inscription (USA): Finish in positions 1-3 three times using American Ground Vehicles
- "BB Girl" Pinup (France): Finish in positions 1-5 five times using French Aircraft
- Personal Marking of Vasily Isaev (USSR): Defeat 50 players using Soviet Aircraft
- "Ikazuchi" Inscription (Japan): Score 20,000 damage using Japanese Bluewater Vessels
- FlaLehrRgt 6 Emblem (Germany): Defeat 30 aircraft using German Ground Vehicles
- 34th Armoured Brigade Emblem (Britain): Earn 15,000 score using British Ground Vehicles
- 28th TFS Emblem (China): Win 10 battles using Chinese Aircraft
- CC Battaglione Carri SOMUA Emblem (Italy): Defeat 40 players using Italian Medium Tanks
- Narvik Battalion Emblem (Norway): Play 20 battles using Swedish Ground Vehicles with at least 60% Battle Activity
- Grupo 8 de Caza Emblem (Argentina): Defeat 30 players using missiles while flying Aircraft
To track your progress, go to Player Profile > Decals > Monthly Decals and hit the "Track progress" button on each one. After the month ends, completed decals move to their permanent category in your collection.
Monthly decals tracking menu
Patch 2.55.1.106: what changed this week
Gaijin also pushed update 2.55.1.106 alongside the sale period. The headline fix was a rate-of-fire correction on the Tu-95M's AM-23 turret gun, bumped from 600 to 1,250 RPM. On the ground side, the target plate hole size for 150mm AP shells in the hangar was corrected. The HMS Ark Royal was also replaced by the USS Forrestal in Confrontation missions at Battle Rating 9.3 and above, specifically because the Ark Royal's weak AA defense made it an easy target.
For fans of shooter games built around combined arms, these kinds of incremental fixes matter more than they look. Turret gun accuracy affects bomber survivability in ways that ripple through entire match dynamics at higher Battle Ratings.
For more strategies and vehicle breakdowns, the full War Thunder guides collection covers everything from nation-specific tech trees to top-tier tactics.