Cry Of War (Incl. Panzer War DLC)

Mud, wire, and cratered no-man’s-land turn armored combat into a slow, brutal contest in Cry Of War. Set around the First World War’s Battle of the Somme, this indie tank combat game puts players inside the primitive steel machines that first tried to break the trench-war deadlock. Rather than presenting tanks as fast, unstoppable weapons, it leans into their lumbering movement, awkward sightlines, and vulnerable mechanical parts. The mood is deliberately heavy and historical, with battles built around the strange, experimental armor of the early twentieth century.

Players select a vehicle, drive across battered fields and trench systems, acquire targets, and attempt to destroy enemy armor before a well-placed shot disables their own machine. Combat uses a component-based damage model reminiscent of War Thunder: shells can damage crew positions, engines, tracks, guns, and other internal modules instead of simply draining a universal health bar. That makes ammunition choice, armor angles, range, and shot placement matter, especially when facing enemies that can still fight after losing mobility. Several vehicles use more than one turret, and players switch between weapon stations with function keys, adding extra management to already demanding tank duels. The included Panzer War DLC expands the overall package for players looking for more armored warfare content alongside the core World War I focus.

What makes Cry Of War unusual is its commitment to tanks that most military games treat as curiosities. Mark-series machines, the German A7V, France’s towering Char 2C, and even the unbuilt A7V-U blueprint tank give the roster a distinctive museum-piece appeal without reducing them to static historical exhibits. Their ungainly shapes and differing gun layouts create a very different rhythm from the sleek medium tanks common in World War II shooters. Players who enjoy the technical damage modeling of War Thunder but want a smaller-scale, more specialized single-theme experience should find plenty to appreciate here, while newcomers should expect a learning curve shaped by slow vehicles and deliberate gunnery.