Free-to-play online war games, explained in plain language

What this reference covers, and what it does not

This site is about a single, sprawling category: online games, usually free to download, in which players command ships, tanks, aircraft or armies against other people in real time. World of Warships is one well-known title in that category, and it is one of the products described here. The category also includes many others, and the ideas behind them — matchmaking, progression, premium currency, optional purchases — repeat from title to title. Learn them once and most of these games become far easier to weigh up.

The aim is narrow and honest. Altumbase explains concepts, defines terms, and lays out the practical questions worth asking before you install anything: whether your computer can run it, how much of your time it expects, and where the optional spending is. It does not review games with scores, it does not chase release-day news, and it does not tell you which title is best for you — that depends on your hardware, your tastes and your budget, none of which we can see.

What you will not find here is as important as what you will. There are no personal stories, no user testimonials, no invented experts and no manufactured urgency. Nothing on the site scans your device or warns you that you are at risk. Every general claim about the category is either phrased as ordinary guidance or linked to a primary source you can check for yourself. Where an Australian regulator has published something relevant, we link to the regulator rather than paraphrasing it into something it never said.

The category is genuinely useful to understand because the same commercial patterns appear across it. A "premium account" in one game behaves much like a "battle pass" in another. Randomised in-game containers work the same way whether they are called crates, chests or bundles. Once you can recognise these mechanics by their function rather than their marketing name, you can read any store page in the category and know roughly what you are being asked to do. That recognition is the single most useful thing this site tries to give you.

Begin with the vocabulary

Almost every misunderstanding in this category traces back to a word. People assume "free-to-play" means "free forever", that "matchmaking" is random, or that a "premium" ship is more powerful when it is often just more convenient. The key terms page is the spine of this reference: short, plain definitions, cross-linked so you can follow one idea into the next. Everything else on the site leans on it.

• Free-to-play
• Matchmaking
• Progression
• Premium currency
• Randomised container
• Single opt-in
• Game client

How the pages fit together

World of Warships, in one paragraph

World of Warships is a free-to-play online game in which players command historical and near-historical warships in team-versus-team battles. It is a desktop title, offered for Windows and macOS, and it is not provided for Linux. Like most games in this category it can be downloaded and played without an upfront purchase, and it offers optional paid content. A fuller, plainly written description is on the World of Warships page, including the practical points a new player usually wants to check first. For the game's own current terms, pricing and account rules, the authoritative source is the vendor's website rather than this one.

The following link is a paid affiliate link. If you register through it, the publisher may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

Visit the World of Warships website

Playing within your rights in Australia

Games in this category are commercial products, and the same consumer protections apply to them as to anything else you buy or install. Under Australian Consumer Law, misleading or deceptive conduct in trade is prohibited, and consumer guarantees apply to many digital products and services. If a purchase does not work as described, you have avenues to pursue. For classification questions — what a game's content rating is and what it means — the Australian Classification Board is the authority. For scams that use games as bait, the Scamwatch service run by the National Anti-Scam Centre is the place to report and to read current warnings. Our playing safely page brings these together with the specific situations they apply to.

Common questions