As a player with thousands hours on this game (played through official launcher not on Steam), I advice new comers to not play War Thunder even once.
The game looks beautiful but you only gets pain inside.
1. It is a pay to win game, if you spend more money or buy premium vehicle you will get multiple advantages.
2. You won't have enough in game currencies to buy vehicle even if you play premium vehicle with premium account.
3. Devs do not listen to players at all, they just want their clients to suffer, to squeeze more money from their pocket.
4. No control over bots and cheaters, they are literally in every match.
5. Always buggy.

Say no more, ignore this game.

As a player with thousands hours on this game (played through official launcher not on Steam), I advice new comers to not play War Thunder even once. The game looks beautiful but you only gets pain inside. 1. It is a pay to win game, if you spend more money or buy premium vehicle you will get multiple advantages. 2. You won't have enough in game currencies to buy vehicle even if you play premium vehicle with premium account. 3. Devs do not listen to players at all, they just want their clients to suffer, to squeeze more money from their pocket. 4. No control over bots and cheaters, they are literally in every match. 5. Always buggy. Say no more, ignore this game.