Tank Games

In tank games you drive an armored vehicle, aim the cannon and fire at other tanks, bases or enemies. There are more than 130, from retro arcades to arena games with other players.

How to play

A tank doesn't handle like a car or a character. It's slow, it turns in place, and the cannon is your main weapon, so every shot counts. In many games you have to reload between shots, and that gap is when you're easiest to hit. That's why position wins more than speed: move, duck behind a wall and pop out to fire.

You usually move with the arrow keys or WASD and shoot with the mouse or a key. Some games split the movement of the hull from the turn of the turret, which takes a little getting used to.

What types there are

Tank 1990, Super Tank War, Classic War Tankz and Tank Battle recall the arcades of the past: top-down view, enemies appearing around the map, and levels that end when you've cleared them all. 2D Tanks: Tank Wars, Tanks 2, Big Battle Tanks and Toy Tank Arena are more modern 2D battles. There are also turn-based games where, instead of rushing around, you take your time lining up the shot.

Tanks Zone io, tankroyale.io and TankWar.io have .io in the name and put several players in one arena, so the pressure is different: you never know when you'll run into someone. Tank War Defense mixes tanks with defending a position.

One tip that holds for almost all of them: if the enemy outguns you, don't face them head-on. Use corners, fire and hide. And don't run out of ammo at the worst moment: reload when nobody is on top of you.

To start, Tank 1990 or Classic War Tankz are the easiest to understand: you see the whole map from above and enemies come from where you expect. Once you've got the hang of it, try Big Battle Tanks or Toy Tank Arena, with more movement. Save the .io games for later, because other players won't give you time to learn. And if the game lets you upgrade your tank between rounds, put your points first into whatever you lack most, whether that's armor or rate of fire.