IMHO.

War Thunder vs Korea. IL-2 Series

War Thunder and Korea. IL-2 Series both land in Action, Simulation on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Simulation on Steam. War Thunder (2013) is 13 years older than Korea. IL-2 Series (2026). Both sit near 74% positive on Steam (War Thunder: 308,911 reviews, Korea. IL-2 Series: 455). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.

Which should you pick?

Choose War Thunder

Choose War Thunder if you want a Massively Multiplayer and Free To Play game with MMO, Adjustable Text Size, and Color Alternatives. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. 308,911 Steam reviews back the pick.

Choose Korea. IL-2 Series

Choose Korea. IL-2 Series if you want the DualShock Controller Support, Gamepad Recommended, and HDR available side of the pairing. On Steam, it's the newer release (2026) and ships with the modern feature baseline. Korea. IL-2 Series launched in 2026.

Both War Thunder and Korea. IL-2 Series sit in Action and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (74.1% vs 73.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.

Side-by-side comparison

War Thunder vs Korea. IL-2 Series — Steam metadata comparison
War Thunder — Steam game coverWar ThunderKorea. IL-2 Series — Steam game coverKorea. IL-2 Series
Released20132026
GenresAction, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, Free To PlayAction, Simulation
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows
Steam DeckDeck VerifiedDeck Playable
PriceFree to play79.99 USD
Steam reviews74.1% positive (308,911 reviews)73.4% positive (455 reviews)
MultiplayerMulti-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-opMulti-player, Online Co-op, Co-op
DevelopersGaijin EntertainmentFOR-GAMES CR LTD

Side by side

War Thunder vs Korea. IL-2 Series — FAQ

Which is better, War Thunder or Korea. IL-2 Series?
On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: War Thunder sits at 74.1% positive (308,911 reviews), Korea. IL-2 Series at 73.4% (455). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
Should I play War Thunder or Korea. IL-2 Series first?
If you want chronology, War Thunder (2013) came out before Korea. IL-2 Series (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
Are War Thunder and Korea. IL-2 Series similar?
They overlap on Action, Simulation on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
Do both War Thunder and Korea. IL-2 Series have co-op?
Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: War Thunder ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Korea. IL-2 Series ships Online Co-op, Co-op.
Is War Thunder free?
Yes — War Thunder is a free-to-play Steam title. Korea. IL-2 Series is paid (79.99 USD).
War Thunder vs Korea. IL-2 Series — Verdict (2026) · imho.run