War Thunder Best Chinese Tanks By Tier

Updated:

29 Sep 2022

More like Soviet/American/British tanks, at least in the early tiers. The reason for that is that China was fairly underdeveloped in WW2 and in the early phases of the Chinese-Japanese war and it relied on donations from the Soviet Union and other empires. In any case, their tanks are pretty strong for the most part and get better from tier to tier. Let’s start with our first picks:

Tier 1

The best tank: Chi-Ha

One of the fastest tanks in this tier, capable of reaching 45 to 40 KM/H - only a handful is capable of outrunning this thing. It’s also equipped with a stabilizer, which is a rarity at this tier and it greatly improves your accuracy. The gun depression is at around -15 degrees, which allows you to take partial cover and open fire at the same time.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Chi-Ha_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjlsEaoNUXY

The second-best tank: T-26

A tank with mediocre mobility, yet with an incredibly fast reload speed and quick turret traverse speed. This helps you react to threats sooner, thus increasing your survivability. Being aware of your surroundings is important, as a single shell can seriously damage your tank. It’s a pretty new player-friendly tank, have fun!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/T-26_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIyB4D3pai0

Tier 2

The best tank: T-34

Pretty strong main cannon with excellent shells that are capable of either destroying tanks or at least knocking out the crew. The turret rotates rather quickly and this tank excels in urban/close-combat environments. The front is durable and it would take a lot of resources to damage it, keep in mind that it’s also sloped, which could bounce off a shell or two. Keep in mind that the reload speed is wack, which might leave you vulnerable if you miss your shot/if you’re engaging 2 targets.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/T-34_(1943)_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAhcP8fZuR0

The second-best tank: M4A4

The good thing about the M4A4 is that it has a far better gun depression than the T-34, making it perfect for combat in mountains/hills. The main cannon is strong for a T2 tank and loading it with M61 shells usually obliterates other tanks. The decent mobility and rotation speed of the turret makes it perfect for urban combat, although the front is weaker than that of T-34s.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/M4A4_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJLCRHt6zIs

Tier 3

The best tank: T-34-85

A tank that’s not known for its armor but the main cannon that deals serious penetration damage. Although its armor is mediocre, this tank is equipped with a crew of 5, which greatly increases its odds of survival. The tank is mobile and reacts quickly, controls feel smooth, and overall, this tank is friendly towards newer players, under the condition that they don’t go full YOLO and try to play low-key.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/T-34-85_(S-53)_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JaxBfvztwo&t=1s

The second-best tank: Type 62

It’s best played as a sniper tank, the crew count is pretty low and the sides are endangered by high-caliber weaponry. You can still play it in urban settings but take cover often. The zoom optics(x7) can be both used for sniper/close-combat playstyles and the main cannon is strong enough to 1-shot most tanks in this tier. If you’re playing as a sniper, keep in mind that you have a 12.7mm MG mounted on the top that can fend off aircraft.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_62

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmLn5mgaeqg

Tier 4

The best tank: Type 63-I

Looks flat, which is good, it means that it has a small profile. Besides, it’s also amphibious, meaning that it can get to “hard-to-access” spots and be a complete menace. The main cannon, loaded with HEAT-FS poses a serious threat to other tanks, due to its massive penetration value. Fun to play and unique!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_63-I

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrykvzfREl0

The second-best tank: IS-2

Does a great job at staying low profile but due to the poor gun depression, it’s important to not play around in hills/mountains. The reload speed is average, thus it’s important to hit your shots, speaking of which, this tank has a terrifying cannon that will 1-shot most opponents. For a heavy tank, it’s also quite fast(40 KM/H, also a decent reverse speed of 15 KM/H), which enables it to escape/rush a point.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/IS-2_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8OhJD8_k7I

Tier 5

The best tank: Type 69

Well, due to the laser rangefinder, night vision, and stabilizer, I think this tank is meant for sniper gameplay. It also comes with APFSDS rounds, which makes this one of the first tanks to be equipped with them. You can still try flanking and close-combat action because you won’t be always able to penetrate targets from afar. Remember about the HMG mounted on the top, it shreds aircraft+light vehicles to bits!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Type_69

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwj10SH3XMs

The second-best tank: M48A1

A tank with decent frontal armor and a relatively strong hull. It’s sloped and there’s a possibility that incoming shells might ricochet off your armor. In terms of the armaments, the 90mm M41 cannon is equipped with powerful HEATFS rounds, capable of 1-shotting most tanks at its BR.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/M48A1_(China)

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDlycFgsbWg

Tier 6

The best tank: ZTZ96A

A medium tank that can drive up to 66-60 KM/H - it’s not bad and with the excellent turret’s traverse speed, you can have fun ambushing/flanking your opponents. The autoloader lets you reload your main cannon more quickly(7 seconds) and the stabilizer improves the accuracy of your shots. Positioning is the key with this tank, with a low crew amount of only 3 people, a well-placed shot can knock all of them out, thus play safe. The main cannon is adequate and HE/APFSDS shells can deal serious damage to your opponents, if not instakilling them.

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/ZTZ96A

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwNklCoWMrM

The second-best tank: CM11

A tank with somewhat OK armor, although not the best. It’s equipped with powerful shells capable of penetrating thick armor with an autoloader, which makes reloading extremely short(5 seconds). The depression of the main gun allows for combat on hills, plus the controls feel smoother. Thanks to the ERA coverage, the tank is highly resistant to chemical rounds. Fun and reliable tank!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/CM11

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLluyeEDuPs

Tier 7

The best tank: ZTZ99-III

An actual Chinese, medium tank with an above-average speed. It has decent armor with only a few weak spots, besides, it has an access to smoke grenades that might save you or help your teammates. There’s also an LWS system, which alerts you when you’re being targeted. The commander and gunner are both equipped with thermals, which makes scouting a lot easier. Plenty of shells that can be used against many types of tanks and a powerful cannon - what else can you ask for?

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/ZTZ99-III

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjFVRzWnvh8

The second-best tank: ZTZ99A

The last tank in this article, ZTZ99A. Excellent speed for a medium tank, it can reach 84 KM/H in AB and 76 KM/H in RB. It’s equipped with plenty of goodies, such as the stabilizer and autoloader, which improves your reload speed and accuracy, plus the laser rangefinder(which helps with far-distance combat), also night vision - which should be self-explanatory. Maneuvrable and smooth to play, ZTZ99A is one of these tanks that make you happy for picking China. Finally, when it comes to the armaments, it’s equipped with a 125mm cannon and various shells, such as ATGMs, HE, and APFSDS rounds. Don’t get flanked and have fun!

More info: https://wiki.warthunder.com/ZTZ99A

See it in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkGrKlLXHbw