War Thunder’s latest chapter gets a crucial rewrite. Update 2.55.0.13 dropped this week, and while it might not sound like the most thrilling plot twist, this patch fixes some story-breaking bugs that were pulling players right out of their aerial narratives.
The most dramatic fix? PlayStation 5 Pro players can finally load into Air Simulator Battles with Ray Tracing enabled without their console throwing a tantrum. Nothing kills the immersion of a tense dogfight quite like your system crashing mid-mission. It’s like having the projector break during the climax of Top Gun.
Gaijin Entertainment rolled out the full patch notes, covering everything from missile placement to interface bugs:
“Update 2.55.0.13 Aircraft- Su-30SM, Su-30SM2 — a bug where one of the R-77-1 missiles, available without researching any modifications, was located under the air intake has been fixed. Now both missiles are located at the inner-most wing hardpoint… A bug that caused the game to crash on PlayStation® 5 Pro when loading into Air Simulator Battles if Ray Tracing was enabled has been fixed.” — War Thunder on Steam
But here’s where things get interesting from a player progression standpoint. High-tier pilots flying Rank IX aircraft were getting shortchanged on their Silver Lions rewards for bombing runs. Imagine finally unlocking those top-tier jets, only to discover the game wasn’t properly rewarding your strategic strikes. It’s like being the hero of your own war story, but the paymaster keeps “forgetting” your combat pay.
The Su-30SM and Su-30SM2 fighters got some much-needed attention too. Those R-77-1 missiles were sitting in the wrong spots – under the air intake instead of on the wing hardpoints where they belong. For a game that prides itself on military accuracy, having missiles in the wrong place is like putting the engine on the roof of a car. It works in cartoons, but not in serious simulation.
The missile targeting fix addresses another immersion-breaking issue. SARH air-to-air missiles were getting confused about their targets, sometimes switching to different illuminated targets mid-flight. Picture this: you’ve got an enemy in your crosshairs, you fire your missile, and suddenly it decides to chase a completely different plane. That’s not tactical flexibility – that’s just broken.
These kinds of technical fixes might seem small, but they’re the foundation that keeps War Thunder’s massive military sandbox running smoothly. When you’re commanding everything from World War II biplanes to modern fighter jets, the details matter. Each bug fix is like polishing a piece of the larger historical narrative that players experience.
The graphics improvements are worth noting too. Motion blur was making MFDs (Multi-Function Displays) constantly blurry, which is a problem when you’re trying to read critical flight information. Plus, tracer rounds from naval vessels were apparently too bright and large, turning sea battles into disco light shows instead of realistic combat encounters.
War Thunder has always been about telling the stories of military history through gameplay. Whether you’re recreating famous air battles or writing your own alternate history scenarios, these technical foundations need to be solid. A crash during a crucial Air Sim battle doesn’t just interrupt your game session – it breaks the narrative thread you’ve been building.
The community has been vocal about these issues through official bug reporting channels and forums. Gaijin’s response shows they’re listening to player feedback and prioritizing fixes that directly impact the gameplay experience. It’s not always the flashiest updates that matter most – sometimes it’s the quiet patches that fix the things stopping you from enjoying the story.
Looking ahead, these stability improvements set the stage for War Thunder’s continued evolution. With the PS5 Pro crash finally resolved, console players can fully experience the visual fidelity that Ray Tracing brings to aerial combat. The Silver Lions fix ensures that progression feels fair and rewarding at the highest tiers.
The missile placement and targeting corrections also suggest Gaijin is committed to maintaining the simulation aspects that set War Thunder apart from arcade-style military games. When every detail from weapon loadouts to targeting systems needs to feel authentic, these seemingly minor adjustments become major quality-of-life improvements.
As War Thunder continues expanding its roster of vehicles and theaters of combat, having a stable foundation becomes even more critical. Today’s patch might not add new planes or tanks, but it ensures that tomorrow’s additions will work properly when they arrive.
