War Thunder Infantry Enters Its Third CBT Phase With Kivu, 64v64 Battles and Major Gameplay Refinements

War Thunder Infantry is preparing for its third Closed Beta Testing phase, and Gaijin is using this new round to test its largest infantry battlefield yet, new large-scale battle mechanics and a long list of improvements based on earlier player feedback.

The headline addition is Kivu, a new Central Africa-set location designed specifically for bigger infantry engagements. According to Gaijin, Kivu is roughly four times larger than previous Infantry CBT locations, making it the largest map featured in the mode so far.

The third phase will also bring back the planned 64-vs-64 format, creating battles with up to 128 players per session as the team continues to stress-test server performance and large-scale infantry combat.

Kivu is War Thunder Infantry’s biggest test map yet

Kivu is the centrepiece of the third CBT phase.

Set in Central Africa, the map has been built as a larger combat environment than Granitograd and Al-Massa, the previous Infantry test locations. Its increased scale is not only cosmetic; it directly affects the way Gaijin wants to test infantry movement, squad positioning, vehicles and capture-point flow.

The studio says it has worked on server optimizations ahead of this phase, with the goal of once again running 64-vs-64 matches and verifying that the infrastructure can handle 128-player sessions smoothly.

That is one of the most important parts of this test. War Thunder Infantry is not being developed as a small arena shooter. Its appeal depends heavily on whether infantry, vehicles, drones, anti-air systems and large player counts can coexist without the mode losing stability or readability.

Major Warfare introduces new large-scale rules

Kivu will feature a dedicated mission mode with five capture points, similar to Domination but with unique rules designed for large-scale battles.

The most important new mechanic is respawning at captured points. If a team controls a point, players can spawn there instead of being limited to the starting base. Gaijin is testing this specifically on Kivu first, with the possibility of bringing it to other large locations if the system works well.

That change could significantly affect battle pacing. On a map four times larger than previous infantry locations, forcing every respawn from the starting base could create too much downtime. Forward respawns should keep pressure closer to the active front line, reduce long runs back into combat and make point control matter beyond ticket bleed.

The new mode also includes a separate UAV control-range setting for large battles and transport support to help players reach key areas faster.

Squad transport arrives on Kivu

The third CBT phase adds a passenger vehicle capable of carrying up to five soldiers at once.

This is a practical addition for a larger map. Squads can board the vehicle together, move toward objectives more efficiently and even switch from a passenger seat to the driver’s seat if the driver is taken out of action.

That detail fits War Thunder’s combined-arms identity. Infantry alone would risk feeling isolated on a map of this scale, but transport vehicles create more tactical movement options and give squads a way to stay together when rotating across the battlefield.

The feature also supports the new five-point structure. If Major Warfare is going to work, players need ways to move between contested areas without the match becoming a walking simulator.

Arcade Battles return with reworked marker logic

Arcade-style battles are returning in this testing phase, but Gaijin has reworked how enemy markers behave.

The goal is to prevent situations where players shoot at enemies based only on marker information rather than actual visual contact. Markers are now intended as a visual aid for enemies the player can already see, not as a detection tool for targets hidden behind foliage or placed at long distances.

That means markers should no longer appear through bushes or across extended sightlines. If a player aims at a sniper in a window, the marker can appear above them. But simply scanning the area should not flood the screen with target indicators.

Arcade Battles will also treat equipment weight differently. Heavily geared soldiers move faster than they do in Realistic Battles, giving the mode a quicker overall pace while still preserving the more grounded feel of Realistic for players who prefer it.

New arsenals and vehicles define the Kivu test

Gaijin has prepared faction-specific equipment for the Kivu phase.

The U.S. small-arms arsenal includes weapons such as the M4A1, M16A4, TAC-50, SCAR-L, M249 Para, MAC-11 PDW, XM5 and M110 SDMR. The U.S. vehicle lineup includes the M1A2 SEP V2, LAV-AD and AH-64A.

The Soviet-side arsenal includes the AK-12, AK-74M, KSVK, Kord 6P67, RPK-74M, PP-19, AK-15 and SVDM, alongside the T-90M, 2S6 and Mi-28N.

This equipment selection reinforces that Infantry is still being tested inside War Thunder’s combined-arms framework. Soldiers are not the only actors on the field; tanks, helicopters, anti-air vehicles, drones, RPGs and MANPADS all continue to shape the battlefield.

Feedback-driven changes affect loadouts, grenades and graphics

The third phase is also bringing a large set of refinements based on previous tests.

One of the most requested changes was the ability to adjust Infantry graphics settings separately from War Thunder’s general settings. Gaijin has now added a dedicated Infantry tab inside the graphics section of session settings, allowing players to tune infantry-mode visuals without changing settings for the rest of the game.

Class loadouts have also been revised. RPGs, MANPADS and drones are no longer available to every soldier, making class choice more meaningful before a match begins. Players will need to think more carefully about which role fits the battlefield situation.

Grenade throwing has been reworked as well. Throws should now be more accurate, with fixes for off-target trajectories, updated animation timing, a release point aligned with the crosshair and better handling of how weapon weight affects grenade trajectory.

Other changes include an alternative angled weapon grip option, concussion effects from nearby grenade explosions, adjusted weapon-switching animations, fixes for bipod clipping and an experimental ability to respawn twice with the same soldier.

Granitograd and Al-Massa receive additional improvements

Kivu is the major new location, but previous maps are not being ignored.

Granitograd and Al-Massa have both received further adjustments, including fixes to object positioning, destructibility and material penetration. That last point matters in an infantry mode where cover, walls, windows and destructible objects directly affect firefights.

If the mode is going to feel credible, players need consistent expectations about which materials stop bullets, which can be shot through and which objects can be destroyed. These changes suggest Gaijin is still refining that basic combat readability across every test location.

A major step for War Thunder Infantry, but still a CBT

The third testing phase looks like a meaningful expansion, but it is still part of a closed beta process.

That distinction matters. Gaijin is not presenting War Thunder Infantry as a finished release. The purpose of this phase is to test larger player counts, Kivu’s scale, Major Warfare rules, Arcade marker changes, revised class structures and a broad list of weapon, movement and usability tweaks under real player load.

Players who have not yet participated can still apply for the CBT, though access is not guaranteed. A detailed list of changes will also be published for Closed Beta participants on the official forum.

For now, the direction is clear: War Thunder Infantry is becoming larger, more structured and more closely tied to the combined-arms chaos that defines the main game.

Kivu is the next proving ground.