Commanders!

There’s probably no single system in the game that shapes your experience more directly than the matchmaker. It decides who you battle, what you battle, and how balanced that battle feels before the first shot is fired. When it works well, you barely notice it. When it doesn’t, it’s hard to ignore.

That’s why we want to talk about this openly and consistently: what changed in Update 2.0, where things still need improvement, and what we’re working on next.

A Look Back at Update 2.0

Before talking about what’s next, let’s establish where things stand after Update 2.0. Not to dwell on the past, but because it’s important context for the road ahead.

In Update 2.0, we rebuilt the matchmaker’s core from scratch. That was a structural overhaul, not a surface-level fix. It was the necessary groundwork before we could meaningfully address the issues that had been building up for years. With that foundation in place, we tackled several specific issues that were consistently affecting battle quality.

Role Balance — A Major Improvement

Role balance saw the most significant improvement. Over 97% of the role imbalance battles we had identified at Tier VIII–X have been eliminated since Update 2.0. The infographics below show the difference (red: battles where role balance was not maintained; green: battles where role balance was maintained):

Tank Destroyer Limits — Extreme Cases Eliminated

Tank destroyer limits delivered clear, measurable results. Battles with 7–8 TDs per side, the slow and punishing standoffs where pushing a flank felt almost futile, no longer happen. The cap now sits at 5 TDs per team, with most battles landing at 3–4. That’s the range we consider healthy for both balance and gameplay variety.

Vehicle distribution also improved, particularly at lower tiers. Identical vehicles are now spread more evenly between teams, and the repetitive mirror-match compositions that followed large vehicle releases have been significantly reduced.

The data confirms these improvements are working as intended. But we’ll be direct. Update 2.0 was a step forward, not a finish line.

There’s Still Work to Do

The matchmaker is not yet where it should be. Several persistent issues require more time, more data, and more careful iteration than a single update allows, and we’ve been working through them.

These are some of the improvements we’re planning to test and, if everything goes well, bring to the game by the end of summer 2026.

Some of these changes will roll out gradually and may evolve as we test and gather feedback. With a system as complex as matchmaking, that’s the only responsible way to move forward.

What’s Coming Next

1. Light Tank Sub-Roles

Light tanks play fundamentally different roles on the battlefield, and the matchmaker currently doesn’t reflect that. A damage-focused LT and a spotting-focused LT are not the same asset to a team. Treating them as equivalent creates imbalances that neither side benefits from.

We’re planning to introduce three sub-role classifications: Versatile, Damage-focused, and Spotting-focused. These are based on how these vehicles actually behave in battle. The matchmaker will use these to build more coherent team compositions, ensuring both sides have comparable capabilities rather than just comparable numbers on paper.

2. Capping SPGs at Two Per Team

Three SPGs per side doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it noticeably shifts the dynamic of the battle in ways most players find frustrating. We’re removing that scenario entirely.

The new hard cap will be two SPGs per team. This is about making artillery presence stable and predictable, something players can factor in rather than occasionally be surprised by. Two per side is the right ceiling, and that’s what we’re aiming for.

3. Stricter Platoon Tier Matching

A platoon of a certain tier should face a platoon of the same tier. The matchmaker doesn’t always guarantee that right now, but it should.

We’re introducing strict tier-based platoon matching across the board. Getting this right requires careful implementation. We don’t want to close one gap while opening another in the form of longer queue times. But the direction is clear, and it’s something we’re committed to getting right.

4. Reduced Two-Tiers-Above Battles for Tier VIII–IX

This is one of the most consistent pieces of feedback we hear. We’re actively working to reduce the frequency of Tier VIII and IX vehicles being pulled into battles two tiers above them, and to increase the share of battles where vehicles face opponents of the same tier or just one tier higher.

To clarify, this won’t translate into a significant increase in battles against lower-tier opponents. The distribution of vehicles in the queue simply doesn’t allow for that. Instead, the improvement comes from more evenly matched battles overall, not from shifting the imbalance in the opposite direction.

5. Fewer Non-15×15 Battles

A 15×15 battle is the standard format for a reason. Smaller battles, the kind that occur during off-peak hours, on lower-population servers, or under specific queue conditions, should be rare exceptions, not something players run into regularly.

We’re adjusting how the matchmaker handles constrained queue situations so that the full 15×15 format is consistently protected. The intended experience shouldn’t quietly vary based on the time of day or server you’re on.

Improving Matchmaking Together — Stay in Touch!

Matchmaking is one of the most complex and consequential systems in the game. It operates under real constraints: queue size, population distribution, and tier spread. At the same time, it balances a significant number of competing factors. That complexity doesn’t excuse the issues that exist, but it does explain why some solutions take longer than anyone, including us, would like.

What we’re committing to going forward is continued improvement, decisions grounded in data, and regular communication.

Testing begins on EU1, EU4, and NA3 starting the next regular update. We’ll share what we’re seeing as we go, not just when things go well.

Some changes will be immediately noticeable. Others will take time to show their full effect. We’ll keep you informed either way.