World of Tanks gets a Rocket League-inspired mode to celebrate the World Cup

When you think of World of Tanks, you probably think of a very serious tank combat game, full of very serious tanks. But to celebrate the imminent World Cup, the tanks are having a break from being serious. The tanks, for a limited time only, will engage in some frivolous recreational play in the form of Tank Football.

It's Rocket League with tanks, basically, and you might have played it when it debuted as a limited mode back in 2016. As the video below demonstrates, there's a handful of unique tanks which will be able to participate in the 3v3 Tank Football, and while they can't ride up the side of the stadium or do fancy mid-air barrel rolls, they're pretty agile compared to what you'd probably expect from a tank.

Oh, and legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is a commentator for this mode. While it's live (which is now until July 29), there will be "special battle missions with great rewards, the chance to build your own dream team and in-game tournaments with some grand prizes hand-signed by Gigi himself. The thrill and competitiveness of Tank Football pulse-pounding matches just got bigger."

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.