Commanders!

The matchmaker is one of the key systems in World of Tanks: it defines your experience. When it works well, the composition of opposing teams is fairly balanced and opportunities are equal.

Given the matchmaker's importance, we are keen on continually improving it. Most of the changes announced in March are ready for deployment, plus we have prepared another batch for testing. Let's look at both sets!

Changes to Matchmaker: Ready to Go

After testing which began with Update 2.2.1, several modifications to the matchmaker are being prepared for release with Update 2.3.

Fewer Two-Tiers-Above Battles for Tiers VII–IX

Fighting opponents two tiers below can be entertaining. Facing adversaries two tiers higher provides additional challenge—but when it happens too often, this may feel repetitive. Therefore, we intend to reduce the frequency of battles against enemies two tiers above for Tier VII, VIII, and IX vehicles.

Starting with Update 2.3, their share will decrease from 12% to 5% for Tier VII vehicles, from 16% to 7% for Tier VIII vehicles, and from 18% to 5% for Tier IX ones.

The infographic below shows the difference: red represents the share of such battles before Update 2.3, and green represents their share starting from 2.3.

No More Than Two SPGs per Team

Too many arty means too much pressure on slow and heavily armored vehicles. Testing results show that battles with two or fewer SPGs per team have better pacing and provide more fulfilling overall experience for all vehicle types.

Based on that, the number of SPGs in Random Battles will be limited by two per team.

Platoon Balancing by Tier

Platoons are sometimes matched against Platoons of a different tier, leading to uneven battle setups. The updated matchmaker prioritizes matching Platoons of the same tier to make setups more balanced.

Starting with Update 2.3, about 90% of battles with Tier VIII–XI vehicles will feature Platoons matched by tier.

The infographic below shows the difference: red represents battles with at least one unmatched Platoon per team, and green shows battles where all Platoons are matched by tier.

Fewer Non-15×15 Battles

Outside server peak hours (e.g., late at night), battles may feature teams with fewer than 15 players. The improved matchmaker will make this less likely, so the intended format (15×15) is kept in most cases and the players can enjoy battles to the fullest (without a significant increase in waiting time).

Changes to Matchmaker: What Comes Next

The next batch of changes (the testing of which will begin with Update 2.3) will ensure that the elevation of player experience continues. It will also introduce technical modifications necessary for improving the matchmaker in the long term.

Light Tank Sub-Roles

Light tanks are versatile vehicles, yet some are better at scouting and some at damage dealing. As this vehicle type is very important for their entire team, matching light tanks adequately against each other is essential. Currently, light tanks with different gameplay purposes may be pitched against each other, leading to uneven spotting and scouting dynamics.

The next testing phase will introduce light tank sub-roles. The matchmaker will distinguish between spotting-focused, damage-focused, and versatile light tanks—ensuring fairer team match-ups.

No More Than Two LTs per Team

As of now, multiple light tanks sometimes create overcrowded scouting setups, competing for the same positions and spotting opportunities.

We intend to test a stricter limit on the number of light tanks per team (for battles with vehicles of Tier VII and above). This change should lead to more stable early-battle dynamics and reduce the likelihood of light tanks having an outsized influence on battle pacing.

Improvements to MM Core System

Alongside player-facing changes, we continue to work on the matchmaking tech core. While these improvements are less visible to you, they are crucial to the system's long-term development.

Updating the MM Core will improve the matchmaker's flexibility, help create more consistent battle compositions, and allow us to expand and refine the rules more quickly and efficiently in future updates.

Roll out!