Gratuitous Tank Battles

Gratuitous Tank Battles

Released May 2012

Set in an alternate history timeline where World War I never ends, you are the commander of allied forces fighting right up to the year 2114.

52% positive · 103 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
High confidence

Where to buy

Steam $9.99
Can't confirm — worth a look
We couldn't confirm these stores carry this game.
Green Man Gaming Steam key Search IndieGala Steam key Search
Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
Buying through an affiliate store helps support the site

Evaluation

Gratuitous Tank Battles launched on May 17, 2012 and received a single DLC, The Western Front, which was released on November 9, 2012. That is the only post-launch content the game ever received, and it has been available for over a decade. All four developer news posts found for this game are cross-promotional announcements for other Positech Games titles (Democracy 4 and Production Line) — none relate to Gratuitous Tank Battles itself. The last developer communication of any kind touching this game's store page dates to October 2020, and no post-launch update pattern, roadmap, or future content announcement has ever been made for GTB. The store description contains no language suggesting ongoing development or planned additions. With its sole DLC long since released and no developer signals pointing toward further content, the game launched and concluded as a complete package by November 2012.
Evidence
The Western Front DLC released on November 9, 2012 — the only DLC ever produced for the game, and it has been released for over a decade.
dlc listing · Nov 9, 2012 source content shipped
high
Developer news post is a cross-promotion for Democracy 4's Early Access launch — contains no information about Gratuitous Tank Battles.
news post · Oct 7, 2020 source ambiguous
low

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Positech Games
Achievements
24
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Gratuitous Tank Battles (GTB) is a unique hybrid of tower-defense, strategy, simulation and RTS. Set in an alternate history timeline where World War I never ends, you are the commander of allied forces fighting right up to the year 2114, where Mechs and lasers are used alongside tanks and rifles. The war continues across Europe, with the allied commanders still locked into the optimistic patriotism of the 1900s.



A tower-defense game where you can play as the attacker has been done before, but GTB lets you play the same maps as attacker OR defender, and even lets you save out your attack as a recording to defend against. An online-challenge system lets you upload your custom maps and custom units and attacks for other players to fight against. Speaking of custom units, GTB doesn't have simple pre-built units, but allows you to build them from individual components, and even design the appearance and colors of every single unit. An unlocks system gradually reveals more modules, abilities and unit 'hulls' to experiment with.



GTB also features an integrated map editor that lets you trivially change and tweak existing maps, or create entirely new ones, and the process of sharing these custom maps with friends is built right into the game. Combine it with Steam achievements, community, cloud support and more, and you should be kept busy fighting over Europe for another two hundred years./>

Key Features

  • Alternate History Tower Defense: Fight a 200 year war to save Europe
  • Play as attacker or defender on any map, even custom ones
  • Fight with Infantry, Tanks, Turrets and Mechs
  • Optional Adaptive AI adjusts to your play style and tactics for endless variety
  • Customizable units allow you to design your own personal army
  • Built-in level editor makes creating a new map a breeze
  • Save out your attack and play against it as the defender
  • Online map and challenge-sharing system allows you to fight your friends armies
Last evaluated Jun 28, 2026
Something about this evaluation looks wrong Report illegal or harmful content