War Thunder can look impressive and still make targets harder to read than they need to be. The best setup is about keeping the image clean, holding a steady frame rate, and making movement easy to track when a fight gets busy.
Start with resolution and display mode
Use your monitor's native resolution and full screen mode. Native resolution keeps the image sharp, while full screen gives the game the clearest path to your graphics hardware. If performance is weak, lower render scale before dropping the display resolution. That usually preserves menus and interface text while reducing the work done on the scene.
Choose clarity over decoration
Keep texture quality as high as your available video memory allows. Reduce heavy shadows, reflections, clouds, and extra effects first. Those options can cost a lot of performance without helping you identify a tank silhouette or follow an aircraft against the sky. Moderate anti aliasing is useful, but avoid settings that make the whole image look soft.
Build around a stable frame rate
Pick a frame rate target your computer can hold during large battles, not only in the hangar. A stable 90 frames per second feels better than a setting that jumps between 70 and 130. Use the built in frame counter, test one demanding ground map and one air battle, then lower the most expensive options one step at a time.
Keep controls responsive
Turn off motion blur and reduce effects that hide movement. Use vertical sync only when tearing is distracting and your display does not support adaptive sync. Keep background applications under control, especially browsers, launchers, and recording tools that compete for memory or graphics time.
Test before you settle
Save one balanced preset, play several real matches, and watch the lowest frame rate you hit. If the game stays smooth when smoke, debris, and multiple vehicles fill the screen, the setup is doing its job. From there you can raise textures or lighting carefully without sacrificing the clarity that helps you react.