Ten years is a number that signifies immense change in the world of video games.
In our past gaming memories, we have encountered countless once-popular titles, but these works almost without exception fell under the silence of time. Not to mention ten years, many so-called "hits" couldn't even last ten months.
And this year happens to be the tenth year of World of Warships' operation. Moreover, these ten years were not stumbled through, but rather steadily achieved.
Even in the past two years, World of Warships has shown a rare "reverse aging" phenomenon among online games. According to Baidu Index, since 2023, the popularity of World of Warships has shown a steady upward trend, which has become even more pronounced from the second half of last year until now.
This is certainly not an easy feat, especially in the niche genre of "realistic naval combat" where World of Warships resides. The sea and steel represent a kind of romance, but this romance often comes with proportionally higher demands. Over the past decade, while not many games have set sail in the "realistic naval combat" field, quite a few have sunk. In extreme cases, ten years was only enough for some developers to create spectacles that "sank upon launch"—no implications intended.
After all the twists and turns, it is still World of Warships, a hardcore title with graphics that may not be top-tier, a high barrier to entry, and not particularly friendly to newcomers, that continues to sail through the winds and waves of the new era, becoming the benchmark and ceiling for "realistic naval combat" games.
What has kept players choosing World of Warships for the past ten years?
For the World of Warships CN team, this is somewhat a case of "the answer written on the riddle itself"—perhaps it is precisely because of the game's hardcore nature that World of Warships has remained players' top choice. Behind this hardcore appeal lies the irreplaceable gameplay experience provided by this title in the field of "realistic naval combat."
Relying on a vast database of warship design blueprints, World of Warships realistically restores various warships from human history. By highly simulating physics engines, the game designs different penetration values and dispersion rates for artillery, as well as a modular independent health system for different ship modules, turning naval artillery engagements in modern sea battles into a deeply intricate and interesting gameplay system.
A diverse and rich selection of warships, combined with the most vivid naval artillery combat system in gaming, makes World of Warships' gameplay experience truly unique, with almost no comparable alternatives.
But as an online game with such a long timespan, besides having solid quality, game operations are crucial. In addition to in-game welfare events and collaborations with titles like Azur Lane, Three Kingdoms, SNK, the famous RTS mod team "Corona Production Group," and even virtual idol WoWoNiang, World of Warships has also built deep emotional bonds with players offline.
There is nothing World of Warships cannot collaborate with
Just two days ago, World of Warships celebrated its ten-year anniversary by hosting the 2025 "World of Warships Day" at the Yangcheng International Esports Arena in Suzhou.
"World of Warships Day" is a grand thematic event prepared by the World of Warships officials for players. Every year-end, the officials invite a large number of players to gather at a venue to participate in friendly matches, on-site interactions, and other activities. For players, each "World of Warships Day" is a massive狂欢 (carnival/party), where they can not only confront the developers face-to-face but also watch the officials pull various "stunts."
In 2021, "World of Warships Day" was held in Nanchang. The official team invited a professional group and deployed 1,500 drones to form the pattern of a warship over the Gan River, simultaneously displaying the event slogan.
In 2023, the World of Warships official team collaborated with the "Water Cube." Utilizing the Water Cube's exterior wall technology capable of light and shadow performances, they transformed the 930,000 square meter "Water Cube" into an unprecedented giant supply crate, showcasing cultural charm to the world with a "Chinese label."
This year, the 2025 "World of Warships Day," themed "Suzhou Charm Rushing Waves, Journeying Together," landed in Suzhou, Jiangsu. It combined the elegant charm of the Jiangnan water towns with the steel waves of World of Warships, staging a unique carnival for both online and offline players.
As a player festival, it naturally included more content focused on interaction and immersive experiences.
In fact, World of Warships CN has achieved an unparalleled level of interactivity and immersion. As soon as players arrived in Suzhou, they were quickly immersed in the celebratory atmosphere under the official arrangement. With dedicated shuttle services, numerous photo spots and decorations around the venue, various interactive game areas on-site, and—most importantly for players—a large number of devices set up for playing World of Warships, many players were able to show off their skills amidst cheers from friends, boasting that "every shell spread was under my control," and enjoy the shared joy.
Among the highlights, the "Player Story Wall" at the entrance corridor kept players lingering the longest. Over ten years of gameplay, countless players have left their stories and created memories in World of Warships. This wall showcased players' past highlight statistics and personal narratives during this shared celebration. Covered with player wish cards bearing the phrase "One Shot, One Kill," along with player messages, the wall recounted the player culture of World of Warships over the past decade.
When the event officially began, the organizers creatively used a mix of "symphony" and "traditional Chinese music" to perform the game's BGM, immediately aligning with the theme of "Suzhou Charm Rushing Waves, Journeying Together."
The event then moved into the popular "Friendly Match" segment. This year's guest lineup was arguably the most luxurious in history. Besides the familiar game streamers, there were two heavyweight "Star Captains"—World of Warships' old friend, Zeng Zhuojun (Xiaohai), who just defended his Street Fighter 6 world championship title, and the famous FPS streamer and former CS:GO pro player DANK1NG. Additionally, they invited senior game commentator and Bilibili million-follower uploader "Super Ye Hao Jun" and professional event host "Xiao You," truly giving it full prestige.
After the friendly matches, the officials prepared some heartwarming short films for the on-site players and invited several players to share their stories on stage. These stories reflected the journey of World of Warships over the past decade, highlighting the携手 cooperation between the developers and the players.
Finally, a shower of "golden rain" across the venue and a large group photo on-site became a "wonderful freeze-frame" moment for players and the game that had accompanied them for ten years.
For a free-to-play online game to sustain operations for ten years and continue to thrive, it must be a process of mutual companionship and effort between players and the developers. The sincerity and dedication shown by World of Warships towards "World of Warships Day" clearly explain why this game remains the "favorite" of many players even after a decade.
Just like the emotions condensed in their outdoor performances that day.
On the night of "World of Warships Day," leveraging laser water screen technology and drone choreography, the officials presented a drone fireworks and water screen show by Huanxiu Lake in Suzhou, perfectly blending lake water, light, shadow, and technology.
Compared to previous "World of Warships Day" events, this year's performance took visual impact, choreography, and emotional expression to the next level. Greater investment, along with advancements in water screen projection and drone swarm technology, made this year's show even more layered and rich.
The water screen lasers cleverly utilized the aquatic environment to bring in-game ships into "reality." Warships broke through the water, stirring up massive waves, before diving back in, creating a grand scene of "wind rising over green waves, dragons returning to the sea."
Subsequently, the dragon transformed into the rhythm of a heartbeat. The fluctuating light spots and water screen gradually changed into the figure of a commander directing the fleet forward on the battlefield. The warships and commanders composed of lasers and drones crossed virtual barriers together with the watching players, meeting in reality.
This cross-dimensional gathering turned the message "Welcome Home, Commander," formed by thousands of drones over Huanxiu Lake, into a grand welcome ceremony full of ritualistic significance.
From warships breaking through the water, to commanders directing the fleet, to the wish of "Welcome Home," the narrative not only told the story of a commander returning from the sea battlefield but also mirrored the journey of players from all over coming to Suzhou and gathering by Huanxiu Lake. This storytelling element allowed the lakeside light show to not only showcase familiar game elements but also connect with players' emotions and community culture, making it more than just a technical display—it became a ceremony symbolizing "return, reunion, and setting off again."
The return and reunion after the great battle naturally mean a "celebration." After welcoming all arriving commanders, the World of Warships CN officials also presented the blessing players wanted to hear most through their performance—"Good luck with your crates."
The drone performance fully interpreted the feature of crate opening in the game. After transforming into a huge aerial supply crate, one side opened, and a luxurious warship sailed out, symbolizing that all commanders could open their "dream ship."
After the water screen progress bar filled up, the drones further transformed into "Santa's Gift" supply crates, soon to appear in-game, kicking off the Christmas crate-opening event.
For all players, there must be offline gatherings as well as online celebrations. "World of Warships Day" is precisely such a "joint offline and online celebration" carnival.
World of Warships CN has always adhered to the operational philosophy of "online and offline, sharing the joy together," ensuring that all CN server players can feel the strong celebratory atmosphere during each "World of Warships Day." Every year during this period, the official team synchronously launches the Christmas season crate-opening event, which is almost one of the most anticipated official events for every player.
As the tenth year of World of Warships, this year's Christmas holiday season was also "decorated" very grandly by the officials.
During the holiday season, Aurora Port was decorated to become extremely splendid. Every aspect of the game, much like Aurora Port itself, was carefully designed to create a festive atmosphere for players.
A wave of event benefits is arriving. Players can log in to claim free Tier IX warships, supply crates, and camouflages. During the event, extra daily check-in rewards are available. In regular gameplay, players can complete tasks like "Sweeping Snowflakes" and "Decorating the Christmas Tree" to earn supply crates, premium accounts, camouflages, and other rewards.
As for the supply crates that players care about most, this year's "Santa's Gift" crate remains the main attraction. Besides updating the ship pool and increasing drop rates, the CN server officials launched the "Santa's Ultimate Gift" crate for the first time. Judging by player feedback, this crate, with more acquisition slots, higher drop probabilities, and better rewards, brought intuitive joy to players.
This year's "Golden Gift" supply crates also featured new rewards, including various premium ships such as Hawaii, Bremen, and Manta, along with their corresponding golden versions.
From the design of the Christmas holiday season events, we can see that World of Warships' operational strategy differs significantly from many long-term operating games. Holidays and events are often treated by many publishers as "business tactics" to boost revenue in the short term, focusing on immediate ROI rather than actual player experience. However, World of Warships clearly adheres to a long-term strategy of "high returns and high welfare." They are more willing to invest time in maintaining relationships with users. By providing generous benefits, high-return crates, a strong festive atmosphere, and fun elements to meet players' expectations and needs for "Christmas," they have further enhanced brand value.
Looking at the various operational activities of World of Warships during its tenth anniversary, it is not difficult to understand why this game has become an evergreen tree in the "realistic naval combat" genre.
In terms of game content, this title possesses a "serious yet lively"气质 (temperament) that players greatly appreciate. You can find the most hardcore "military content" in the game, as well as unexpected collaboration elements like "virtual idols," "Transformers," and "Burning of Red Cliffs."
Outside the game, the officials and players have long become two closely connected groups. In this mutual effort between players and developers, the officials have shown full sincerity in various online and offline activities, maximizing benefits and rewards for players, and respecting every player's story and needs. In exchange for this genuine care, players have responded with support. Every year at "World of Warships Day," players from all over the country gather on-site. Speaking in dialects from north and south, they all say the same thing: "Good luck with your crates." This shared player culture is the most valuable asset of the World of Warships community.
What World of Warships does may seem like the most basic tasks for a continuously operated game, but doing these things meticulously and consistently over ten years, as World of Warships has, is a very difficult feat.
And World of Warships has not only achieved this but done so well enough that one wonders what surprises next year's World of Warships Day might hold... Honestly, I'm already looking forward to it.
