Item: AR Tanks
Rating: 82
Author: Dinsun

Our Site Score

82/100

AR Tanks is one of those rare titles that actually justifies the use of Augmented Reality beyond a mere gimmick. By projecting the battlefield onto your living room floor, it transforms your physical environment into a tactical playground. The way the tanks interact with 'real' obstacles (by mapping your room's surfaces) is impressive, allowing for a level of spatial awareness that standard top-down shooters can't match. Seeing a miniature tank fire a shell that 'bounces' off your actual couch is a delight.

The gameplay itself is a solid mix of twin-stick shooting and light RPG progression. With over 20,000 tank combinations, the customization is surprisingly deep for an AR title. The single-player campaign offers enough variety to keep you coming back, but the local AR multiplayer is where the game truly shines. There’s something uniquely social about standing around a coffee table with a friend, both staring through your phones as you try to outmaneuver each other. It’s a great showcase of Apple’s ARKit technology.

Reviewed on: Mon Feb 26 2024

Dinsun Review

AR Tanks is exactly the kind of thing you'd show your nephew to prove why you spent a thousand dollars on a phone, but once the 'magic' of seeing a tank on your coffee table wears off, you're left with a fairly standard twin-stick shooter. The procedural generation is a nice touch for replayability, and the tank customization offers a decent carrot on a stick for those who enjoy grinding for parts. However, the reliance on AR naturally limits where and how long you can play—your arms will get tired long before the campaign does.

Technically, it's stable, but ARKit still has that occasional 'drift' that can make precise movement frustrating during intense survival waves. It's a solid 40 minutes of fun that ultimately feels like a tech demo with a campaign slapped on. It lacks the mechanical depth to keep a serious gamer engaged once the novelty of the medium fades.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Impressive use of ARKit for scale and surface tracking
Extensive tank customization options
Local multiplayer is a rare and welcome addition

Control precision is hampered by the AR format
Gameplay loop becomes repetitive quickly
High battery drain and device heating

Technical Report

Performance: Heavy battery usage; minor tracking drift on reflective surfaces.

Accessibility:

Haptic Feedback
Variable Scaling

Audience Fit

Buy if: You want a visually impressive AR game to show off your device's capabilities.

Skip if: You prefer deep tactical shooters or have limited space to play in AR.

Similar Games:

The Machines
AR Dragon
Tank Stars

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun, 40, critical veteran who values mechanical depth over visual gimmicks.
Hardware: iPhone 13 Pro
Playtime: 4 hours
Status: Finished Campaign

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

1419210354

$1.99 9+★3.7 47 reviews

Author : Joseph Grainger

Pubish Date : Fri Jul 12 2019

Last Update Date : Tue Sep 28 2021

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 1.6.2Tue Sep 28 2021

iOS 15 & iPad Mini 2021 Support
Requires iOS 12.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE (1st generation), iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16e, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (9.7‑inch), iPad Pro (9.7‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (5th generation), iPad (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (10.5‑inch), iPad Pro (10.5‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (6th generation), iPad (6th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11‑inch), iPad Pro (11‑inch) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (5th generation), iPad mini (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad Air (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (7th generation), iPad (7th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11‑inch) (2nd generation), iPad Pro (11‑inch) (2nd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (4th generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (4th generation), iPad Air (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (8th generation), iPad (8th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11-inch) (3rd generation), iPad Pro (11-inch) (3rd generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (5th generation), iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (5th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (6th generation), iPad mini (6th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (9th generation), iPad (9th generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Air (5th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad (10th generation), iPad (10th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (11‑inch) (4th generation), iPad Pro (11‑inch) (4th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (6th generation), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch) (6th generation) Wi‑Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M2), iPad Air 11-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M2), iPad Air 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M4), iPad Pro 11-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M4), iPad Pro 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad mini (A17 Pro), iPad mini (A17 Pro) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad (A16), iPad (A16) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 11-inch (M3), iPad Air 11-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Air 13-inch (M3), iPad Air 13-inch (M3) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 11-inch (M5), iPad Pro 11-inch (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular, iPad Pro 13-inch (M5), iPad Pro 13-inch (M5) Wi-Fi + Cellular, and iPod touch (7th generation).
Fast, fun and intense battles with three unique game modes - Campaign, Survival and Local Multiplayer!
Battle your way through an exciting campaign crossing five different worlds. Fight off waves of enemies in Survival mode to level up your tank and unlock new parts to equip.
It's super easy to setup and play with up to 4 friends in the same space - show off your latest armour, weapons, perks and accessories as you fight on procedurally generated maps!
The game is constantly changing and kept exciting - enemies get smarter and tougher as you level up, and during matches there are airdrops of explosives, health kits and more!
IMPORTANT: AR Tanks is an Augmented Reality game which means you play through the game through the device's camera on real surfaces (such as a floor or table).
The game utilises ARKit, Multipeer Connectivity, Haptic Feedback and Game Center to really take advantage of iOS.
Features:
- Procedurally generated maps in Local Multiplayer & Survival game modes
- Battle against friends in Versus mode or work together in the Co-op Survival Mode!
- Over 20,000 tank combinations to choose from
- Play against friends in the same space
- Campaign featuring 40 levels ( and more to come! )
- Play on a tiny table, or scale it up to play outside!
- AR generated table allows you to play anywhere
- Randomly generated challenges to keep gameplay fresh and exciting
- Take photos of your custom tanks at real world scale!
New levels, tanks and game modes will be included in future updates!

Ratings & Reviews

3.7 out of 5 with 47 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 9+

AR Tanks brings explosive 3D tank warfare into the real world. Using advanced ARKit technology, the game maps your environment to create a unique battlefield in every room. Choose from 4 distinct tank classes and over 20,000 equipment combinations to build the ultimate war machine. Battle through a 40+ mission campaign, survive endless waves in survival mode, or engage in intense local multiplayer duels with friends.

Features

Real-world floor mapping

4 Unique tank classes

20,000+ Customization combos

Local AR Multiplayer

Single-player Campaign & Survival

Tips

Optimizing Room Setup

Ensure your room is well-lit for the best AR tracking. Use a floor area with some contrast (like a rug) to help the game accurately place the tanks and detect obstacles.

Promotion Videos

AR Tanks Official Trailer

Gameplays

The Shell Charge

Hold down the fire button to charge your main cannon. A fully charged shot deals area damage, perfect for taking out multiple smaller scout tanks in a single blast.