Last updated on January 2nd, 2026 at 10:13 pm
Pocket Tanks – Strategy Game Review
Pocket Tanks is a Strategy/Family/Entertainment game from Blitwise Productions, LLC, first launched in 15th April 2009.
It’s rated 9+ and currently has 1,530+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Pocket Tanks Stand Out
"The Ultimate One-on-One Artillery Game" – Now with cross-platform WiFi and Online Play!
Pocket Tanks is the fast-paced artillery game that is simple to learn, and fun to master. The perfect quick game for friends and family, you'll find yourself hooked for hours of play! Bury your opponent in a mound of dirt, or assail him with a barrage of bullets. Visit the Weapon Shop before battle to arm yourself for the struggle, or try the Target Practice mode to learn all the weapons and the best tactics to win.
Experience the thrill of launching volley after volley of powerful and fun weapons across the battlefield, using very simple controls. Select your angle, power, and FIRE! Your arsenal of unique and useful weapons includes: Napalm, Firecracker, Skipper, Cruiser, Dirt Mover, and dozens more! This is the light-hearted game of heavy artillery for everyone.
Pocket Tanks – Free Version
45 weapons
Features:
- Large scrolling battlefields
- Universal app; looks great on iPhone or iPad
- WiFi real-time matches on a local network
- Online, turn based play. Battle your friends around the world at your own pace.
Download Pocket Tanks COMPLETELY FREE, and learn the ropes with 45 exciting weapons. The Free version also includes WiFi AND Online play, to challenge your friends!
Upgrade in App to Deluxe and access:
- 100 brand new weapons (145 total with all free packs)
- Jump Jets for moving your tank around
- Bouncy Dirt for creating reflective terrain
- Digger for tunneling your tank underground
- Support for weapon expansion packs, both paid and FREE!
Note from the author:
I have been writing artillery games since 1993. I created Pocket Tanks in 2001, and thanks to the many loyal fans, it is still in active development to this very day. Please join me in my quest to make Pocket Tanks a classic artillery game that stands the test of time. Thanks to all who have supported BlitWise over the years.
-Michael P. Welch
Author of DX-Ball & Scorched Tanks
Millions of downloads, over a decade of fun!
For the PC/Mac versions visit:
www.blitwise.com
This Strategy game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Pocket Tanks is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 25th August 2025
Recent improvements include:
• 5 weapons – Danger Pack
The Danger Pack shakes things up with huge earthquakes, spiraling terrain effects, and fun new ways to fling tanks. This release brings Pocket Tanks up to a total of 400 weapons! Thanks for supporting our efforts, and watch for new game features coming soon.
Download & Availability
Pocket Tanks is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
This game is old and still gets updates and the reason why you people say its bad wa wa waa is because its a very old game its like yelling at a grown dog because it accidentally hits its head on a table, And ITS BECAUSE ITS OLD JUST SHOW RESPECT TO THE GAME DANG THATS ALL we ASK OF YOU.
One of our favorite bored, kill time games since the iPod touch came out. Always a kid at heart with this one.
This game is actually perfect we will end up buying merch for our family.
Its the best artillery game on iOS, we just wish it was at least four player, its only one versus one. We need multiplayer online, teams or free-for-all! It wouldnt hurt to update the graphics, though too, they are looking a little dated now.
Weapons like Lava Gold, which net 400+ pts, are a bit annoying to play against for online play. There should be an option to block players that use only these types of moves. There should also be a 24hr time limit to take your turn.
The game alone is pretty standard although you can play with other people or you friends and family so overall the game is one of our top favorites.
We remember this and just today we found it a lot better than we remember and its simple and beautiful perfect soundtrack to.
So this game looks old we think we played it when we were 4 we think.
When going to this game, this stupid app seems to have trouble loading. Why cant our game work anymore.
Ive had this game for years, everytime im going on a trip im bored but until we scroll to our homepage and we see this game, im on it for hours. HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO DOWNLOAD.
Theyre absolutely needs to be a time limit for online games. It is crazy that someone can just leave a game and itll sit there on their turn until you forfeit!? Why do we lose the game because he left? We dont get it Its a good thing, however that this suggestion is not implemented yet. That is to say if you were forced to forfeit games that people abandoned, it would hurt your ranking in online ranked gameplay. Oh our goodness that is something that would be wonderful. At least a simple scoreboard of your wins and losses should be reasonable, right? The third thing which we think would be incredibly important if ranked gameplay was added is a balancing of the weapons. Why in the world does one weapon do three damage and another one do 300? That is crazy! Now we know that utility type weapons are not really meant to use cause a lot of damage but the discrepancy is just ridiculous. No weapon should do more than 50 damage and 50 damage should be the reward for a powerful weapon and a good shot. Most weapons should be restricted to less than 10 damage that will heavily balance the Plainfield and make the game more competitive and enjoyable Which will result in fewer people abandoning games.
Setting the game to easiest mode and having the AI hit you directly on the first shot then 90% of the with the occasional complete flub is ridiculous. Game is no fun with the AI is so powerful.
We really love this game! Used to play when we were younger. Our dad and we both really want controller support for this game cause we think it would be funner. Please add controller support.
We absolutely love this game. Our boyfriend and we play it every night before bed. 3 games only one champion reigns. An absolute blast from the past and we love the updated weapons. Cant wait for more packs. Ive purchased them all. Thank you for making and maintaining this.
The screen at mid sky is so dark you cant see stuff like tar or such above you. It cause issues where you harm your score by hitting things. You cant adjust it. All you can adjust is your screen on your phone and that hardly works. The game is fun and kills times.
If an opponent fails to return volley (continue) for more than 48 hours they should automatically forfeit. Players who are losing use this loophole to avoid taking a loss and matches constantly go unfinished. We have so many games sitting active waiting for a player who gave up days, weeks, months ago. Also this game is pay to win. Super lame. People are actually spending their money on a free game so they can have the advantage of better using weapons. It ruins the game for those smart enough not to waste their money.
Was introduced to this game a long time ago, its still great to pick up and play once in awhile.
Ive been playing this game since 8th grade and Im 26 now. Not a lot to it, very simple and pure. And always nostalgic. More free weapon packs please.
Its the same game you played off a flash drive at school in 2006, but with updated controls that work very well for mobile. We love online play, and like the asynchronous nature of it.
One of the best games we've ever seen. Its music is a masterpiece!! Wonderful music.
We have played this game since we were a kid and our partner and we love to play online when Im away for work. We would love to be able to watch her moves in real time when were playing online rather than taking turns and waiting to see the whole thing at once. 5 stars regardless for making such a great free version. Thanks.
For what the game is its perfect! There are bots to play against that can be very challenging if you want it that way. Its perfect for any occasion between alone, with friends, with no Wi-Fi, and with wifi since it has online most reviews are old complaining it needs online but now it does! Developers giving updates it feels like care is put into it we couldnt ask for anything more.
Great game it has held up really well over the years.
We played this as a kid on the family desktop. So happy to see it survive all these years and get modified into an app version. 10/10 amazing game. We love it. Thanks for bringing it to mobile and for keeping it alive.
We wish there was some way to talk to or talk trash to other players trough chat packs.
We are not exaggerating when we say our brother and we have been playing this game for at least 15 years now, probably closer to 17 or so. We are honestly surprised at the care and effort put into the team to keep this game updated, and still allow you to play online. With this new weapons pack that came out today, we are just floored that new content is still coming out, with another pack in the making. Keep being the best, guys! Love your work and dedication! We see people complaining about having to buy the weapons packs, but we dont mind in the slightest because this is a creator we are happy to spend money on and support. Its a no brainer.
Worked once, and it was fun while it lasted. Now it freezes at the load screen.
We give it a 4 star at best as Pocket tanks definitely has potential and is such a fun game to play against friends. Things Id like too see in the future would be the option to change background from night to day as the background being blacked out makes it hard to see some weapons that blend into the background. Multiplayer needs more work done as it should be automatically updated while in game without having to go back to the lobby to refresh when trying to see a players move thought this is more for Android users, than it is for iOS users. Can we please get more than four maps, valley, cliffs, hill, and flats are fun, but we need some new maps like sand, dirt, gravel, mud and snow mountains too. Id also like too see Pocket Tanks become a part of PlayStation with and cross play cross platform multiplayer.
Nothing crazy unique and becomes repetitive quickly. They have "free" weapon bundles that are only free if you buy the deluxe edition. They dont run ads it seems which we think is amazing but Id rather have ads to get access to all or some weapons than have them advertised as free but not be.
Its fun but what bothers us is when a tank gets hit by anything and it falls it keeps the cannon angle. So its so easy once you have the angle to keep pummeling each other. The game is more about what weapon you use when. We really want it to be more like the old school windows game Tank Wars.
We have played this off and on since it came out and it is phenomenal our only real critique is that it needs new free weapons.
We havent tried any difficulty lower than 5 because Im not a bum, but so far the difficulties in 1 player mean nothing, the A.we will always hit you perfectly on point. Winning games is almost impossible and the only way you can win is your a master at choosing weapons and the A.we chooses trash.
Bro we dont like it just having 45 weapons.
So our little brother and father has this game and they always play it together and in our opinion its really fun! We recommend playing especially for social stuff.
Blitwise productions never fails to impress.
Its a lot of fun. The Easy skill level is incredibly accurate, especially on the first shot, and we wish there was an even easier one. And we wish the game would end when it is mathematically impossible to stage a comeback but still, we like it a lot.
Want a game of needing a certain iq and very unbalanced well this is the game for you.
Old timey arcade style game. Scratches the itch for this genre. Love that new weapons packs are routinely developed and offered. Will keep and play this game as long as it works. Really appreciate the devs for keeping this going.
We just cant stop playing its exactly how we remember no makeover just perfect. To the Developers: Thank you.
We have been playing this game our whole life and Im 1089 year old now so we love that this game is still being worked on.
This is the game that keeps on giving. Ive never gotten this much play value from any app Ive ever purchased. Should be permanently featured by Apple. Would love to see a level designer/community library. That would take some to the next level.
Such a happy memory. Im glad its still available.
Its so fun we love it.its our favorite game.so fun.our dad plays it.and he also says he likes it.so thats why we rated it a five star rate.
Really good strategy game with a nice old school feel that is still updated by the Dev. Ive been playing pocket tanks for years and it brings us back.
After you play for a minute taking a couple days to finish one match isnt the worst thing. Its an awesome casual game. Its fun to check and play back opponents even if its just once a day. Can also be competitive if you prefer. Stands the test of time. One suggestion: needs a weapon search bar with keywords showing weapons. Ive all 300+ weapons and its becoming a pain to scroll through.
Ive been playing this game now for 15 years and its as fun now as it was day 1. No gimmicks. Still the same game. We also love the little floating Amiga balls floating around the logo paying homage to the original Scorched Tanks.
Played this game as a kid as a torrented game on computer, always loved this game.
We played this game when we were five is amazing but needs work on graphics.
All time favorite game. It lacks structure just enough to allow for creative outside-the-box strategies. Ive been playing this forever and still find new ways to use weapons. One big request: please add a chat function to the online gameplay, even a limited one with preloaded phrases like nice shot or whoops or well played etc.
Graphics, sound, everything is great,.but for one feature. Even if you play it at skill level 1 (out of 10), youll be hard pressed to ever win a game.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 3.0.0
- Size: 97.60 MB
- iOS: 12.0 or later
- Languages: EN
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
- Developer: Blitwise Productions, LLC
Last updated: 25th August 2025 | Genre: Strategy, Family | Developer: Blitwise Productions, LLC