Gaijin Entertainment has brought back War Thunder’s Halloween “Spooky Races,” a five-day event that runs from October 27 at 11:00 GMT to November 1 at 11:00 GMT. The event, laid out in a Steam announcement on October 27, pairs two limited-time race events with a set of Halloween cosmetics, and the top 1,000 pilots in the air race walk away with a free Po-2 aircraft.
Two races, two different vehicles
The Ground event, “Through the dark forest,” puts players in the M18 “Witch” tank and sends them racing through gloomy locales. Reaching 750 rating points earns the “Sinister Lands” profile frame after the event ends, and 500 points pays out one decoration from the “Witch’s Cauldron” trophy.
The Air event, “Witch Hunt,” is a Po-2 “Night Witch” aircraft race threaded through a rock-lined gorge. The 750-point reward is the “Green Ghosts” Squadron Emblem decal, and 300 points hands over one decal from the “Dead Man’s Chest.”
A separate objective requires 3,000 mission points in any vehicle at rank III or higher, with at least 70% battle activity, and unlocks a decal on its own. No race is involved, so players who would rather fight than fly can still pick something up. The announcement lists the named cosmetics as the “Sinister Lands” frame, the “Green Ghosts” emblem decal, and a “Boo” decal, spread across the racing leaderboards and the mission-points objective.
Free Po-2 for the top 1,000 pilots
The top 1,000 pilots by rating when the air event closes receive the Po-2 (USSR), added to their account within 48 hours of the event ending. The leaderboard is for the air race only, so the M18 “Witch” ground race does not feed into the aircraft reward. Ratings are tracked from the “Award” button in the “Events” window, though Gaijin warns the table can take up to 15 minutes to update, so a ranking shown mid-race is not final.
Only the thousand highest-rated pilots get the aircraft. For everyone below the cutoff, the rating-based decals and profile frame are still handed out for hitting the fixed point totals, and the mission-points decal is available without racing at all.
The window to earn a spot is short. The event closes November 1 at 11:00 GMT, and the top 1,000 is decided when the air event ends, so pilots chasing the Po-2 need to bank rating points early rather than wait for the final day. Gaijin delivers the aircraft within 48 hours of the event ending, which puts it in accounts by November 3 at the latest.
A fallback for veterans who already own everything
Gaijin has built a safety net for players who have collected the event’s cosmetics in past years. If a player already owns every decal in the Dead Man’s Chest or every decoration in the Witch’s Cauldron, the reward converts into a trophy holding one of four items: a 20 to 50 percent research point booster for 3 to 10 battles, a 20 to 50 percent Silver Lion booster for 3 to 10 battles, 3 to 5 universal backups, or one day of Premium account.
Both trophy chests are back on sale in the in-game shop, and the Dead Man’s Chest draws on decals from previous Halloween events, so long-time players may already hold the full set.
Both chests return with last year’s items
The Dead Man’s Chest contains older Halloween decals such as the “Grim Reaper,” “Snail killer,” “Angry Black Cat,” and “Blow Your Mind.” The Witch’s Cauldron holds earlier Halloween decorations, including the “Slasher’s Hatchet,” “Cannibal Axe,” “Witch Hat,” and “Slasher’s Mask.” This is the second Halloween-themed War Thunder drop this month, following the October decals Gaijin added earlier.
Races temporarily disabled
Gaijin notes the races “have been temporarily disabled due to technical issues.” The studio has not said when they will be re-enabled, so players should check the in-game Events window before assuming a race is live. The reward thresholds and event window still stand, but the actual races may not be running at any given moment.
The event follows Battle Pass Season 25, which Gaijin announced earlier in October.
