Pocket Tanks
Turn-based artillery game with destructible terrain and hundreds of weapons.
Michael P. Welch of Blitwise Productions created Pocket Tanks, an artillery game for one or two players. It first launched on Windows and Mac OS X in 2001, then arrived on iOS in 2009 and Android in 2012. A shareware version exists, along with Pocket Tanks Deluxe, a premium edition bundling all 30 expansion packs.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Blitwise Productions
- Designer
- Michael P. Welch
- Composer
- DNA-groove (Eliran Ben Ishai)
- Released
- October 26, 2001
- Genre
- Artillery
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows
- Mac OS X
- iOS
- Android
- Windows Phone
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Pocket Tanks was adapted from Welch's earlier Amiga game Scorched Tanks, featuring modified physics and additional weapons ranging from simple explosive shells to homing missiles. Each player may move their tank up to four times per game, with a small, prefixed distance each move. The objective is to attack the opponent's tank with various weapons; each hit awards points based on the weapon and proximity to the target. After 10 volleys, the player with the highest score wins. The environment is fully destructible, allowing players to create pedestals or bunkers for strategic advantage. Weapon expansion packs enable each player to access up to 400 different weapons in total. Network play was introduced in version 1.3. Expansion packs provide additional weapon choices; owners of Pocket Tanks Deluxe can download 30 packs on PC. All packs containing five weapons are free, while 15 weapons require payment on mobile versions. As of August 21 2024, the game includes 385 weapons: 30 from the original and 355 from Deluxe expansions.
Development history
Michael P. Welch of Blitwise Productions, who previously created Amiga games and later PC titles such as Super DX-Ball and Neon Wars, developed Pocket Tanks as a remake or sequel of the Amiga game Scorched Tanks. He extended the gameplay with modified physics, dozens of new weapons (hundreds with paid expansions), and the ability to move the tank. The soundtrack was created by Eliran Ben Ishai as an Impulse Tracker Module file. The first version was released in 2001 after a beta on October 26, 2001. Subsequent updates added features such as network support and more weapons. Version 1.3, released in November 2007, included bug fixes and LAN and IP support. A Collector's Edition, containing the first 14 expansion packs and the Deluxe version, was released on November 16, 2007. On April 15, 2009, Pocket Tanks was released on iOS with a new touch interface and 35 free weapons; this version continued to be updated alongside later mobile releases. On January 9, 2013, it was released on the Windows Store for Windows 8 and Windows RT, and on March 7, 2013, on the Amazon Appstore. Version 2.1 added support for the latest weapon packs and fixed bugs for Surface Pro compatibility. Version 2.3 migrated online functions from a third-party Backend as a Service framework to a Blitwise-maintained AWS hosted server infrastructure. Version 2.7.9 is the latest release as of July 2025, available for iOS, Android, and Windows Store. Pocket Tanks and Pocket Tanks Deluxe are available on Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Amazon Appstore, and Windows Store. The original PC versions lack some features of the mobile and Windows Store versions. As of 2024, the desktop version has 320 weapons obtainable by purchasing all expansion packs; the mobile version has 385 weapons. The game continues to receive updates as of July 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
What platforms is Pocket Tanks available on?
Pocket Tanks was released for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Who composed the music for Pocket Tanks?
The music for Pocket Tanks was composed by DNA-groove (Eliran Ben Ishai).
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