How to Play STUG
STUG is a free multiplayer tank game you play in your browser. You drive a tank from a top-down view, shells bounce off angled armor, and where you hit matters more than how often. This guide covers the controls and the basics of tank combat.
Controls
| Drive | W A S D |
|---|---|
| Aim | Mouse |
| Fire | Left mouse button |
| Speed boost | Shift |
| Repair | Hold R |
| Special abilities | 1, 2 and 3 |
| Handbrake (wheeled vehicles) | Space |
| Mark a spot for your team | Middle mouse button |
Keys can be changed in Settings, and gamepads are supported.
Armor: front, side and rear
Every tank has three armor faces, and they are not equal.
| Front armor | The strongest side. It takes several hits and bounces shots that come in at an angle. |
|---|---|
| Side armor | Weaker than the front. Fewer hits are needed. |
| Rear armor | The weak spot. One hit to the rear destroys most tanks. |
Enemies have a red outline. Face them with your front armor and work your way to their sides or rear.
Ricochets
Shells bounce. A shot that hits armor at a shallow angle skips off without doing damage, so turning your tank slightly toward an enemy makes their shots ricochet. Bigger guns go through at wider angles than small ones.
You can also bounce your own shots off walls and other tanks to hit enemies behind cover. Ricochet hits earn extra XP.
Aiming and reloading
Your turret takes time to turn. The crosshair is yellow until the gun lines up, and by default you can't fire until it does. After every shot you have to reload, so get behind cover while you wait.
Boost and ramming
Hold Shift for a burst of speed. Use it to flank, to escape when damaged, or to ram: boosting into an enemy does damage. Your tank turns faster when it is not driving forward or backward.
Repairing
Hold R to repair. You can't move while repairing, and a single hit from any side destroys you, so never repair in the open. Destroyed vehicles can be broken open for repair kits.
Special abilities
Kills charge up your tank's special abilities, used with 1, 2 and 3. Different tanks carry different ones, such as a deployable wall, grenades and artillery. Grenades can be lobbed over nearby walls.
Light, medium and heavy tanks
Light tanks are fast and thin. Keep moving and avoid trading shots. Heavy tanks are slow with thick armor and big guns. Stay near teammates so nobody gets behind you. Medium tanks sit in between. No vehicle is the best one, but some are easier to learn. Compare them on the vehicles page.
Research and XP
Matches earn XP. From rank 2 you can spend it researching new tanks, starting with the first research tree. More trees open at rank 12. XP boosters speed research up.
Where to start
The game opens with a short tutorial. After that, play Conquest: it has respawns, so mistakes cost little. Then try the other gamemodes and maps.
Quick tips
- Always protect your rear armor.
- Angle your tank slightly to bounce incoming fire.
- Reload behind cover.
- Save your boost for flanking or getting away.
- Press the middle mouse button to mark a spot on the map for your team.