There are times when World of Tanks feels less like a videogame and more like a giant ad budget looking for something to be spent on. This year, all those huge sacks with dollar signs on them have been thrown Benedict Cumberbatch's way, making him the game's newest "Holiday Ambassador" and the star of an absolutely bizarre Christmas advert.
The story has very little to do with Christmas and, frankly, not much connection to tanks either, featuring Cumberbatch as a sort of chaotic, supernatural therapist trying to bring a meek nerd out of his shell with the help of a chaotic crowd of his other patients.
It's a good watch, shedding the usual hard man action star vibe of past celebrity trailers in favour of something that feels more like a mischievous one act play. Cumberbatch is as slick and watchable as ever, and paired well with Robert Emms as Sebastian, turning in a classic underdog performance. (If you're thinking "where do I know that guy from?", he was Lonni in Andor.)
How any of this is supposed to connect to World of Tanks' new Christmas update I have no idea, but I guess it's done the job of promoting it, because here I am telling you about it. I certainly wouldn't be doing that if it was just some footage of tanks rolling around the snow. Normally I'd feel a bit hoodwinked by that sort of strategy but fair play, they probably spent the GDP of a small country to get my eyes on this, they've earned it.
So here you go: this is all in aid of Holiday Ops 2026, a themed event in the game running from December 5, 2025 to January 12, 2026 that promises "a magical winter adventure filled with festive missions, dazzling rewards, and holiday surprises". Cumberbatch is properly involved, too—you'll get missions from his character in the game, and will be able to earn him as a new fully voiced tank commander.
The only question remaining is, what are they going to do next year? Maybe a short hospital drama starring Helen Mirren as a doctor that turns out to be a ghost? Perhaps Barry Keoghan battling a dragon made out of batteries? The sky's the limit, apparently—and god bless those fans still obsessively playing World of Tanks for making this all possible.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to World of Tanks being played by an audience of Russian players. In fact, the game has not been available to play in Russia since Wargaming withdrew from operating in the country in 2022.
