Suit up in a giant robot and start wrecking — these games let you pilot a giant mech and fulfill all your destructive needs.
Mech games don’t get a fair shake in the gaming community. They’re often viewed as niche and not very good, but that’s not the case at all. The recent releases of chill mech adventure game Stonefly and MechWarrior 5 have us itching to hop into a 30-story robot of doom and punch other giant robots.
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Over the years, there have been a plethora of great mech games with lots of different styles. The amount of innovation in mech games shouldn’t go overlooked. Whether you’re looking for a fast-paced action game, a turn-based tactical RPG, or a slow and lumbering shooter, these games have got you covered.
Updated November 3, 2021 by Josh Griffiths: A host of fantastic new mech games have been released since this article was first published, and there were some great ones already out we initially missed. We’ve added more entries to this article with new great mech games, including Super Robot Wars 30. For a franchise going on 30 years, it’s amazing that Bandai Namco has been able to keep the series consistently excellent.
But that’s hardly the only new entry on our list. The mech game genre has boomed over the last year, and it’s been a challenge picking out the best. It’s a good time to be a mech enthusiast, that much is for sure.
15
Super Robot Wars 30
The Super Robot Wars series has run for an impressive 30 years, spanning nearly 60 games. It’s even more incredible when you realize the franchise is actually a collaboration of several mech anime and games. Super Robot Wars 30 is the latest entry in the series, and features mechs and characters from big anime like Gundam and Code Geass, to more obscure properties like The Brave Police J-Decker and Mazinkaiser Infinitism.
Like other games in the series, Super Robot Wars 30 is a tactical RPG where the gameplay (quite frankly) comes second to the over-the-top zany story and fanboying over characters from multiple properties coming together. You choose which character from which anime you want to take into the campaign, and the story will change based on your character.
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14
Daemon X Machina
Daemon X Machina is a crazy third-person shooter, reminiscent of Zone of Enders by way of Platinum Games. Its art style and story embrace its anime forebearers with zany visuals and over-the-top melodrama.
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What really makes Daemon X Machina special is its gameplay. This is a fast, fluid shooter/hack-n-slash hybrid that delivers quick combat. The game really shines in its customization, allowing players an insane level of detail when it comes to designing your own pilot and mechs. Anything you can think to build is available to you, and you’re encouraged to think outside the box with how your mech looks and operates.
13
Pizza Titan Ultra
Of all the silly games on this list, none can top Pizza Titan Ultra. Here, you’re not saving the world or defeating a powerful enemy. Instead, you use your mech to deliver pizza. Cheezborg, the owner of a rival pizza chain, wants revenge on you for making such great pizza, and has built an army of robots to stop your deliveries.
You have to fight through these robots and deliver pizza on time. Think Crazy Taxi with mech combat in between stops. Gameplay is fast-paced and breezy, with simple combat that’s more about providing a roadblock to your time than a serious challenge on its own. But with hilarious dialog and a ton of customization, there’s a lot to keep you coming back for more.
12
MechAssault
Released in 2002 as a launch game for the original Xbox, MechAssault is a spin-off of the (then) popular MechWarrior series — which itself was an adaptation of BattleTech. You take command of an unnamed mercenary in Wolf’s Dragoons as you pilot a mech through fast-paced action levels.
Perhaps what’s most notable about MechAssault today is that it was the first game to feature online multiplayer support in Microsoft’s Xbox Live service. But even today, MechAssault is one of the best pure action mech games — great at making you feel like you’re piloting a large but nimble machine of destruction that we don’t get much of today.
11
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3
Speaking of fast-paced action, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 is the pinnacle of the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam sub-series. It combines the mindless action combat of Dynasty Warriors with the story and world of Gundam. And, of course, the giant and stylish mechs and their iconic weapons and pilots.
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Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 is a fantastic game for Gundam fans, but it’s also another great example of a high-octane mech game. This is the fastest game in the series, as you mow through waves of enemies with tons of new moves and weapons and a plethora of different mission types.
10
MechWarrior Online
One of the most popular online mech games today is MechWarrior Online, and for good reason. Taking the tactical, realistic gameplay from past MechWarrior games, developer Piranha Games has created an online experience unlike any other. Part of that is down to the fact that the game first released in 2013, well before the likes of Fortnite or Call of Duty Warzone established the modern online shooter.
As such, MechWarrior Online could be viewed as old-fashioned or light on content. But for fans of BattleTech or just mechs in general, this is exactly the kind of game you want. It’s a hardcore, tactical experience where teamwork is required, as the battles are large in scope and one wrong move can be the end of you.
9
Front Mission 3
An underrated classic for years, the Front Mission series by Square Enix represented one of the best tactical RPG series on consoles, and not just for mech games. The main games are all fantastic and depending on who you ask, you’ll hear every game in the series be called the best.
But, many will argue that Front Mission 3 is the definitive Front Mission experience. If you’re looking for a slower, more tactical mech game, this is exactly what you want. Known for its hardcore tactical gameplay, Front Mission 3 is a deep and thoughtful game — with both its gameplay and story.
8
Armored Core: For Answer
Staying in that same era, Armored Core was the antithesis to Front Mission. Where that series was a methodical tactical RPG, Armored Core was a blast-happy third-person shooter. Before FromSoftware became known as the Dark Souls factory, this series was their bread and butter — and you can see why.
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And like Front Mission, the answer to which game is the best will net you several different answers. For some, that would be Armored Core: For Answer — Hidetaka Miyazaki’s second game as director, right before he created Demon Souls. For Answer is comparable to Vanquish in a lot of ways, or even something Platinum Games would release in that it’s all about quickly moving through linear levels and blasting everything in your path.
7
Brigador
If you’re looking for a modern take on MechWarrior, then Brigador will be right up your alley. Set in a futuristic, cyberpunk world, the presentation is much different from the gritty realism of MechWarrior, but the gameplay is much the same. It’s a slower-paced, isometric action game where you take control of a mech and complete a series of missions as a mercenary pilot.
Like many games on this list, Brigador prides itself on its customization. You have a lot of freedom to design whatever mechs and tanks you want. The difference is the game’s difficulty is tied to how well you build your mechs for each scenario, which makes customization feel more impactful than a matter of looks.
6
BattleTech
Stepping away from the MechWarrior series, Harebrained Schemes took the BattleTech licenses and created a tactical RPG based directly on it. What they came up with was the aptly named BattleTech, a spectacular RPG that combines the best of the old MechWarrior games, Front Mission, the tabletop game it’s based on.
What’s impressive about BattleTech is its scale. Before each battle, you can choose what pilots and mechs you bring into battle, take each pilot down different skill trees, and what missions to embark on. A big part of the game is money — to pay for not only your pilots but maintaining and upgrading your mechs. So a central aspect of the game is going on missing that are more dangerous, but also more rewarding.
5
MechCommander 2
A classic of the genre, MechCommander 2 takes the strategic action of MechWarrior and turns it into a full-blown RTS. You take control of a mercenary mech company as they intervene in a civil war on the planet Carver V. What makes this game so special is the attention to detail and its breadth of scope. It’s cliché to say, but MechCommander 2 really does make you feel like the leader of a MechWarrior army.
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Being a game from 2001, don’t expect large-scale battles. Instead, it’ll be smaller fights between your mechs and the enemy rebels. Where the game makes up for this is its host of tactical options. There’s a huge variety of mechs you can deploy and customize in battle, support units like artillery and repair trucks, and the ability to capture enemy mechs to use for yourself.
4
Steel Battalion
If you’re dying to play a hardcore simulation of what a real-life mech would actually be like, then Steel Battalion and its ludicrous controller are for you. Maybe it’s unfair to call it a controller, as it’s more like an entire array of buttons, knobs, pedals, and joysticks arrayed on a desk-sized control panel. Steel Battalion grabbed headlines when it launched for its massive (and pricey) controller and its dedication to a realistic portrayal of mech combat.
As you’d expect, this game is not messing around. You have to start each mission by undergoing a lengthy start-up sequence, if you turn your mech too quickly it’ll fall over, and the mech can overheat if you press it too hard, meaning you’ll have to initiate a restart sequence. Oh, and if you lose all your health and don’t eject from your mech in time, the game will wipe your save data and start you back at the beginning.
3
Titanfall 2
It can be hard to call Titanfall 2 a mech game considering how infrequent the mechs actually appear. But in some ways, that’s what makes it so appealing. You spent much of the game on foot as a regular person, so finally getting your hands on a mech after an epic kill streak feels like a great reward.
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What’s more, fighting a player-controlled mech when you don’t have one of your own is a blast. Communicating with your teammates to bring down a giant machine of death is a gratifying experience, and not actually one you get to experience in many mech games since you’re often piloting a robot yourself.
2
Gundam Breaker 3
Does Gundam Breaker 3 really count as a mech game? The central premise of the Gundam Breaker series is that it’s not about actual Gundam mechs, but toys based on those Gundam. Wherever you come down on that question, you can’t deny Gundam Breaker 3 is a great game. An action game with visual novel elements, Gundam Breaker 3 is the final game in the main Gundam Breaker series.
It’s a touching coming-of-age story about kids growing up and playing with these Gundam toys in a tournament, and also a self-reflection on the franchise as a whole. The gameplay sees you take control of a model (called Gunplay) that you yourself build, unlocking new pieces as you play through missions. It’s surprisingly complex, with a ton of possibilities for building the Gunpla of your dreams.
1
Into The Breach
One of the best indie games ever made, Into the Breach, developed by the makers of FTL: Faster than Light, is also arguably the best mech game. It’s hard to overstate the beautiful simplicity of this rogue-like tactical RPG. Like other games on this list, Into the Breach excels thanks to its depth and deep customization, but the way it weaves those two elements together in gameplay is simply unmatched.
This is a difficult game, make no mistake about that. As you and your mech squads face increasingly large and tough monsters, you get access to dozens of mechs, weapons, and pilots — each of which interacts with each other differently to create a mind-boggling level of complexity. This is the kind of game that demands you learn its ins and outs, but that’s okay because it’s also the kind of game you’re not going to want to put down.
NEXT: Best Isometric RPGs, Ranked
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About The Author
Josh Griffiths
(59 Articles Published)
Josh Griffiths has an extensive background in writing about video games, movies, and books. With a particular love for indie games, he can usually be found at his computer or playing with his dog, Cam.
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