What Is The Mecha Genre?
The concept of Mecha has been around for a long time now, ever since people saw the first Gundam series. After the release of that series, the concept of a giant robot kicking ass and taking names became a Man’s romance, for good reason. After all, who doesn’t want to pilot a giant mechanical robot of mass destruction? Ever since the release, and subsequent popularity of Mazinger Z, there’s been an influx of cool mecha shows and games that were released. Not only in Japan, but throughout the world. Examples of this include Gundam, Transformers, Power Rangers (Tokusatsu with giant mecha battles), Evangelion (Deconstruction of the genre), and more.
What Are Mecha Games?
Mecha games are games that feature mechs and mecha prominently in their gameplay. Primarily, these Mecha games are usually 1st-person/3rd-person experiences where players pilot giant robots to fight enemies. However, some games feature mecha that aren’t 1st-person/3rd-person beat-em-ups and are instead tactical affairs. There’s a lot of variety in the types of mecha games that are available for players. Thus, it’s up to players on deciding which kind they want to go for.
15 Best Mecha Games
Titanfall 2
The first game on this list will have to be Titanfall 2 for a few good reasons. Firstly, it’s a game about a Mecha Pilot who rides on incredibly overpowered Titan frames. Secondly, it’s just bloody awesome doing it. Titans, the game’s mecha, are very versatile and come in a variety of different forms. There are a lot of them on the previous Titanfall game, but on Titanfall 2, we have 7. 8 if you include the Vanguard class available only on the Campaign. The Titans available for players to use are Ronin, AKA Mecha samurai with ghost powers. Northstar, flying sniper railgun with side rockets. Scorch, the Titan that just wants to set the world on fire. Tone, an overpowered bastard with a shield they can fire on and an aimbot gun. Ion, a trickshot master’s wet dream thanks to its Laser Shot Ordnance, also, the Splitter Rifle is a beast when used correctly. Legion, a Titan that wants to shoot as many bullets as possible in the span of a millisecond. And lastly, Monarch, which is a Jack of all Trades, master of some. However, Titanfall 2’s main draw isn’t just the Titans, no. The player is the Titan’s pilot, and you’re not just some guy that would sit in their mecha all day, no. You’re a trained, hardened soldier, able to do feats so nutty, it’s only replicated on 1 game in this list, and that one’s debatable. In Titanfall Lore, Titan pilots are Lords of Destruction, able to lay waste to their enemies inside and outside their Titans. For context, the main villains for the campaign were almost singlehandedly foiled thanks to 1 Titan Pilot: You. Combine all that with some incredible 1st-person shooter gunplay, a ridiculous movement system, and is overall just a fun game.
Armored Core Series
3D Mecha games are a huge vibe, especially if you’re the one piloting the giant mecha. One of the best examples of this is the Armored Core series created by From Software. And if we’re being honest, this is a game franchise that should be obligatory to play for mech fans everywhere. Why? Because even if there are a lot of mecha games available in the market, none are as cool and as special as Armored Core. The Armored Core series takes place on Earth a few years into the distant future, and everything’s gone to hell. For one, 80 to 90% of Earth’s population is dead, and the rest are living underground. To make matters even worse, the world has turned into Cyberpunk 2077, where corporations battle for control using mercenaries. Said mercenaries, use giant mecha known as the titular Armored Cores. Your character is one of these mercenaries, and it’s your job to kick ass for your mercenary organization, and not die doing it. To help this, Armored Core has one of the most robust mecha customizations on this list. Players can change the armor, weapons, mobility, and more of their Armored Core. Want Gatling guns for arms? Yep, that’s possible. Giant buster swords that can turn other Armored Cores into sashimi? Very possible. Giant lasers? Incredibly viable. The only thing that limits you is your Armored Core’s power, and even that can be upgraded. This ability to fully customize your custom mecha is something that a lot of games tried to emulate but didn’t get right most of the time. This makes Armored Core an incredible must-have for mecha gamers. However, it didn’t get any new releases for a long time now. Never fear though, as all the games in the series can be played through Emulation.
Daemon X Machina
Next on this list is Daemon X Machina, another action mecha game created by Marvelous and released by XSEED Games and Nintendo. For those that want to play an official version of Armored Core for PC, Daemon X Machina is for them. Especially since the game’s produced by Kenichiro Tsukuda, one of the guys that helped create Armored Core. In Daemon X Machina’s case, everything went to hell when a part of the moon crashes into Earth and killed a lot of people. That was just the beginning though, as said fragment started to release Femto, energy that corrupts all it touches. The worst thing affected by Femto though is AIs, who were created to quarantine the Femto on the impact zone of the moon fragment. However, Femto also led to the creation of Arsenals, which are mecha, and this is where your character comes in. You’re an Outer, someone who got powers from Femto and pilots an Arsenal, as well as part of a mercenary organization called Bullet Works. You already know the drill by this point: Get in your mecha, kick AI robot ass, take names, and in general, be badass. Daemon X Machina is pretty much the fantasy for this, especially on the customization part. For every mission accomplished, the player gains additional blueprints for more powerful weapons. Combine this with the fact that you can use 3 of them at the same time, and store 2 additional weapons for each hand? Well, you get versatility, a lot of it. There’s also melee combat as well, but it’s not as prolific as the ranged combat, which is kind of sad. However, this is still one of the best mecha games to ever come out.
Into the Breach
For those gamers that like to have mecha on their tactical combat games, it’s pretty essential to get Into the Breach. Created by Subset Games, Into the Breach has a bit of something for fans of both mechs and tactical combat. It’s actually pretty fun, entertaining, and has a lot of mechanics that strategic-minded players would enjoy. This, in addition to the fact that you get to use various tanks, units, and mechs to defeat space bugs makes Into the Breach a must-have. Oh, and time travel. Can’t forget the time travel, but we’ll talk about that later. The game is set on an Earth far into the future, and humanity’s in a pinch as we’re being attacked by the Vek. The Vek are an army of monsters that suddenly invaded the Earth after the sea levels went up a few notches. AKA, Earth was screwed already. However, this is where the time travel comes in, as a few mercenaries were sent back in time. Their mission? To stop the Vek invasion before it even started. To do this, they have giant mechs, and these giant mechs kick ass and take lots of names every time they deploy. However, to use these mechs, they need pilots, and pilots are pretty limited. This adds a bit of Roguelike into each playthrough of Into the Breach. Because players need to make sure that their pilots and mecha stay alive for the next battles. Combine this with a cool weapon/armor strength/weakness rock/paper/scissors gameplay, and you have an interesting mecha game to play with. Really, try out Into the Breach, it’s well worth the money.
Mech Armada
If you’re the kind of guy that looks at Into the Breach and wants something like that, but with more… graphics. Then Mech Armada is a good game to get. Mech Armada is a strategy-turn-based game created and released by Lioncode Games. The premise is simple: The world is invaded by the Swarm and everyone on Earth is screwed. The rest of the humans went deep underground to survive the onslaught of the Swarm. A few years later, they decided that its time to reclaim the Earth’s surface, and their weapon of choice? Mechs. Lots of mechs. Same deal as the games we’ve talked about before: players fight the Swarm, defeat them, get resources, and improve weapons and mechs. There are over 70+ mecha parts for players to choose from that have their own unique weaknesses and strengths. The real twist comes from the gameplay, as it’s a tactical turn-based game compared to other games we’ve already talked about. The player controls multiple mechs at the same time as they reconquer and reclaim Earth. Last but not least is the fact that the campaign’s procedurally generated, which adds a bit of randomness to the game. Combine this with the above, and you’ll see that this adds a fresh variety to this list if you’re thinking about it, making Mech Armada a worthy addition to a player’s Steam Library.
Brigador
Next on this list is Brigador. an is an isometric roguelike shoot’em up mecha game created by Gausswerks and Stellar Jockeys. Now, this alone is already pretty sweet, but the real kicker? All of the game’s stages and environments can be leveled and destroyed. Yep, you hear that right, destructible environments, mechas, and levels full of enemies to fight and destroy. It’s practically a mecha fan’s wet dream. As per usual, Brigador puts players in the shoes of a mercenary pilot serving his country. However, things went sour, and instead, he decides to look for a way out of his contract. His solution? Find a way to go off-planet. Yes, this is a game set in the far future, and you’re gonna be in for a wild ride. Players get to use 56 different mechs and vehicles in order to destroy their enemies. Each of the 36 levels has certain secrets that unlock stuff, and in general, your only goal is to shoot things down. However, if you’re looking for a boatload of fun for a few hours, get Brigador, you won’t regret it. Oh, and as a final note, there’s also a mode where players can create custom maps and challenges. It’s unlocked after the player beats the campaign. Just for added spice, you know?
M.A.S.S. Builder
Next on this list is M.A.S.S. Builder, a game focusing on building, and piloting, custom mecha to fight big, imposing enemies. This game is pretty awesome and the build variety that the player has is kind of excessive. Like, very excessive. The game was created by Vermillion Digital and released by Sekai Project using Unreal Engine 4, so graphics aren’t an issue. M.A.S.S., or Mechanical Assault Skeleton Suits, are the weapons that the player builds in this game, and players have carte blanche. The moment they log in and finish a mission or three, they get access to the sheer amount of build variety in M.A.S.S. Builder. It’s actually kind of excessive, but very fun, as build customization is very much in the limelight of this game. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of any semblance of a good campaign mode or story. It’s there, but it’ll become very apparent once players get to this point that M.A.S.S. Builder’s main draw is the number of things you can put on your mecha. However, this still lands the game on this list of Top 15 Mecha games, so it’s all good.
Garrison: Archangel
If you’re someone that doesn’t want to fight giant alien monsters, have the fate of the world on their backs, or just straight-up want to have fun? Then you might want to try out Garrison: Archangel. This game still has the same mecha customization as previous games on this list, but the stakes are more… relaxed, so to speak. Specifically, you’re a glorified gladiator, and your custom mecha is there to kick ass in the arena against other mecha pilots. One thing to note though is that Garrison Archangel is an arena fighter. Compared to other fighting games, it doesn’t put a lot of thought into things like Frame Data, and other similar things. What it does give is tons of fun as 2 mecha pilots beat the ever-living crap out of each other for money, clout, and validation. Oh, and there’s multiplayer. You can play against AI, or against other players with their own custom mecha. All told, Garrison: Archangel is great for some mindless fun with yourself, or with other friends with their own mechs about to destroy yours. Combine this with the unique fact that it’s a Robot Fighting Game, and you have a great addition to add to your PC.
The Riftbreaker
Another recommended mech game on this list would be The Riftbreaker, created by EXOR Studios and released in 2022. This game has players take on the role of Ashley, scientist, special commando, and all-woman, as she establishes a human settlement on a foreign planet. To help her on this, Ashley’s joined by a giant, pilotable Mecha affectionately called Mr. Riggs. Mr. Riggs is Ashley’s, and the player’s best friend in all things for a few good reasons. The most prominent of which is the fact that the alien species on the planet they’re on aren’t too keen on Humanity colonizing their world. With Mr. Riggs’ help though, Ashley would hold back the alien hordes with guns, rockets, bladed weaponry, and other essentials. In addition to this, The Riftbreaker also has Tower Defense and Base Building gameplay. After all, you’re making a new colony, and eventually, said colony will have a population of humans inside. In short, they need to be protected at all costs, which is where the Tower Defense comes in. There are going to be times when the AI will launch assault after assault on your new colony. Mr. Riggs ain’t gonna cut it if he’s by himself when that happens. This means that players need to plan out their bases properly if they want to survive. If we’re being honest here, think of The Riftbreaker as a mecha version of Factorio, and you can guess how this game would go. Even with that, this still makes The Riftbreaker one of the best mecha video games available today.
Supreme Commander 2
The next game we need to talk about is Supreme Commander 2. An RTS Strategy game created on 2010 by Wargaming Seattle and released by Square Enix. The game sets players on Altair II, after a pretty hectic political assassination of the Coalition President. This causes the UEF, the Aeon Illuminate, and the Cybran Nation to stop political and diplomatic ties, again. Now that a new war’s about to happen, every faction is bringing their all to bear. For the purposes of this list, this also includes giant mecha. All 3 factions have their own customizable units to use against each other. All 3 of them have giant mechs ready to turn entire armies into charred husks. The game puts less emphasis on resource gathering to boot, as it wants players to get into the action. Overall, Supreme Commander 2 is a great strategy game that has a lot of mecha vs. mecha action. The fact that it puts less emphasis on resource gathering and more on fighting against enemies can be a bit jarring. Especially to RTS fans that are more familiar with games like Starcraft 2. However, this unique take on the genre is a pretty cool way to enter into the genre itself before players go to those games. Also, the graphics aren’t that bad for a game released on 2010, so there’s that.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3
Next on this list is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3, a love letter to the Gundam franchise. Why? Because it combines the sheer insanity and chaos of Dynasty Warriors, with the giant mecha and story of Gundam. In addition to all this, the game also has a pretty big roster of not only Gundams but other iconic Mobile Suits during its release. They range from Amuro Ray, all the way to Setsuna F. Seiei, and all of them have their iconic Mobile Suits as well. Gameplay is standard Dynasty Warriors fare, with Mobile Suits as the fodder and Gundams as heroes. Each Gundam/Custom Suit has its own unique abilities and skills that players can use to destroy their enemies. Honestly, the gameplay should’ve been stale already, but there’s something cathartic about mowing down enemy mooks and conquering territory. Sadly though, Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 can no longer be played on current Gen consoles. However, for the people who really want to go play the game, emulation is the key.
Super Robot Wars 30
Next on this list is Super Robot Wars 30, a game that is more or less a love letter to all mecha anime everywhere. Well, it’s also a tactical JRPG created by B.B. Studio and released by Bandai Namco. Given the name, it’s pretty obvious that it’ll have a lot of references to various mecha anime. A few examples would be Mazinger, various Gundam series, Magic Knight Rayearth, Code Geass, Getter Robo, and GUNxSWORD. There’s a lot of appreciation for the series added into Super Robot Wars 30, and other games in this series. After all, Super Robot Wars was created to be a love letter to mechas in general, so having this many references to various mecha series is a given. The fact that the story is cheesy enough to work in addition to all this just adds to this game’s charm. All told, this game’s one of the best love letters to mecha games everywhere, and it’s available on PC. If you haven’t got Super Robot Wars 30 on your Steam Library yet, you’re seriously missing out.
MechWarrior 5
Next on this list is MechWarrior 5 from the MechWarrior series, of which there are 8 games, and an Online multiplayer game. All of the games in this series are pretty awesome, but MechWarrior 5 is the most recent game on this list. The main draw of MechWarrior has always been the giant robots, and that hasn’t changed much in MechWarrior 5. Each level has a multitude of enemy robots to destroy, and there’s a bit of customization with the 50 mech chassis and a multitude of equipment to add in. There’s even a way to salvage equipment from destroyed enemy mechs too, which adds to the game’s coolness. When not fighting other mechs on the battlefield, the player will go act as the leader of their Mercenary Company. This means hiring people to pilot your mechs, buying equipment and new mechs, managing relationships with some of the game’s factions, and taking contracts. The world of MechWarrior is a world of constant war and strife, and your Mercenary Company’s going to be in the thick of it. Each action and contract the player takes can and will have consequences that will affect the state of the world in the future. Overall, MechWarrior 5 is a great mecha game to play. It has its flaws, like some clunky combat, but overall, the game’s pretty good and handles itself well.
Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut
Next on this list is Strike Suit Zero” Director’s Cut, created and released by Born Ready Games back in 2014. The original game was released in 2013 though, but the Director’s Cut is recommended due to additional DLCs and being better than the base game. Strike Suit Zero’s gameplay is basically space combat with space fighters that as the ability to transform into mecha that can kick ass. The transition from space fighter dogfights to shooting enemy Starfighters with various homing missiles is also pretty seamless, and very fun. The gameplay reflects this pretty well, and the tagline about Space Combat being reborn isn’t an idle boast. In terms of story, it’s pretty standard: You’re a pilot of a Strike Suit, and your mission is to save Earth from a massive alien invasion. Every time you go out to space, you’re always going to be in the thick of the fighting, destroying enemy fighters, and even large spaceships. It’s pretty cool to shoot a ton of missiles at enemy fighters after locking on to them, then aiming a railgun at enemy carriers. Last but not least, the game looks very cinematic, and the graphics are pretty great for a 2014 entry. All this and more makes Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut a great addition to anyone’s game list.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Last but not least is Horizon Zero Dawn, and before you snark, hear us out a bit. Your character tames, rides, fights, and destroys robot dinosaurs in the post-apocalyptic USA. The premise alone is incredibly awesome, and the robot dinosaurs make the game eligible for this list. Players play as Aloy, a young woman who goes through life in a post-apocalyptic world and hunts down robot dinosaurs. That’s literally the main gameplay of this game, and it’s pretty darn cool. In addition to this, there are also various tribes of other humans scattered throughout the world. Aloy then needs to strike alliances, defeat bandits, and in general, be the heroine the post-apocalyptic world needs her to be. If that requires her kicking ass when destroying giant mechanical dinosaurs, then that’s gonna be what she has to do. Gameplay-wise, it’s pretty obvious that Aloy wouldn’t be able to contend against mecha dinosaurs and multiple human enemies by herself. Thus, there’s a lot of emphasis on stealth, sneak attacks, attacking weak points, and traps in Horizon Zero Dawn. For example, there’s a weapon that shoots tripwires that deal elemental damage to both humans and dinosaur mecha enemies. When used correctly, they’re pretty deadly and can help in taking down even the hardiest of dino mecha. All in all, there’s really no question that Horizon Zero Dawn is a definite addition to any Steam library. It’s one of the best games that came out on the PS4.
What Makes A Good Mecha Game?
What makes a good mecha game? Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. A lot of games on this list cater to players that want to fight large groups of enemies with giant mecha. Specifically, the Armored Core, Daemon X Machina, Strike Suit Zero: Director’s Cut, and others. Meanwhile, other games have additional gameplay things before players can get into their giant robot of mass destruction, like Titanfall 2. Then there’s Horizon Zero Dawn, which is hunting down and destroying giant mecha dinosaurs, which is its own thing. If there’s anything you need to take away from this, it’s that there are many kinds of mecha games out there. There’s no reason to limit yourself to just one of the games here. Go for anything that strikes your interest in the mecha genre.
