MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (2021)

Developer: Piranha Games Inc.
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Action, Simulation
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 15,505 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 32 hours
Where to get it: Steam

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The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Piloting a lumbering war machine through intense, tactical firefights while managing finances and salvage feels like a gritty, methodical power fantasy with moments of tense destruction.

methodicaldestructivetacticalimmersivecustomizablepunishingatmosphericmanagement-heavy

What players say

Players love the mercenary management and mech customization, but the base game is held back by brain-dead friendly and enemy AI, repetitive mission design, and a lack of polish that mods like Yet Another Mech Lab fix. Reviews split on whether the core combat is satisfying or a bland slog, and many warn the game feels incomplete without its DLC.

Screenshots

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.