An incredibly popular (and free) multiplayer game is about to drop on Steam, and I’m damn excited for it

You may not know it, but a huge game is about to drop on Steam. A game that, during its brief beta period earlier this year, utterly blew me away.

That game is Mecha Break, an online multiplayer experience that’s a real robot rumble. A mechanised masterclass of movement and high-intensity action. It’s free too, which counts for a lot these days. With all the fantastic games that have been released this year, and all the bangers yet to come out, this has been among my most anticipated.

And that’s wild because I’m not seeing a lot of discussion about it on socials, in forums, or… anywhere, really. Mecha Break had a trailer at Summer Game Fest, there have been developer streams where fascinating new stages and mecha have been revealed, and it’s been largely crickets. This has left me feeling a little worried about my own tastes, yes, I’ll admit that. I’ve backed some games thinking they were underdogs only to see them peter out (rest in piece Deathverse: Let it Die).

But why is this game so popular, even if the tumbleweeds blowing across your social feeds may suggest otherwise? Let’s break it down. Mecha Break is a no-holds-barred competitive game split into two parts: a traditional multiplayer game where two teams clash over various objectives, and a giant battle royale. Each element has its own unique quirks that help set the title apart from Mecha Break’s competitors, but all are built upon a firm foundation of varied and exhilarating mecha.

Any of you Gundam or Evangelion sickos out there will appreciate the design and implementation of these bots. The mecha fill the role heroes would in, say, Marvel Rivals, each coming with unique weapons and abilities that build a strong sense of identity. There’s the Welken, an axe-wielding brawler able to lock down enemies and tear them asunder. Or the Falcon, able to morph into a jet and soar through the skies, raining down ballistic fire on those below. A style of mecha for every player.

Regular PvP matches are fast-paced affairs, where dogfights rage above, players shoot and slice at each other, and Tricera players hunker down in a spot and refuse to move no matter what happens. It doesn’t drag, it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Discovering how each mecha is best used in this crucible, how they fare against each other in combat, is something I still think about often.

The battle royale – or mashmak – offers something altogether different. Instead of a set loadout, you drop in with a selection of auxiliary weapons. You then scour the map with two others, hunting for loot. Laying siege to NPC bases, tackling a raid boss, or sneaking up on other players is a lengthy process, but an enjoyable one. This loot can include some cool little cosmetics too, like paint colours for your mecha. Who doesn’t love that?

I think the reason I have such a fond spot for Mecha Break is that it doesn’t remind me of the typical live service slurry I have found myself tired of. After playing it for a while earlier this year, I was brought back to a Japanese arcade I had the pleasure of popping into some years ago.

There, I spent a good chunk of time playing Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Mecha Break shares more DNA with these incredibly popular arcade Gundam games than the typical live service game you see these days. I, as you likely did, heard “free to play online multiplayer game” and immediately lost interest. I get it! I’m right there with you. Really, I am.

But I do believe that Mecha Break does offer something new and exciting here. Sure, it’s not perfect: I think some of the mecha take a bit too long to grind out, and the game is potentially positioned for some less-than-impressive microtransaction buffoonery. I can only be hopeful that this isn’t the case. But I think a lot of people share my excitement: Mecha Break did manage to blast past 300,000 concurrent players during its playtest, after all. No mean feat in a world of Concords and Babylon’s Falls.

So, if you saw the trailer for Mecha Break during Summer Game Fest and went “eh, whatever”, I challenge you to give it a shot next month. There’s something special there – a fundamental understanding of what makes both multiplayer games and mecha action games great. And there really aren’t many of those around, at all.