For decades, fans of giant monster films have also enjoyed giant robots to face off against them. This would lead to many variations in the mecha genre and spawn vastly different opinions and variations across all manner of media. This would include live-action, Anime, Video Games, with many of the greatest titles inspiring Western animation as well.
When it comes to video games, a lot of developers took the direction of pitting mecha pilots against other mecha pilots and autonomous drones, rather than giant monsters. However, some games still keep kaiju elements in them to pay homage to the origin of the genre. This gives players many different options to explore to find the portrayal that works best for them. Regardless of what you're in the mood for, this list has a variety of mecha games that are sure to scratch that itch.
Updated by Chad Thesen on October 5th, 2023: This article has been completely rewritten to bring this article up to a higher level of quality. This is to ensure readers are presented with an up-to-date list of game titles for them to explore and discover on their journey through total mecha domination.
10 Super Robot Wars 30
This name does not mean it is the 30th game in the series, but rather that the franchise has been around for 30 years. Super Robot Wars 30 was the first Super Robot Wars released in Western regions, which delighted a lot of fans who had to get by with Japanese imports up until then.
This is a tactical RPG where you manage units on a large map to wipe out the opposing teams' units. There are a lot of players you will need to understand and keep in mind for each battle, and more complex details to master ranging from terrain effects and weapon properties, to support abilities and special attacks.
9 Into The Breach
Into The Breach is not a bad game; far from it. In fact, this game has received numerous accolades and praise from critics. It just doesn't feel like a “mech game” when compared to the others on this list. And although the aesthetics don't hit the usual mech standard, it is still an incredibly fun game.
Into The Breach involves mechs and giant monsters duking it out on a tactical turn-based grid. Each Mech has a unique ability, but so does each pilot. This game does still bring with it a lot of the planning elements seen in other mech games before launching missions, but it is still an enjoyable experience well worth your time.
8 Mechwarrior Online
Mechwarrior Online is not for the casual modern gaming audience; it truly wants to immerse players in what it actually feels like to pilot a tank with legs. Matches involve two teams of twelve, duking it out until there is only one team left standing.
The game is free to play, with some of the best parts in the game requiring real-world money to access. Despite the pay-to-win elements, the game is very fun and one of the best first-person mech piloting experiences around, despite being almost a decade old.
7 Titanfall 2
A lot of players were in utter awe and excitement when the first trailer for the first Titanfall game was revealed. The sequel, Titanfall 2, while maybe not as highly anticipated as its predecessor, has introduced many welcome improvements to the gameplay.
Improvements were made to both the single-player experience and the game’s core mechanics, making Titanfall 2 stand out as a true improvement over the already beloved first entry. In addition, the story is very engaging and enjoyable, and the level designs are masterfully done. It delves so much more into the lore of the world, which is something fans wanted to know more of from the previous game, and delivers a truly grand experience that any mech fan will love to bits.
6 Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. MaxiBoost ON
There are a lot of different games based on the Gundam franchise. Each is vastly different in gameplay and quality, and collectively, the series has seen all manner of genres explored using iconic mecha from the franchise's rich history.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. MaxiBoost ON is the final version of Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. Full Boost. It is an extremely fast-paced action game experience where you pilot a mech to accomplish various objectives across maps against your opponents. Players have a roster of 185 different mechs to choose from, each with their own pros and cons.
5 Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is set in the Battletech universe and brings a lot of the features from Battletech with it. This game features a large range of different mechs to go stomping into battle with, each of which can be fully customized to your liking.
This game gives its mechs some real weight behind them by having buildings crumble into debris as they simply walk through them like a tank driving through a wall. This game has a bulky feel to it which greatly helps with the immersion, as operating heavy machinery is not the most graceful of experiences.
4 Daemon X Machina
What pulls Daemon X Machina above all the rest thus far is how ‘anime’ it feels. The character designs, the mech designs, all of it just screams the same influence of the animes and mangas that turned players into mech fans in the first place.
Mechs can spin as they jump and unleash highly stylized animated explosions from a large range of different weapon types. This game is a truly delightful experience, but there is a downside: the pacing of the gameplay unfortunately gets old too fast, and it feels stale before the climactic end. The experience of playing the game is still very well worth it, even if the thrills are short lived.
3 Ranger X
Ranger X is a game from the Sega Genesis era of games. The players take control of a mech that usually also has some form of vehicle on the screen with it. Players are able to control the vehicle and the mech at the same time and even merge the two together into something even more powerful than the sum of its parts.
As players go through the levels, they will obtain powerful weapons and power-ups. This comes in many different forms such as shields, flamethrowers, energy blasts, a mechanical bird, and more. The first vehicle appears on the very first level and is a form of bike that lets players speed around while at a crouching height and then launch from it into the air, delivering nothing short of a unique mech-gaming experience.
2 Front Mission 1st: Remake
This is the first remake of 3 games in the franchise that was released in 2022. Front Mission is one of the most beloved mech games from the Super Famicom era of games. This remaster added completely new visuals, voice acting, quality-of-life upgrades, and many other features to bring it up to par with modern-age gaming standards.
The gameplay is similar to Super Robot Wars 30, where players will strategically place and maneuver mechs of various kinds on a grid map with the goal of wiping out the opposing forces. However, this game offers such satisfying clashing scenes, with the screen transitioning from the grid view into the face-off between the mechs.
1 Armored Core 6
The latest game released on this list is also the best of the bunch. Armored Core 6 comes to players from the same developers behind Elden Ring. While the gameplay is vastly different between the two FromSoft titles, all the experience and talent of the team truly shines through. This game has all the immersion from the Mechwarrior games but with the speed and action-style feel of Daemon X Machina.
As you progress through the game you can create increasingly more powerful mechs, and by replaying past missions you can even acquire unique pieces of gear. This means players can progress to become stronger and then return later to face off against an adversary they previously deemed too powerful before. And the satisfaction of squashing a challenging enemy due to all the hard work you put into developing your mech is nothing short of bliss.