MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries review

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries takes the No. 1 spot because it gives the most MechWarrior for the money. Piranha Games sets it in 3015 during the Succession Wars: you inherit a broken mercenary company and rebuild it by taking contracts from the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere. The Steam page lists over 50 unique 'Mech chassis with hundreds of sub-variants, and you buy them on markets or salvage them from wrecked enemies. Up to four players can share the campaign or Instant Action missions in PvE co-op, and the Steam Workshop is supported for mods. The base game costs $29.99 on Steam, and 85% of 11,278 English reviews are positive, the best score among the MechWarrior-branded games here. Expansions such as Heroes of the Inner Sphere and Shadow of Kerensky cost extra. Hardware is the main hurdle: the minimum spec is 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 770 class GPU and 80 GB of free space, and it runs on Windows only.

Who it is for

most MechWarrior fans, and anyone who buys only one

Price

$29.99 one-time on Steam for the base game; expansions sold separately.

Fight alongside your friends with a four-player PvE co-op. $29.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Over 50 unique 'Mech chassis and hundreds of sub-variants, per the Steam page
• Four-player PvE co-op in both the campaign and Instant Action
• Mercenary company management: hire MechWarriors, buy and salvage 'Mechs, negotiate contracts
• Instant Action mode for one-off missions outside the campaign
• Steam Workshop support for community mods

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: 85% of 11,278 English Steam reviews are positive
• Strength: $29.99 base price, the same as MechWarrior 5: Clans
• Strength: Single-player does not need an internet connection once the game is set up, per Steam
• Weakness: Minimum spec asks for 8 GB of RAM and 80 GB of storage
• Weakness: Windows only on Steam
• Weakness: Story expansions add $14.99 to $19.99 each on Steam

Key facts

• Developer: Piranha Games Inc.
• On Steam since: May 26, 2021
• English Steam reviews: 85% positive of 11,278
• Setting: Year 3015, Succession Wars
• Storage: 80 GB

Where it ranks

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is No. 1 in our Best MechWarrior Games verdict.