Free online mech shooter

MechWarrior Online is an online shooter fought between players piloting humanoid tanks. Battle other players using a wide range of weapons and upgrades in this free-to-play fast paced game.

Futuristic warfare

The world of the 31st century is dominated by huge tank-link units known as BattleMechs. Players take control of a basic unit and earn upgrades through combat and faction-related tasks. MechWarrior Online is a fast and furious style shooter and initially is lots of fun. The mechs handle well, shooting is solid and devastating and the graphical style is decent. As a free-to-play game, however, the main issues become apparent. Upgrades are mostly hidden behind a paywall which require a large amount of real currency to unlock. Becoming competitive against the more seasoned online players quickly becomes unrealistic unless huge amounts are sunk into the game. While this is the case with most free games, MechWarrior Online takes the whole system to an unrealistic level.

Pay to win

While the core gameplay mechanics of MechWarrior Online are fun and engaging, the game quickly becomes frustrating. As the player base is fairly small, matchmaking well pit you against players with much better mechs without a hope of winning. Fans of mechs and futuristic shooters may stick with the grind but most will probably give up after a few hours of play.