Everywhere you look at the moment there seems to be new mech games popping up, but many of them are fresh faces and relative unknowns. Few can boast the same level of experience and prestige as a series like MechWarrior, and the latest edition of the series, MechWarrior 5 Clans, is arriving in just a few days time. While that’s exciting news in of itself, what if I told you that millions of you will be able to play it at no extra cost when it drops? Well, I’m about to, so strap yourself in.
MechWarrior 5 Clans is the next entry in the historic series, which has been pushing out excellent robot games for the best part of 30 years. Rather than being a frantic, dynamic multiplayer PvP experience with mechs zipping around at the speed of sound, MechWarrior 5 Clans instead delivers a strategic, narrative-driven campaign that you can either play solo or with up to four other friends. Our very own Ed previewed it at GDC earlier this year and uncovered a game with a lore-heavy but accessible story and weighty, satisfying mech combat.
Now it’s been revealed that MechWarrior 5 Clans will be joining the Xbox and PC Game Pass library on day one when it launches on Wednesday October 16 at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET or October 17 at 1am BST/ 2am CEST. That means that the swathes of you out there with a subscription can play it at no extra cost.
Clans joins its 2019 predecessor, MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries, on the service, so you can also go and give that a spin while you wait for the new game to arrive.
While developer and self-publisher Piranha Games hopes that Clans will be the perfect onboarding point for newcomers to the MechWarrior series, it also gives veteran fans something they’ve been waiting a long time for as it revisits the Clan Invasion story that hasn’t been riffed on since 1995’s MechWarrior 2. There’s no doubt that existing franchise fans will flock to MechWarrior 5 Clans, but by putting it on Game Pass, it’s now got an even better chance to achieve the goal of getting some new fans too.
Be sure to check out some of the subscription service’s other top titles in our list of the best Game Pass games. Alternatively, here are some other excellent co-op games you can play alongside your pals.
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