Imagine taking Command and Conquer, giving it an autobattler makeover, and dropping in armies of futuristic mechs. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Luckily, this isn’t just a strategy game fever dream, it’s the experience you’ll find in Mechabellum. Fresh off of dropping its sizable Season 3 update, it’s now opening its doors to everybody with a free-to-play weekend on Steam.
Despite already launching as an indie project, delivering two seasons of content, and accruing an impressive 88% approval rating on Steam, Mechabellum was recently snapped up by Dreamhaven, the publisher formed by former Blizzard stalwart Mike Morhaime. That strong start to life, and the backing of Dreamhaven, means that things are looking really promising for the autobattler going forward.
Mechabellum has always impressed with not just the scale of its turn-based battles, but the wide variety of units and specialists at your disposal. These skirmishes also look glorious, exciting, and chaotic – to some, watching back replays may be just as fun as participating in them. It’s got several different single-player and multiplayer modes too, including 1v1, 2v2, or four-player free-for-alls. Thanks to this combination of incredible action and amount of content on offer, Mechabellum has a strong community of returning players, so matchmaking won’t be quite as challenging as it often can be in double-A or indie multiplayer games.
Just this week, it launched Season 3, which added two more new units to the game and made plenty of balance changes too. With more content than ever, Mechabellum is now hosting a free-to-play weekend that lets everyone hop in and give it a try.
The free weekend for Mechabellum is live right now and will run until Tuesday, April 8. If you get hooked on it and want to buy the game outright, it’s currently on sale until April 8, so it’ll only set you back $11.99 / £10.23. To grab it for free this weekend, or permanently add it to your Steam library, head here.
If after giving it a spin you feel like it’s not quite your thing, head to our list of the best mech games for some different takes on robot battles. Our best turn-based strategy games guide is also home to a wide range of tactical experiences that might be up your street.
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