MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries

 PC
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. GamingTrend
    Dec 10, 2019
    85
    MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a return to form. As a fan of the series, it’s been a very long wait, but PGI managed to deliver in a big way on nearly every front. While there are certain things that could be improved, what’s here is an excellent four player mech-stomping good time.
  2. GameGrin
    Dec 10, 2019
    85
    MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a great introduction to the MechWarrior series and is primarily a PvE game. Players can expect to be rocking to an awesome soundtrack as they destroy their enemies on the battlefields.
  3. Gaming Age
    Dec 13, 2019
    83
    MechWarrior 5 is a symphony of stuff thrown at you all at once. You are a business running a mercenary outfit. Leading that outfit in every decision that must be made and going out on missions to help. At the same time digging for answers on who killed your Father, why, and most importantly, how to claim vengeance. While this isn’t the most original story, getting there get more and more fun the farther you get. If you have been itching for a new MechWarrior game, don’t pass this one by.
  5. Hooked Gamers
    Jan 17, 2020
    81
    MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a big, brash, bulky return to the spotlight for the mainline MechWarrior franchise that delivers on its promise of a more sim-like experience than many of its contemporaries. While it can be frustrating to get caught up in economic repair micromanagement, most of your enmity will be blown away when the robots start to rumble.
  6. IGN
    Dec 11, 2019
    81
    MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries checks most of the boxes I would have asked for out of a modern revival of the series.
  7. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    80
    An excellent mech simulation, sophisticated management and a return to the old days in a modern form. Only the graphics could be better. [Issue#301]
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  8. CD-Action
    Jan 15, 2020
    80
    Many of the game’s features are limping like a maimed BattleMech but it doesn’t let down in the most important aspect – the one Piranha Games apparently feels the best in – dynamic, satisfying ‘Mech combat. [02/2020, p.52]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Metro GameCentral
    Dec 11, 2019
    80
    A highly successful return for the long dormant sci-fi simulation series, and what it lacks in accessibility it makes up for in terms of satisfyingly tactical action.
  10. Gaming Nexus
    Dec 11, 2019
    80
    Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries brings back most of the combat and management the series is known for. Your mileage may vary on just how satisfying that is, but in objective terms there are a number of small issues—from AI to graphics—that add up and keep this game from its full potential.
  11. PC Gamer
    Dec 10, 2019
    80
    But MechWarrior 5 is a game that will get a pass on its narrative woes because, I must concede, the narrative is so thin the gameplay completely trumps it. MW5 is unmistakably a game about being a sandbox mech jockey, and the stories are just a low-quality veneer over some superb robot combat. If you're here for a mech smashing simulator, this is the best new mech smashing simulator around. Here's hoping for more and better from a MechWarrior 6.
  12. Attack of the Fanboy
    Dec 10, 2019
    80
    But I always returned, wanting and eager. Always under the prospect of "just one more mission." And then a mission after that, and a mission following that. Always "just one more." It's in this mantra that MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries excels. It's not the prettiest, most polished, or robust of games available, but - damn me - do I want to keep playing it.
  13. Destructoid
    Dec 10, 2019
    80
    It takes time to really get into MechWarrior 5.
  14. GameStar
    Dec 10, 2019
    77
    Mechwarrior 5 looks really good - but apart from the nice brute mech battles, it's just too bloodless.
  15. Impulsegamer
    Jan 6, 2020
    76
    The story is less important than stomping around in a giant ‘mech and that’s okay. It’s fun and engaging, though after awhile can get repetitive.
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In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Ars Technica
    Dec 10, 2019
    But there's enough solid stuff in how the game controls on a bulky home-joystick rig, plus how your campaign progress is rewarded with tons of mech-customization opportunities. Between that and the AI-squadmate stuff, MW5:M isn't a lost cause by any stretch. But it's firmly interested in appeasing a dedicated niche, not drawing in newbies. Which, based on my giddy HOTAS-fueled combat, is likely the point.
  2. Polygon
    Jan 16, 2020
    MechWarrior 5 is impressive when it’s able to work long enough to live up to its own potential. Until it’s patched enough for that to happen consistently, however, I’ll remain grateful for that forbidden restart button, and I refuse to feel bad for hitting it, no matter how many times it takes.
  3. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Dec 10, 2019
    If you’ve been waiting for a full-on simulation with all the bells and textbooks, and nothing less will satisfy you, Mechwarrior 5 isn’t going to cut it. For everyone else though, it’s bloody excellent.

Awards & Rankings

30
#30 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 292 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 106 out of 292
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 292
  3. Negative: 123 out of 292
  1. Haddadm
    Dec 14, 2019
    3
    I was hype and after liking MWO I was hoping for at least good mech game. if it had mods it would be great but there are so many problemsI was hype and after liking MWO I was hoping for at least good mech game. if it had mods it would be great but there are so many problems caused by non caring dev team.
    Only people who cared about the game were those who made the management and space map.
    Everybody else phoned it in: The missions are samey, the levels contain huge parts of copy pasted areas, massive glaring bugs like control remapping doesn't remap the keys, story not just being bad but actively hidnering your enjoyment of the game, mission scripting being absolutely terrible and only working if you rush into the objective otherwise you can softlock the game, AI being stupid and limited, enemy forces teleporting into 300m range of the objective(that means if you find good battlefield they can spawn literally 20m behind you and double aC20 your back).

    Not to mention GLARING lack of polish and poor performance.

    And worst of all it's casualized: theres no radar system, no optics, no way to command your lance, customization is simplified, biomes don't affect heat of your mech at all.

    Feels like early access made by an indie dev team.    … Full Review »
  2. Salamari
    Dec 11, 2019
    4
    I was so excited... Mechwarrior 4 is one of my all time favorite games, but after the intro missions and a few contracts I'm prettyI was so excited... Mechwarrior 4 is one of my all time favorite games, but after the intro missions and a few contracts I'm pretty disappointed. It seems the way the developer chose the make missions challenging is to spam smaller vehicles, while also giving them better range than your star league era battlemech built with lost tech... I keep getting shot by tanks I cant target or damage because of range, most of the time they are at double my tactical overlay's sphere. Just in case that wasn't bad enough enemies will randomly spawn all around you so you have no ability to tactically move a "front line" within a mission. Squad command is limited and they don't seem to listen to you very well either. It appears that the ratio of small vehicles to mechs is 30ish/1, so you get chewed up by tanks before you even see a mech. The mech AI... close to point blank and run in a circle around you. All of this makes the inability to save within a mission truly game breaking. If the mechwarrior franchise is ARMA this is CoD.

    Over all this is gonna need a lot of polish. It kinda feels like a beta, right down to a couple of ctd's.    … Full Review »
  3. Rellin
    Dec 12, 2019
    2
    Low budget garbage. Terrible textures. Atrocious story dialog/writing. Repetitive quests. PGI are absolute sleaze balls and should neverLow budget garbage. Terrible textures. Atrocious story dialog/writing. Repetitive quests. PGI are absolute sleaze balls and should never have been given the rights to this game. What a waste, what a shame.… Full Review »
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