Mecha BREAK: Here’s how and why the Gundam-reminiscent sci-fi shooter is exploding in popularity 

Amazing Seasun Games’ Mecha BREAK has experienced a huge surge in popularity since running its two-stage Beta test on PC from August 2 to 13. The massively multiplayer action shooter, with its extensive mech and character customization options, has built up a strong playerbase ahead of its full release on PC, Xbox X|S and PS5. 

The first phase of the Beta, held from August 2 to 8, was open to selected applicants, including previous testers, influencers, hardcore community members as well as those who got lucky on Twitch Drops and applications through the official site. The second phase, held from August 10 to 13, was more accessible- open to PC players through Steam Playtest. 

Mecha BREAK’s beta test has been full of active players every day, with nearly 10,000 concurrent players at the peak of the first stage of the test alone. When the more accessible second phase of testing began on August 10, the concurrent player count soon shot up to 57,000. The game’s popularity has also been helped by Twitch, allowing those without access to the Beta to see what all the fuss was about. Mecha BREAK’s Twitch viewer numbers hit an all-time high on August 5, with 47,277 people watching. Steam hub followers have also shot up since the beta test began on August 2, going from 41, 000 to just over 75,000 as of August 13 (source: SteamDB). In an X post following the Beta test’s conclusion, the official Mecha BREAK account revealed that the game has now been Wishlisted over 1 million times on Steam and has over 2.7 million subscribers worldwide. 

So, what is Mecha BREAK’s draw? The game is being praised on social media worldwide for its speedy responsive gameplay, varied playstyles, high level of customization and overall quality. With its focus on team battles, each mech has its own strengths and role to play on the battlefield- from attack-types to sniper-based units and more. Players can pick the mech that most suits their playstyle and then kit it out with a wide range of elements, from different firearms and shields to purely aesthetic paint jobs, players can customize every inch of their mech. To many Beta testers’ surprise, the game also has a gorgeous character creator, which has prompted players to create beautiful pilots based on characters such as Final Fantasy VII’s Tifa Lockheart and Evangelion’s Asuka Langley. 

Not only that but veteran mech designers Junya Ishigaki and Takayuki Yanase have worked on Mecha BREAK’s designs, providing a another draw for mech fans (source: Forbes). Ishigaki’s vast resume includes various Gundam series and Xenogears/Xenosaga games. Yanase will be familiar for his Metal Gear Solid 4 and Mear Gear Rising Revengeance mech designs, as well as weapon and mech design work on Gundam and Ghost in the Shell, among other animes. 

Mecha BREAK’s Beta test has given players a good taste of Mecha BREAK’s customization and gameplay elements- allowing them to square off in 6v6 online battles. But that’s not all- Mecha BREAK has more promising-looking features for players to look forward to in the future. The full release is set to feature a 3v3 mode, as well as a battle royale mode that is impressive in scope, with 60 players battling it out across vast maps. 

Mecha BREAK is scheduled to be released on PC (Steam), Xbox series X|S and PS5. The release date for the full game has yet to be announced.