# MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
**MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries** is an open-world BattleMech simulation developed by Piranha Games Inc. and released in December 2019, in which the player builds and runs a mercenary company of four-pilot lances across the [Inner Sphere](https://www.edgepedia.org/inner-sphere) of the [BattleTech](https://www.edgepedia.org/battletech) universe.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) The career spans the in-game years 3015 through the Clan Invasion, with downloadable content (DLC) expansions pushing the timeline into the early 3050s.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) It supports single-player and up to 4-player online co-op.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / release | Piranha Games Inc., December 2019, with ongoing DLC support[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) |
| Setting | Open-world mercenary career from 3015 through the Clan Invasion era; DLC extends into the early 3050s[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) |
| Gameplay loop | Travel to conflict zones, take contracts, fight, salvage, rearm and repair, and grow the company's reputation with the Inner Sphere's Great Houses[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) • [2](https://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) |
| Lance and co-op | Up to four mechs per mission, piloted by AI recruits or human players in 4-player co-op[3](https://www.gamespew.com/2019/12/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) |
| Platform history | Epic Games Store exclusive at launch; Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, and Xbox consoles followed in Spring 2021[4](https://mw5mercs.com/news/2020/11/48-special-announcement) |
| DLC | Nine expansions listed on the official site, from Heroes of the Inner Sphere to Ashes & Ascension (October 6, 2026)[5](https://mw5mercs.com/) |
| Reception | Metacritic critic scores of 81 (IGN) and 80 (PC Gamer)[6](https://www.metacritic.com/game/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) |
## Gameplay and structure
The game centers on running a mercenary company. The player starts with worn-out hand-me-down 'Mechs, takes contracts for pay in C-Bills, upgrades equipment, and builds reputation with the Great Houses.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) PC Gamer describes the campaign map as a vehicle for a tight loop: travel to a new conflict zone, pick a mission, ruin your mechs in combat, accept sidequests, visit industrial worlds to rearm and repair, then head out again.[2](https://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/)
**Lance command.** A mission lance consists of the player's mech plus up to three others, controlled by AI pilots or by friends online.[2](https://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) • [3](https://www.gamespew.com/2019/12/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) Failing missions often can create cash flow problems, particularly after spending on new pilots.[3](https://www.gamespew.com/2019/12/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) The MechLab allows detailed customization of loadouts, armor, and equipment for every 'Mech, including trade-offs such as downgrading a weapon to free weight for extra ammunition.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) • [7](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xbox-series-x/306972-mechwarrior-5-mercenaries/faqs/82217/mech-customization)
The game handles more like a light simulation than a first- or third-person shooter, and reviewers identified the mech UI, enemy AI, and repetitive mission design as its main weaknesses.[8](https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2020/01/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/) Windows Central called the world repetitive and noted that balance and AI still needed tuning despite patches during its review period.[9](https://www.windowscentral.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review) [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer)'s review was harsher on the writing, stating it could not remember a professional game with worse writing, dialogue, and narrative design, and noted that melee combat prominent in the BattleTech tactics game is missing.[2](https://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/)
## Release history
A first playable demo was shown at MechCon in December 2017, when the game was scheduled for a late-2018 release.[10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8WoNTHMoLc) A release date trailer at MechCon 2018 set the launch for 2019.[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16FT94GTEzo)
**Epic exclusivity and the 2021 relaunch.** The game launched in December 2019 on the [Epic Games Store](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-games-store). In November 2020, Piranha Games announced that the [Cyberpunk 2077](https://www.edgepedia.org/cyberpunk-2077) delay to December 10, 2020 had led it to reconsider its own schedule: the Heroes of the Inner Sphere DLC and the Steam and GOG launch moved to Spring 2021, and the game would also come to Xbox Series X|S and [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one). The studio said this would be the first MechWarrior title on a console since 2004's MechAssault 2, and used the delay to improve AI, UI, art, customization, and content.[4](https://mw5mercs.com/news/2020/11/48-special-announcement)
## Downloadable content
The official site lists nine DLC packs: Heroes of the Inner Sphere, Legend of the Kestrel Lancers, Call to Arms, Rise of Rasalhague, The Dragon's Gambit, Solaris Showdown, Shadow of Kerensky, Chaos Reign, and Ashes & Ascension.[5](https://mw5mercs.com/) The BattleTech publisher's page describes seven major DLC expansions and counts the releases as Heroes of the Inner Sphere (which introduces Career Mode, a sandbox experience separate from the story campaign), Legend of the Kestrel Lancers (the War of 3039), Rise of Rasalhague (the 3030s), [Call to Arms](https://www.edgepedia.org/call-to-arms) and The Dragon's Gambit ($9.99 each), Shadow of Kerensky ($19.99, September 2025), and Chaos Reign ($19.99, May 26, 2026).[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/)
Shadow of Kerensky brings the Clan Invasion to the mercenary's perspective, adding 16 Clan 'Mechs, a 12-mission campaign, and 17 new biomes; the publisher's page calls it the fastest-selling Mercenaries DLC.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) Chaos Reign is set three years after Tukayyid in the post-Tukayyid 3053 era, continuing directly from Shadow of Kerensky, with Commander Jake Mason hunting a cache of Clan intelligence.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/) Its release was moved to May 26, 2026 at 11 AM Pacific Time to meet the studio's quality bar across all platforms.[12](https://steamcommunity.com/app/784080/allnews/) Ashes and Ascension became available on October 6, 2026.[5](https://mw5mercs.com/)
## Modding
Piranha Games distributes a Mod Editor through the Epic Games Store, available to accounts that own the game; version 2 added official support for cooking and packaging mods and an in-game interface for viewing and toggling installed mods.[13](https://static.mw5mercs.com/docs/MW5Mercs_Mod_Editor_Guide_%28v2%29.pdf) The publisher's page reports full mod support via the Steam Workshop with thousands of community-made mods.[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/)
## Relation to MechWarrior 5: Clans
[MechWarrior 5: Clans](https://www.edgepedia.org/mechwarrior-5-clans) is a separate standalone game, not a DLC, released October 3, 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.[14](https://storage.mfn.se/0166f063-0fbc-48dc-8259-3aa5c0ffa7f2/mechwarrior-5-clans-will-release-october-3-across-pc-and-console.pdf) It is a narrative, mostly linear campaign from the perspective of Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Clan Invasion, built on [Unreal Engine 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-5), while Mercenaries is the open-world sandbox built on [Unreal Engine 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-4).[1](https://battletech.com/video-games/)
## Studio context
Piranha Games' parent company, Enad Global 7, laid off 38 Piranha employees in January 2025, a few months after the Clans release, saying the game had failed to meet sales targets despite critical scores.[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/mechwarrior-studio-piranha-games-lays-off-30-percent-of-its-employees/) A second round followed in 2026, when CEO Russ Bullock confirmed that roughly 30% of staff, 17 employees, were let go, while stating that the Mercenaries DLC announced in March was still slated for launch in May.[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/mechwarrior-studio-piranha-games-lays-off-30-percent-of-its-employees/) DLC support for Mercenaries has continued, with Ashes and Ascension released in October 2026.[5](https://mw5mercs.com/)
## References
1. [Video Games – BATTLETECH, Catalyst Game Labs](https://battletech.com/video-games/)
2. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/)
3. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Review, GameSpew](https://www.gamespew.com/2019/12/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/)
4. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Special Announcement, Piranha Games](https://mw5mercs.com/news/2020/11/48-special-announcement)
5. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, official site](https://mw5mercs.com/)
6. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
7. [Mech Customization guide, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xbox-series-x/306972-mechwarrior-5-mercenaries/faqs/82217/mech-customization)
8. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries Review, Capsule Computers](https://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/2020/01/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review/)
9. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries PC review, Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/mechwarrior-5-mercenaries-review)
10. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – 10 Minutes of NEW GAMEPLAY, Polygon (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8WoNTHMoLc)
11. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Official Release Date Trailer, GameSpot Trailers (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16FT94GTEzo)
12. [MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Latest News, Steam Community](https://steamcommunity.com/app/784080/allnews/)
13. [Mod Editor Guide (v2), Piranha Games](https://static.mw5mercs.com/docs/MW5Mercs_Mod_Editor_Guide_%28v2%29.pdf)
14. [Press release: MechWarrior 5: Clans will release October 3rd across PC and console](https://storage.mfn.se/0166f063-0fbc-48dc-8259-3aa5c0ffa7f2/mechwarrior-5-clans-will-release-october-3-across-pc-and-console.pdf)
15. [MechWarrior studio Piranha Games lays off 30% of its employees, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/mechwarrior-studio-piranha-games-lays-off-30-percent-of-its-employees/)
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*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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