WARDOGS
WARDOGS
Game
Game2024
MechWarrior 5: Clans
Developer Piranha Games Inc.
MechWarrior 5: Clans is a mecha video game, developed by Piranha Games and published by Enad Global 7, released worldwide on October 16, 2024. The game tells the in-universe story of OPERATION Revival from the perspective of five newly-minted MechWarriors from Clan Smoke Jaguar. It is the first BattleTech/MechWarrior game told from the perspective of the Clans since MechWarrior 2 (released in 1995). From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
493 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
61
Fresh
182 positive · 115 negative
95% range 56–67%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 182 | 115 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 45 | 9 | 105 |
| Mastodon * | 5 | 2 | 15 |
| Lemmy * | 2 | 0 | 13 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
3,658 of 4,918 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
61% recommend · 159 yes, 103 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 262 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (4,401 of 5,930 positive).
Some reviewers note significant balance issues, frustrating difficulty, and poor AI teammates. [1][2][3][4] A few players feel the game lacks depth compared to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries and has a dumbed-down mechlab. [5][6][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [19]
I really wish this game were better... I'm surprised that I'm finding myself leaving this review, as I've been a MechWarrior fan for 30 years or so, and in theory I should love this game. In fact, there's a fair amount that's done well. The problem is that taken as a complete product I kinda regret buying it and can't recommend that others do so at this time. First, the good: -The mechs are cool, as they've been …
- [14]
First of all, I love Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries. Despite its flaws, it's an excellent game with a satisfying game loop and complementary systems that help to make it a satisfying experience and one I've actually willingly restarted to try a new game more than once. I was hoping for more of the same from Mechwarrior 5: Clans. Unfortunately, MW 5: Clans takes the things that make MW5: Mercenaries good and gets rid of …
- [1]
Okay, So I wanted to hate this game because of how bad my initial run went but I'm gonna be fair and recommend it because I ended up having a good time in the long run. TL;DR Good story aspects, BAD mechwarrior/Battletech game. This game is a linear shooter wearing the skin of Battletech. that being said.... holy ♥♥♥♥♥ this game has some issues in balance, like SERIOUS balance issues. I came in fresh off a MW5 mercs …
- [9]
If you were a Battletech fan growing up this game is for you. Modernized controls and great story that plays out like you're reading a Stackpole novel. It's everything you'd want from a modern Mechwarrior game with clans as the focal point. I played co-op which made the experience all the better. The major downside is it's basically all linear storyline. After you've completed the arcs (Smoke Jaguar and Ghost Bear …
- [10]
This is probably the best mech game I've ever played. I was expecting the pretty graphics, the cutting-edge clan hardware (the IS can keep all their hodgepodge antique crap, I'm about those Timber Wolves, Dire Wolves and Stormcrows), the 80s-tastic sci-fi synth music, and tbf the game delivered this in droves. What I *wasn't* expecting was the standard of the story and writing in this. This is a (largely) …
Summarised from 34 of the 435 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked MechWarrior 5: Clans talk about great story and cinematics, especially for Battletech fans; those who didn't talk about linear missions with little replay value. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
As of November 2024, MechWarrior 5: Clans had "Generally Favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 493 · most liked firstThis franchise is a mess. MW5:Clans desperately wants to grow beyond its niche, but refuses to innovate or change a gameplay formula that was designed for the limitations of 90's technology. The end result is mostly uninspired mission design that throws endless waves of improperly scaled enemies at you. Additionally, the developers think that nice looking cutscenes are what they need to elevate MW5:Clans, but they fail to understand how to combine narrative and gameplay meaningfully. So we…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The narrative design is a victim of modern coroporate focus groups attempting to inject modern hero-shooter tropes into a franchise that rejects them. While battletech lore dictates that clan sibko cadets graduate into full warriors around 18-20 years old, the art direction fumbled the translation. Instead of looking and sounding like peak military recruits hardened by lethal training, they look like fortnite characters or characters from a pre-teen sci-fi drama. Players don't want a gritty…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Let's do another raffle for Mechwarrior 5 Clans, this time it's a Steam key for the base game thanks to the amazing folks at Piranha Games. To enter, just retweet this post and go follow the game on Steam store.steampowered.com/app/2000890/... ! The 10 winners will be announced tomorrow already!
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm struck by how something like Darktide or even Mechwarrior 5 - the latter a *hot* mess of a game with many problems - delivers on those moments of, 'LOL, get f***ed!' when you pull off a big move against a dangerous enemy that, for instance, Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 don't quite hit.
neutral · AI labelView post →Mechwarrior 5: Clans' Trials of War DLC is now free instead of paid DLC and part of the base game! mw5clans.com/news/2024/12...
neutral · AI labelView post →FROM VIDEO GAME TO 1:6 SCALE STATUE: Check out this sublime modeling and paintjob of Lilith Hall from Mechwarrior 5 Clans Ghost Bear Flash Storm by LaMazmorraStudio that I had commissioned. Soda can for scale. #battletech #mechwarrior
neutral · AI labelView post →I really wish this game were better... I'm surprised that I'm finding myself leaving this review, as I've been a MechWarrior fan for 30 years or so, and in theory I should love this game. In fact, there's a fair amount that's done well. The problem is that taken as a complete product I kinda regret buying it and can't recommend that others do so at this time. First, the good: -The mechs are cool, as they've been ever since they were redesigned for PGI's MechWarrior Online. -The environments…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →oh wow, Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries is getting a Mechwarrior 5 Succession Wars Edition that features the base game and the six DLCs that take place in the Succession war era!!! Grab it on Steam, Epic, GOG, Playstation, or Xbox! store.steampowered.com/bundle/58729...
neutral · AI labelView post →Omg check out the collaboration between Piranha Games and Catalyst Game Labs where Randall Bills wrote a tie-in story leading into Mechwarrior 5: Clans mw5clans.com/downloads/Ba...
neutral · AI labelView post →A quote attributed to Piranha Games during MWO development was "If you were fans of Mech Warrior 2, 3 and 4 you're not the target audience anymore." Regardless, when it comes to a single player game HOTAS, TRACKIR, and even VR isn't hard to program these days. Some how this game has LESS features then MWO had 14 years ago! It was a choice since Piranha took over to throw away the fan base. On top of that the UI is stuck I have to click three dozen times to get a menu to move, it's a modern…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finally grabbed Mechwarrior 5 and all the DLC and it is basically the Battletech game I imagined as a kid in ‘89.
positive · AI labelView post →With the Fire Moth now being in Mechwarrior 5: Clans, who will pick up the mantle of doing Fire Moth only speedruns of the game like people still do with Mechwarrior 2?
neutral · AI labelView post →Damn, I almost feel like someone died with the news of layoffs at PGI and #Mechwarrior 5: Clans not meeting sales expectations. It's so disappointing when an amazing game does not get rewarded due to market circumstances or branding or being too niche. MW5 Clans was truly terrific!
positive · AI labelView post →Slowly playing through #Mechwarrior 5: Clans while also reading the Blood of Kerensky trilogy is fucking rad as hell, honesty. MW5: Clans is the #Battletech game the franchise has deserved for a long, long time!
positive · AI labelView post →Unless you are a big fan of Battletech, I don't think this one is worth it. The story is fun to follow, but held back by the repetitive missions, mind-bogglingly stupid ai, and poor direction of the voice actors. The fact that you hear three different pronunciations of the word "Jaguar" from members of Clan Smoke Jaguar is pretty disappointing. Sometimes the same character will pronounce a word two different ways in the same briefing. Often their tone doesn't match the conversation, or changes…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Okay, So I wanted to hate this game because of how bad my initial run went but I'm gonna be fair and recommend it because I ended up having a good time in the long run. TL;DR Good story aspects, BAD mechwarrior/Battletech game. This game is a linear shooter wearing the skin of Battletech. that being said.... holy ♥♥♥♥♥ this game has some issues in balance, like SERIOUS balance issues. I came in fresh off a MW5 mercs playthrough and boy oh boy was that a HUGE mistake. Take all that MW5…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →GOD DAMN I LOVE MECHWARRIOR 5 CLANS SO DAMN MUCH - game looks incredible and the chaos of elementals flying around really adds to the experience 😍
positive · AI labelView post →As we are ½ year away from the release of Mechwarrior 5: Clans, my mind is on the memorable characters and their personalities that already makes me want to replay it just to see them again. That's the hallmark of a great narrative and a testament to Clans' achievement as a Mechwarrior game
positive · AI labelView post →Reminder: The Technical Readout that's part of Mechwarrior 5 Clans' Digital Deluxe edition contains these gorgeous animated stills of the base game mechs made by TMC www.youtube.com/@WatchTMC - mindblowingly cool stuff
neutral · AI labelView post →To celebrate the amazing news of a Ghost Bear campaign for #Mechwarrior 5 Clans, my broke ass is doing a raffle for one free Steam copy of the base game. To enter, retweet this & go wishlist the Ghost Bear DLC on Steam 👉 store.steampowered.com/app/3463200/... Winner announced in 48 hours #battletech
neutral · AI labelView post →Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is still such a gorgeous looking game; loving the moody, baleful lighting on this world. Happy to have reached a point in the mine and Kit's co-op campaign where Catapults have been turning up in the Mech Market. Always been one of my favourite BT 'mechs. 🔥
neutral · AI labelView post →Looking back on 2024, I’m so grateful that we got #Mechwarrior 5 Clans, possibly the best narrative experience in a #Battletech video game. Thanks to Piranha Games and everyone involved for the years / decade-plus of hard work and investments into making a dream come true
positive · AI labelView post →Feeling the need for a nice, cozy pre-bedtime video game. Time for Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries.
neutral · AI labelView post →The upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 in Mechwarrior 5 Clans was most definitely worth it and then some. Crazy graphics in a Mechwarrior game by far.
positive · AI labelView post →I'll keep it short and sweet - the gameplay loop is busted leading to boring, repetitive progression and a game that punishes deviation from what it asks of you. It has the looks and trappings of other mechwarrior games but very quickly walks back on a lot of what makes a mechwarrior game different from being just a shooter wearing a robot skin. You can level up your mechs and tell your pilots to specialize in a certain chassis ~BUT~ You start with the lightest mechs and unlock heavier mechs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mechwarrior 5 Clans with @unwisewoman.bsky.social is going well. But this camo pattern was too awesome and the game crashed.
positive · AI labelView post →Unless you have a squad of friends to play with, or you don't mind playing on the lowest difficulty, stay away. The friendly AI lance mates in this game are useless at the best of times, and at the worst, they are an absolute hindrance. A fact that wont become readily apparent until you are WELL past the 2 hour limit to refund it. If I could, I would. In a heartbeat. You are better off playing either Mercenaries, or Armored Core 6. THAT is the short version. The long version? Its a tragedy,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First of all, I love Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries. Despite its flaws, it's an excellent game with a satisfying game loop and complementary systems that help to make it a satisfying experience and one I've actually willingly restarted to try a new game more than once. I was hoping for more of the same from Mechwarrior 5: Clans. Unfortunately, MW 5: Clans takes the things that make MW5: Mercenaries good and gets rid of them and replaces them with a more linear, narrative driven experience that…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Amazing new blog post on the Elementals coming to Mechwarrior 5: Clans in the Ghost Bear Flash Storm DLC, featuring concept art, 3D assets, and in-game screenshots of how they're implemented: mw5clans.com/news/2025/04...
neutral · AI labelView post →I want to recommend this. The story is fun, and the clans are wonderfully naieve. Ive played a lot of MW5: Mercs, and I have to say a lot of the features provided by mods (which are utterly essential for Mercs) are implemented here in a plausibly deniable way, which improves the game dramatically. Scanning is an inventive mechanic, and they thankfully make use of features sadly neglected in Mercs (like repair bays). However... Firstly missions are utterly linear, you are told where to walk,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The vibes in Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries *really* set the tone that I've come to associate with 3025 era Battletech. I even loved the ambient sounds in dropships, Betty, and button clicking that I made a menu mod for Mechwarrior 5 Mercenaries to give the game the real 'gritty' Succession War era
neutral · AI labelView post →Looking up mech stuff, I noticed there's ANOTHER Mechwarrior 5 Mercs expansion out next month. That game is SERIOUSLY beefy now.
neutral · AI labelView post →I made a mod that enables music for in-game cutscenes in MechWarrior 5: Clans. I felt the default music-less in-game cutscenes made important moments appear flat and low-budget, especially compared to the well-produced pre-rendered cinematics. Here's an example of my mod
neutral · AI labelView post →This game would be good, if it weren't for some glaring issues: 1. Mission design. Most missions are a straightforward battle of attrition, where losing the wrong mech part in the first few minutes can make the too-predictable final wave battle impossible. 2. Allies. Are these guys even mechwarriors? Unless they're standing perfectly still with a clear shot, they hardly do anything. 3. Game story. I actively want the protagonists to lose.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Also, while trying to stay upright at my desk, started Mechwarrior 5 again. Good game, but I got locked into a mission in an UrbanMech. Made this to cope.
neutral · AI labelView post →Almost the opposite of Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries, you have a horse-blinder narrow game. Almost completely linear, with plot issues and canon errors that go from minor to egregious. The cutscenes are okay at some points, and atrocious at others. It has serious issues with errors, which will often crash the game. I love Mechwarrior, and I cannot in any frame of intent recommend this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries - Chaos Reign is now officially out on your favorite game platform of choice!! mw5mercs.com/news/2026/05...
neutral · AI labelView post →PSA: MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries & Clans are on a massive sale at the moment on Steam 50% off Clans - Base Game 50% off Ghost Bear Flash Storm 30% off Wolves of Tukayyid 75% off Mercs - Base game 60% off Select DLC 40% off Shadow of Kerensky Franchise bundle: store.steampowered.com/bundle/75339...
neutral · AI labelView post →Story and missions are great. The problem is the UE4 Fatal Error crash that occurs at random intervals. Sometimes its 5 minutes, or an hour. I have tried changing multiple settings and nothing works. This is the only game I have this issue with. All my other games don't crash ever. I can't recommend this game to anyone until this issue is fixed.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even though Mechwarrior 5 Mercs is over 5 years old by now, the game still looks so great and atmospheric. Granted, this is with @lt-47.bsky.social's Ultra Visuals lighting mod, but the assets and rendering and environmental detail really look amazingly high quality up close still.
positive · AI labelView post →This is an excellent post that echoes what other game devs I know have told me. It also left me wondering if this enshittification is one of the reasons Mechwarrior 5: Clans wasn’t able to reach beyond its core audiences. It certainly hasn’t helped its otherwise positive word of mouth and reception
neutral · AI labelView post →In short: This game is fantastic now. On launch it was content-light and buggy, now it is MUCH better in every respect. I recommend it. If MW5: Mercenaries didn't exist as a comparison (which remains the better game in many ways), Clans would have had a much better reception. :: In Long :: So I hesitated buying this game for years, due to poor reception and some slightly odd marketing decisions. While I am glad I waited to buy at a lower price, the game itself is honestly MUCH better than I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Want to recommend this game but very unstable with game braking stutters and fatal errors.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I heard a lot of mixed things when this came out, as a huge battletech fan I was disappointed to hear bad news but eventually picked this game up on sale and while I'm enjoying it somewhat, the cut-scenes are nice and the battelgrid is a solid addition overall I agree with many of the negative sentiments I read. Namely the gameplay is very poorly tuned, Normal difficulty is a grueling slog, most of the missions I've played so far well into the Turtle Bay arc I have finished with a single…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good afternoon lovelies. Who's a gamer? And what's your current game? For me it's Mechwarrior 5 at the moment. #ootd #goth #alt #transfem #gamer
neutral · AI labelView post →The thing rumored for years now, the mysterious and elusive Clans DLC for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is actually real. I thought it was spun into it's own game as in MW: Clans, but nopes. It is actually real :D Go and wishlist it. The more wishlists it gets, the more visibility it gets in upcomings
neutral · AI labelView post →Flying Summoner in Mechwarrior 5 Clans (I love the smoke and jumpjet effects in the new game)
positive · AI labelView post →MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries has an ingenious late game balancing mechanism where me and the boys make up extremely stupid Assault loadouts, get them badly damaged, and rack up millions in repair bills.
positive · AI labelView post →I never expected this level of fidelity for a Mechwarrior game, incredibly looking (if not revolutionary) cutscenes in Mechwarrior 5: Clans
positive · AI labelView post →It's really hard to recommend or outright warn people off from this game. It does a LOT right compared to MW5M, but it also screws up in several ways that is critical for linear gameplay. Pros: - Combat is reasonably tough and it feels better more reasonably polished compared to prior titles. - More options to rearm and repair armor/hack turrets/etc does add a tactical component to longer missions/horde modes. Mehs: - Mech customization options feel better, even being able to modify the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's OK I spose, fairly faithful to the TTRPG, but I found the characters annoying and the story weak. I played a bit, but it seems that there's only a few good mechs and builds in the game i.e. laser vomit, your star mates AI is woeful and there doesn't seem to be a good way to fix it without micro-managing them all. Maybe if you have 4 mates who'll play it with you it's worth it but I'm going back to Battletech.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's fun. No complaints. I'm 59 yrs old, I remember playing games on a Atari 2600. Its a good game,
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a great companion to MW5 Mercs, and the presentation of the story in a more ‘wing commander’ style is a fun change of pace. The graphics are a step up from Mercs, the general combat is a good time, Pirhana has done well with these mechanics for years. Does this have the depth and long term appeal of Mercs…no. But it is a fun BT Clan Mech experience, and this is coming from a fan of the BT since the 80’s. The ghost bear dlc was a good time and I won’t hesitate to grab Wolves…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →New Xbox Game Pass Games 8.5 - Rain World 8.7 - Assassin’s Creed Mirage 8.12 - Aliens: Fireteam Elite 8.14 - 9 Kings Standard 8.6 - Citizen Sleeper 2 - MechWarrior 5: Clans - Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders - Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap news.xbox.com/en-us/2025/0...
neutral · AI labelView post →I see a lot of people complaining about the difficulty here and it ... is sad to see. Are people not interested in engaging with gameplay mechanics anymore? Trying to figure out how to overcome a challenge? Everything where they lose once seems to be deemed "impossible". And every time I try these supposedly hard games I am just left wondering what everybody complains about so much. True: Mechwarrior 5 Clans is - on normal difficulty - not an easy game. But it is far away from being too hard.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Feels like a mobile game. Very surface level everything. Customization feels meaningless. Weapon types and uses aren't explained, just represented by unexplained acronyms. Game play is so boring. I would return this turd, but I walked away from my computer while in pause like an idiot.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love Mech Warrior games, but this one... it's just so on rails and restrictive in game play that I don't have any fun playing it. See a repair or resource on the map... sorry you can navigate to that yet because you will be out of bounds and we will fail the mission. Push forward in missions, sweeping everything in sight? Oh we ran out of map so now we will spawn the enemies out of bounds and tether you so a small corner that you can't evade in all while the enemy has free reign to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →they made this game for console gamers that dont give a crap about battletech. TTB OGs and PC gamers need not bother with it. i was disappointed in the linear gameplay and contrived pilot development that did nothing to assuage that our pilots are completely unlikeable with their bad story, bad dialog, bad voice acting, and poorly animated cut scenes. it's like they didnt even bother asking the original writers of the Clan novels what they thought about any of it. it would be playable…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries - Shadow of Kerensky - DLC launch trailer. > > > Shadow of Kerensky Available September 3rd > [https://mw5mercs.com/dlc/shadow-of-kerensky](https://mw5mercs.com/dlc/shadow-of-kerensky) > > > > MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Shadow of Kerensky > The year is 3050, and the Inner Sphere is under siege. The Clans have returned. > Take command of your battle-hardened Mercenary Company as you're hired by the Rasalhague Republic to hold the line against an overwhelming…
neutral · AI labelView post →🤖🤖🤖 🔴LIVE🔴 🤖🤖🤖 Practicing MechWarrior5: Mercenaries with @oozeyoozebourne.bsky.social today! Still Super Early Game, very baby lance. ▶️ www.twitch.tv/pankraru ◀️ #vtuber #mw5 #mechwarrior5 #mechwarrior #mercinaries #giantrobots
neutral · AI labelView post →
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