Is there any fantasy more compelling than jumping into a giant robot and causing havoc? Properties like Transformers and Gundam prove that there’s just something undeniably awesome about giant mechs, and movies like Pacific Rim manage to inject some heart into the classic mecha tropes as well. If you’re looking to live out the mecha fantasy on PS4, you’ll be glad to know that there are plenty of games that allow you to do just that. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best PS4 mech games you can play right now.
Titanfall 2
Not enough people bought Respawn’s excellent Titanfall 2, but you can remedy that situation right now. Titanfall is a series that’s all about jumping into your giant robot to do some serious damage, but the on-the-ground shooting is surprisingly excellent here as well. This is thanks to a variety of parkour moves that let you explore the massive levels looking for secrets, and the gunplay is solid and responsive as well. Maybe if we all buy Titanfall 2 again, Respawn will make another one! We can hope.
Vanquish
Vanquish puts you into the chunky robotic boots of Sam Gideon, a DARPA agent tasked with infiltrating a space colony overrun by terrorists. To that end, Gideon has a mech suit that makes him skid around on rocket-powered jet-boosters, helping him to find cover effectively and performing a variety of other functions besides. As Platinum’s take on the third-person cover shooter, Vanquish isn’t the longest or the smartest game in the world, but it’s great fun while it lasts.
Horizon Forbidden West and Horizon Zero Dawn
Okay, so you don’t get to play as a mech in either of Guerrilla’s Horizon games, but their worlds are overrun with the things, so we’re counting both games anyway. You are Aloy, a tribal outcast who must journey through the post-apocalyptic United States in order to discover what happened to her world and how she relates to everything. Along the way, you’ll use your hunting prowess to trap and take down giant dinosaur and animal mechs, using their parts to upgrade and augment your gear.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Vanillaware’s games are something of an acquired taste (ironically, given their studio’s name), but if you get into these games, you’ll be hooked for life. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is another idiosyncratic slice of anime action from Vanillaware, and this time, it’s offering a mixture of 2D sidescrolling gameplay and top-down mech combat. The mixture of gameplay styles is as bizarre as the narrative, so if you want to try something new and get out of your comfort zone a little, you should give this one a shot.
Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner – Mars
Produced by Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima and also featuring contributions from that series’ principal artist Yoji Shinkawa, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is a great indication of why Kojima is so obsessed with giant mechs. The game is a fast-paced arcade-style mech combat title with a visual style that recalls Metal Gear, but gameplay systems that are far more involved and immediate. If you want to cut straight to the chase and enjoy some giant mech combat, this is the game for you.
Metal Wolf Chaos XD
If you know From Software primarily from the Souls series, then Metal Wolf Chaos XD might come as something of a surprise to you. In this game, you play as the President of the United States (no, really), and you must defend your country against a rebellion by your Vice President. To do so, you hop into your giant mech suit (again, no, really) and battle through the beleaguered United States, taking down VP Richard Hawk’s troops wherever you find them. It’s ridiculous, over-the-top fun.
Transformers: Battlegrounds
This is a more thoughtful and methodical game than you might be expecting from a mecha experience. Unfortunately, Platinum’s excellent Transformers: Devastation is no longer available on the PlayStation Store, but if you’re looking for a Transformers game and you don’t mind a more strategic approach, Battlegrounds is solid. It’s a turn-based title in which you must use your environment and the strengths of your Autobots in order to outwit and defeat the Decepticons.
SD Gundam Battle Alliance
If you’re a Gundam fan, you owe it to yourself to check out this action RPG, which you can enjoy solo or alongside your friends. The game boasts a “wide array of Mobile Suit weaponry”, as well as a universe that twists and warps the canon of Gundam in interesting and unexpected ways. Plenty of iconic Gundam series are represented here, too, like Mobile Suit Gundam, so even if you’re only a passing Gundam enthusiast, you should give this a try.
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
The MechWarrior series stretches all the way back to 1989’s MechWarrior, and this fifth instalment is just the latest in a long line of well-regarded mecha games. You must pilot your mech across a variety of different levels, including sunny fields and snowy tundras, seeking out enemies to destroy and completing objectives alongside your fellow mechs. This is a lumbering and ponderous action game, and that’s a compliment; it really feels like piloting a giant mech.
Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus
Okay, so we’re cheating a little bit here, because Warhammer 40k: Mechanicus isn’t really a giant mech game. You don’t get to pilot a massive robot, but you do get to spend some time with the wonderful Adeptus Mechanicus, a sect of machine-worshipping cultists in the Warhammer 40k setting. They’re essentially heavily-augmented humans who have kitted themselves out with robot parts, and this tactical RPG follows them as they delve into the tombs of the Necron to clear them out.