Steel Hunters was one of many games revealed during The Game Awards last December. Wargaming developed this PvPvE free-to-play third-person mech hero shooter with intense battles and gripping Battle Royale and Extraction elements.
During GDC 2025, I spent hands-on time with the game ahead of its Steam Early Access release date, which is scheduled for April 2nd. Here are more of my thoughts on what you can expect if you decide to check it out next week.
A Formula Built For Success
Whether it’s Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, or Helldivers 2, the evidence is clear that Hero shooters, Battle royales, and Extraction shooters are here to stay. Combining these elements with mechs is compelling, especially for fans of larger-than-life robots decimating each other on the battlefield.
In Steel Hunters, players take on the role of special mechs called Hunters tasked with protecting a rare alien resource that is essential for human survival. Teaming up with a duo partner, each battle against opposing teams consists of completing objectives to level up and acquire gear. This culminates in an epic showdown at the extraction point, with the winning team left standing.
The Magnificent Mechs
As I mentioned above, the futuristic mechs are the main attractions of this show. The lineup of mechs highlighted so far includes the following:
- Razorside – A mechanical jarhead ideal for various types of combat
- Fenris – A merciless prowler ideal for mid-range combat
- Heartbreaker – A covert sharpshooter ideal for long-range combat
- Prophet – An engineering genius summoner who uses a Sentinel drone and excels at mid-range combat
- Trenchwalker – A combat medic who uses close and mid-range combat
- Ursus – An armored predator who uses mobility to her advantage
- Weaver – An arachnid defensive hunter who uses mid-range combat
All the Hunters listed above have their strengths and weaknesses, and part of the game is learning how to master their abilities for tactical efficiency. There are also some customization cosmetic options for players who want to tweak the look and feel of their Hunter. The preview demo I played only featured a handful of Hunters, including Razorside, Heartbreaker, and Prophet.
My Demo Session
Before jumping into a Duo battle, I participated in a brief tutorial to familiarize myself with the controls. Using a keyboard and mouse, moving around my mech and shooting targets was easy. Whenever I play on PC, I prefer to have full controller support as an option. Sadly, this wasn’t available for this preview, but I hope it will be an option during the Early Access launch so that players have various ways to play.
For my first battle session, I went with Razorside and had a computer-controlled AI partner. Shortly after being deployed, I freely started navigating across the map. Each map has destructible environments and plenty of boxes that can be looted. Once you start coming across enemies and engaging in combat, this is where most of the fun and intensity come from.
Since Razorside is versatile with combat and seems like a standard choice for a first session, I figured he could hold his own in combat. I quickly learned this wasn’t the case as various teams and opposing enemies threw everything they had at me. The AI-controlled partner wasn’t as helpful in these instances, and the session ultimately ended after we were overwhelmed. I imagine this outcome would be far different if you were playing with another person, as communication and strategy are crucial to winning battles.
For my second and final session, I went with Prophet and quickly learned how badass he is. He hovers in the air and moves around more freely than others. He also has targeted missile strike attacks that are very effective. I was able to wipe out two of the opposing teams before making it to the extraction point. Even when you reach this area, you must fight off other teams and hold your own until the timer expires. I was able to do this and successfully won the match.
One thing I appreciated about this demo was how chaotic and real the combat felt. This game was built in Unreal Engine 5 by a development team of 220 people from two different Wargaming studios. Given how immersive this experience was, I’m curious to see how chaotic things will get once more players and teams are in these matchups.
As the demo wrapped up, I wondered what’s next for Steel Hunters. There is a narrative that I’m sure will be expanded upon. I also expect new mechs to be added to the roster to keep the experience fresh. As a free-to-play title, this title already seems worth trying out and can only grow stronger based on player feedback and support.
Final Verdict
While my time with Steel Hunters was brief, I walked away sold on the concept and can foresee the long-term vision of where this game could go. I look forward to jumping into Early Access next week and seeing how Wargaming intends to support this game from here on out.
Check out Steel Hunters on Steam Early Access
Are any of you planning on checking out Steel Hunters? Let us know in the comments section below.
