Mechabellum

Mechabellum is a tactical auto-battler from Game River. Instead of directly controlling units in combat, you assemble an army of mechs and other combat units before each round, place them on the battlefield and invest in upgrades. Once the round begins, the fight plays out automatically. The core lies in reading the opponent's lineup, counterplays, formations and using your own resources well.

Alongside competitive modes, Mechabellum has included Star Expedition since version 2.0, a permanently playable solo and co-op area. The publisher is Dreamhaven.

Mechabellum launched in Steam Early Access on May 11, 2023 and officially released on September 26, 2024. Version 2.0 followed on September 22, 2026 as the largest content and systems update so far. It added Star Expedition, the new Centurion unit, a reworked season and reward system and a permanently available Free Edition, among other things.

Mechabellum is officially available for PC via Steam. The Steam listing covers Windows and macOS. A standalone console version is currently not among the officially listed product platforms.

Each round begins with strategic decisions: buying new units, upgrading existing troops, choosing technologies and adjusting your formation to the enemy. Because the battle then runs automatically, Mechabellum rewards planning and anticipation more than high input speed.

The permanent mode lineup includes 1v1, 2v2, Free-for-All and Survival. Version 2.0 expands the unit roster with the Centurion, which can switch between long-range precision fire, dual weapons and a melee mode.

On Windows, Mechabellum requires at least a 64-bit PC with Windows 8, a dual-core 2 GHz processor, 6 GB RAM and a Radeon HD 7730 or GeForce GT 640. Windows 10 or newer, an 8th-gen Intel Core i7 or Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2080 or RX 6700 XT are recommended. Steam also lists native macOS requirements.

Star Expedition has been a permanent game mode of its own since version 2.0. An expedition runs across nine planets and combines changing units, technologies and reinforcements with asynchronous enemy lineups based on builds from real players. Unlike the normal versus rounds, there is no round timer, so lineups can be planned without time pressure.

Star Expedition can be played alone or in two-player co-op. In co-op, both players lead their own army onto a shared battlefield. Rewards from expeditions can change later runs; separate leaderboards exist globally, regionally and for friends.

Since September 22, 2026, Steam has offered a free Mechabellum Free Edition. According to the developer, it includes most of the game content and can later be upgraded to the full version, with progress kept. Restrictions include public chat, storage capacity in Star Expedition and the speed of some cosmetic and technical unlocks.

With version 2.0, season progression was restructured. Combat Power has served only as rank progression since Season 9, while seasonal and cosmetic rewards are handed out through Battle Contracts. Standard Battle Contracts are provided for free; there are also paid Elite Battle Contracts, which do not expire.