Key findings

• Video games offer the opportunity to pilot giant mechs and explore vast open worlds, making science fiction fantasies come true.
• Phantom Galaxies, Sand Land and Steambot Chronicles offer unique mech customization and action-packed gameplay.
• Warframe and Horizon Zero Dawn also offer exciting mech experiences, with Warframe offering new open-world areas.

There is nothing better than the feeling of having free rein to control a giant robot as far as the eye can see. While there is currently no system in place where normal people can exercise their wildest Pacific Rim To bring fantasies to life in the real world, video games have provided that opportunity. However, the limitations of these games can be a bit frustrating for some fans.

Still, there are video games that not only make piloting a giant mech fun, but also allow players to explore a vast, open world. These six games are exactly what gamers want from a free-spirited sci-fi adventure, though getting to the part where fans get to pilot a mech can be a challenge for some.

6 Phantom Galaxies

The full version promises unlimited exploration

Phantom Galaxieshas been in Early Access since November 2023, meaning there are still a lot of issues to be worked out for the final version. That makes sense considering how ambitious this Steam release is, allowing players to freely explore a sci-fi universe, pilot giant mechs, and battle others they encounter on their travels.

The game features four different classes of mech fighter: Assault, Lancer, Buster, and Breacher, each offering different specs. While it’s not as polished as some of the other games here, keep an eye out for the full version!

5 Sandland

Live out your fantasies as Beelzebub

Sandland is a video game adaptation of the legendary manga and anime series by Akira Toriyama. Released in early 2024, the game is an action RPG that lets players explore the open desert world. However, like the anime, the game mainly revolves around players building tanks and machines to fight against fearsome enemies.

What makes this game a particularly strong mecha game is the ability to customize players’ vehicles, from Gundam-like robot suits to fully-equipped race cars. There’s a lot to love about this action-packed RPG, especially for fans of the anime, but even those unfamiliar with the source material will find it fun to mess around in giant machines.

4 Steambot Chronicles

If only the audience had appreciated his innovation

For fans of mecha games, Steambot Chronicles is a recognized classic. The PlayStation 2 game was released in 2005 and was incredibly ahead of its time in terms of its sandbox adventure featuring giant robots. Players inhabit “Trotmobiles” for various purposes, from transportation to fighting.

How Sandland, Steambot Chronicles even offered a wide range of customization options that allowed aspects of a player’s Trotmobile to be altered, making it slower and stronger or faster and more fragile. It’s a shame that the series never really took off, as fans could only imagine how extensive the series would be on current consoles.

3 Warframe

The possibilities in this MMO are endless

One of the more notable mecha games is 2013 Warframewhich has had a stable life on current-gen consoles over the years and even made its way to iOS in early 2024. The MMO shooter places a lot of emphasis on the titular giant mechs and offers a variety of game modes, including PvP shooters, RPG, and parkour levels.

What is particularly fascinating about Warframe is how updates included new open-world areas like the Plains of Eidolon that players could explore in their mech suits. Although it is over a decade old, Warframe continues to age very well for a free-to-play open-world mech game, aside from the annoying microtransactions.

2 Horizon Zero Dawn

Monster Hunter becomes Cyberpunk

There was a lot of hype about Horizon Zero Dawn when it was first released for PS4 in 2017. Although the series has since been updated with sequels for PlayStation 5 (as well as ports for PC), the original game is the most straightforward and flawless experience the franchise has to offer to date, although it does have one major difference from the other games already mentioned.

Namely, Horizon Zero Dawnrevolves around a hunter named Aloy who ventures through an open world filled with mechanical creatures called machines. Rather than an adventure in a giant mech suit, players spend most of the game taking on quests that require them to fight these giant robots, although some creatures can be converted into mounts that they can ride around on.

1 Xenoblade Chronicles X

This Wii U gem deserves more respect

The Xenoblade The franchise has always been enormous, even since its first installment on the Nintendo Wii. Xenoblade Chronicles Xbeats all the others by far, as players can operate giant mechs called Skells to explore the vast and varied open world of Mira. Skells, however, cannot be unlocked until about halfway through the main story.

While the first half of the game is exciting enough as an open-world action RPG, the combat and exploration in Skells completely changes the way players interact with the environment. Overall Xenoblade Chronicles X is the perfect game for anyone looking for an open-world mecha experience, although unfortunately it is exclusive to the Wii U for now.