Best Gundam Games

Mecha fans think of Gundam whenever they have to imagine giant robots and this literal giant of a franchise continues to amaze viewers with stunning stories of war, friendship, and intense robot-on-robot action. Thankfully, Gundam isn't content with having their shows and Gunpla figures entertain their fans. In fact, there are enough Gundam video games out there for fans to feel like they're in the driver's seat of their own Mobile Suit!

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By  Scott Vengel

However, given there are way more than twenty video games in the hit robot franchise, just which games should mecha fans get first? Which projects have aged the best? Which ones are worth playing today? What are the best Gundam games?

Updated July 28, 2024: A new Gundam game is set to debut at the end of August 2024, and it is a big deal due to being the first (numbered) entry in a subseries to launch in North America.

Upcoming: Gundam Breaker 4

New Gundam games are relatively common, at least compared to other anime properties that are not called Dragon Ball or, to a lesser extent, Naruto. While very popular in Japan, the IP is quite niche in Western countries, and it used to be a crapshoot whether a release would make its way to North America or remain exclusive to Asia. Fortunately, in recent years, "big" projects tend to have worldwide releases, so Gundam fans can generally rest assured in knowing that most titles will probably make the jump. Gundam Breaker 4 serves as one such example, with the upcoming project slated to make its debut in August 2024.

While not always hitting the mark, Bandai Namco's series has a solid track record of offering fanservice-style packages that blend customization and hack and slash gameplay, along with supporting both single and multiplayer content. As it has been roughly 8 years since the last numbered entry in the series, Gundam Breaker 4 is arguably the franchise's most highly-anticipated project in a long time, especially since New Gundam Breaker was a disappointing detour. The game looks good too.

10 Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories

Good Selection Of Stories

Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories

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Released

March 30, 2014

Developer(s)

B.B. Studio

Platform(s)

PS3

Genre(s)

Action

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Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories offers a robust experience in terms of story, containing seven individual arcs. The game not only contains the base Missing Link story but also six other side stories that happened during the One Year War of the Universal Century. Not only that, but these stories have already been featured in much older games, meaning Side Stories essentially offers a remake of these classic tales.

Stories included in Side Stories are The Blue Destiny, Space, To The End Of A Flash, Rise From The Ash, Zeonic Front, Lost War Chronicles, and the latter part of Cross Dimension 0079. Thanks to these stories, players and fans can have a more concrete view of what’s happened to the Universal Century timeline during the One Year War without having to grab much older games.

Side Stories: The Main Appeal

While there were complaints regarding the game’s graphics and rather bland cutscenes, there’s just appeal in the idea of taking part in missions as “unsung heroes” in Gundam stories. Compared to other Gundam titles where fans are simply reenacting events in the series, being able to make-believe that one is an actual “pilot” for either of the Federation and Zeon factions, gives players more reasons to feel “related” to the story.

9 Super Robot Wars

Metascore: 79 (Super Robot Wars 30)

Any mecha fan who loves Gundam will inevitably stumble upon the massive Super Robot Wars franchise. This tactical RPG from Bandai Namco is perhaps the biggest crossover of machines yet. Entries from the series will almost always feature a crossover story that features popular mecha franchises across manga, anime, and video games. Each installment will almost always have the player pilot a game-exclusive machine as they become involved in the affairs of not just Gundam characters but other robot franchises as well.

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Moreover, its straightforward nature as a turn-based RPG makes it quite attractive to players. Essentially, players control a platoon of robots from various franchises on a grid-based map. To add to the awesome, some machines carry over unique properties from their franchises, such as transformation!

Super Robot Wars: The Main Appeal

Perhaps the main appeal of Super Robot Wars lies in how it revolutionized the Super Robot genre, especially in the context of gaming. Aside from being the first title in a franchise, Super Robot Wars is the first instance the most “giant robots” were squished into one self-contained story, where Gundams of the Universal Century timeline can interact with Getter Robo and Mazinger series mechs. Fans of mecha who love theory-crafting can recreate their favorite fights from their respective series, and even see how their favorite machines from other franchises would fare when pitted against each other.

8 Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds Of The Battlefield

Gamefaqs: 3.53/5

Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds Of The Battlefield

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Released

November 7, 2008

Developer(s)

BNE Entertainment

Platform(s)

PSP, Arcade

Genre(s)

FPS

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Any Gundam fan would like to wonder just how skilled pilots like Amuro Ray handle their machines in fast-paced combat. Thankfully, fans who make their way to Japan can get into an arcade machine and experience this for themselves. With a special Panoramic Optical Display system, players can get a first-person view of the battlefield as though they're actually piloting their MS. In turn, the machines come with headset jacks, foot pedals, and hand control sticks that simulate the environment inside an MS cockpit.

To make players feel more special, the game features pilot cards that store their data. This means players can resume play at any time or even interplay with nearby machines or friends playing in other places at the same time. Additionally, players can rank up as pilots and use in-game points to collect popular machines and Mobile Suits.

Bonds Of The Battlefield: The Main Appeal

The game has been the first time fans of the franchise can play a Gundam title in the arcade in a pod stylized to be a cockpit, giving them the most “true-to-life” experience piloting a mecha from the series. For mecha fans who’ve had their fair share of pilot sim games and other realistic mecha games like MechWarrior, seeing a Gundam game with a “realistic” GUI is a fresh change of pace, and was definitely a must-try game for players who were able to access it at the time.

7 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny

Gamefaqs: 4.25/5

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny

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Released

June 7, 2012

Developer(s)

Artdink

Platform(s)

PS Vita

Genre(s)

Action

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Players can experience the full breadth of the massive Gundam SEED sub-franchise courtesy of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Battle Destiny for the PS Vita. This handheld game retells events spanning the entire Cosmic Era (CE) timeline, from the original SEED and SEED Destiny series to spinoffs. In turn, players can take CE-exclusive pilots and MS into a full-length Story Mode, expansive Free Mission modes, and the multiplayer VS Missions mode.

Unlike watching the series, Battle Destiny will have players create their own character. Moreover, their pilots will eventually become a part of the Alliance, ZAFT, or even the Three Ships Alliance. Given how certain MS and missions become exclusive to one faction, the game easily has replay value.

Battle Destiny: The Main Appeal

Perhaps the perfect game for Gundam SEED fans, SEED: Battle Destiny is definitely a must-try for its approach to depth in both combat and customization despite being a handheld title. Save for the space battles where controls are a bit iffy, combat on the ground is just as action-packed as the anime made them out to be. Fans will be thrilled with the idea of dodging attacks up close and afar, getting some shots, and then zooming in for the killing blow. Newcomers to the franchise will appreciate the sheer number of Gundams available for use, as well as dialogue interspersed with combat for fast-paced storytelling.

6 Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn

Metascore: 64

Unlike other Gundam titles, Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn adds a Musou twist to the acclaimed mecha franchise. As popularized by Koei's Warriors series, Gundam Reborn is a vast improvement over the Gundam-ized hack-and-slash formula of the Dynasty Warriors Gundam series. Essentially, nothing feels better than taking control of a favorite Gundam and annihilating a swath of Mobile Suits in combat.

Reborn also lets players relive scenarios in Official Mode or have unique crossovers in Ultimate Mode. Moreover, the Burst System gives access to special "modes" for MS and Pilots in various series, such as SEED Mode (SEED) or Trans-Am (Gundam 00). The game's advanced customization options also let players tinker with specific MS and weapon settings, like having their own machine. In turn, players can relive their dreams of defeating enemies as a heroic MS or become a villainous machine that seeks their rival's destruction.

Gundam Reborn: The Main Appeal

Fans of Dynasty Warriors would enjoy Gundam Reborn not just for the intense all-out action of mashing different Gundam teams in Ultimate Mode, but rather for the deep storytelling of its Official Mode which is 20 hours’ worth of abridged Gundam stories. While the short-form stage battles more or less get reduced to flashy, wide-area destruction musou delight, it’s the broader aspect of the gameplay that will continue to challenge players.

On top of customizing various aspects of one’s mecha, pilot, and even partners for optimal builds, players also need to be careful which nodes to prioritize as they affect which parts of the story they unlock, what people and units they get to recruit, and other smaller intricacies that may affect a part of the grander story.

5 SD Gundam G Generation Genesis

Gamefaqs: 4.27/5

Fans of Gundam will appreciate SD Gundam G Generation Genesis for its tactical RPG feel. Moreover, mecha fans who played a Super Robot Wars game will feel right at home with Genesis. This time around, Genesis takes players across 17 shows, films, games, and spinoffs from within the Universal Century timeline of the franchise. In turn, players have a whopping 68 stages, each split into memorable scenarios from the media, that potentially tour them throughout the Universal Century.

Granted, fans can easily complain that the two scenarios are too short to explain the nuanced plot points of other titles. However, Genesis makes up for its fast-paced story with strategy and tactical prowess. Given its RPG nature, players can assign pilots to various MS and level them up individually. Moreover, players can acquire MS through tier-based leveling, fusion, exchanges, and point collection.

G Generation Genesis: The Main Appeal

On top of being the first G Generation title slated for an English release, fans may find Genesis a worthwhile game to play as it’s the best introduction to the “OG” Universal Century timeline of the series - arguably the largest shared universe in the franchise. As a strategy title, players mix and match Mobile Suits and their pilots, improve their skills, and strategically maneuver them around the map to fight foes. Turn-based strategy fans will appreciate Genesis for its depth in customization and strategy, as players will definitely meet a challenge in optimizing their units. However, what’s perhaps more appreciated in the game is how it condenses the Universal Century timeline in a more bearable format without having to watch hours’ worth of episodes.

4 Gundam Versus

Metascore: 68

Serving as the fifth generation to the fast-paced Gundam VS series, Gundam Versus for the PS4 and PlayStation Network boasts better graphics and more destructible environments for its team-based format. As with other VS games, Versus relies on a point-based system where each team's MS has a point value depending on their strength and potency. In turn, the team that gets to deplete the enemy's points the fastest will win the match.

Thankfully, Versus has all the mechanisms to provide a fast-paced combat experience for Gundam lovers. It has Boost Step, Boost Dash, and Boost Dive techniques that enable the game's 180+ MS units to zig-zag across the battlefield. Anyone who wants a new take on Gundam battles will appreciate the spontaneity of Gundam Versus.

Gundam Versus: The Main Appeal

Players who love arena fighting games such as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or even Dragon Ball Xenoverse will appreciate Gundam Versus for its action-packed combat. Instead of the usual strategic approach in Gundam titles, Versus instead has players participate in super fast high-octane battles either solo or in pairs, pitting the game’s 94 playable Mobile Suits against each other. Fans more interested in zig-zagging around the battlefield like the epic Newtype pilots of the series will likely spend hours in Gundam Versus.

3 SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays

Metascore: 71

Acting as a true crossover title, SD Gundam G Generation Cross Rays offers a wide selection of SD Gundams to fight with across 13 Gundam series. However, instead of boasting its own storyline, the game abridges the stories of these series into a game that tries to highlight the best elements of Gundam Wing all the way to Iron-Blooded Orphans.

Unlike other action-packed Gundam titles, Cross Rays is a strategy RPG. In turn, units have various stats, and even pilots offer unique buffs to their assigned Gundams. With gameplay more like a turn-based RPG, fans who appreciate the strategy aspect of a Gundam series’ combat will love playing through Cross Rays.

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Cross Rays: The Main Appeal

Considering how the predecessor Genesis focused on summarizing much of the Universal Century timeline, it makes sense for the sequel Cross Rays to focus on pretty much everything else. A lot of improvement comes in has to do with condensing the 13 entries that provided the main focus of the game, ranging from Gundam Wing to Iron-Blooded Orphans. With the game spanning 82 stages, Cross Rays does a better job portraying much of the stories without the unnecessary cutting.

Not only that, the battle and strategic systems received a lot more streamlining, making this recent entry a more convenient entry point for neophyte Gundam fans interested in non-Universal Century titles.

2 Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost ON

Metascore: 78

Players who just want to get in an MS and get into some good ol' Gundam busting should try Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost ON. As the recent entry in the Gundam VS series, Maxiboost ON relies on a point-based battle system. Essentially, players form teams that have point values. In turn, the first team to deplete the rival team's points wins the match.

What's interesting here is that all MS have a simple series of controls - jumping, searching, and a dedicated button for melee and ranged attacks. In turn, players need to choose their battles tactically to make the most out of their Mobile Suits. Thanks to its integrated multiplayer component, Maxiboos ON is easily a blast to play with its easy-to-understand mechanics and accessible fast-paced gameplay.

Maxiboost ON: The Main Appeal

Similar to the original Versus, this title is a tag-team fighting game where players choose a Gundam to fight in both setpieces and custom-tailored areas. The thing is, Maxiboost ON now boasts a whopping 180 characters across 36 entries throughout the Gundam franchise. While there are arguably some Gundam “copies” of other Mobile Suits, they play differently and are meant to represent other pivotal characters, giving players a sense of familiarity when playing as or against these Mobile Suits, especially in thematic match-ups. Aside from the varied cast, the rather high-octane approach to combat and versatility in controls makes this game a must-have for players.

1 Gundam Breaker 3

Build Your Dream Mecha

Except for New Gundam Breaker, which is a spin-off and not great, Gundam Breaker is difficult to recommend since none of the numbered games left Japan. This is set to change with Gundam Breaker 4, which looks great so far; however, all the previous main entries were solid hack and slash romps that represented the franchise at its best. They are stacked with fanservice that works well within their context, all the while offering fun combat and a fantastic customization system.

Gundam Breaker is set in a universe where the IP's iconic mecha are models known as Gunpla, and players get to put together new designs as they take part in competitions. While silly and not particularly deep, the stories tend to be fun and charming, particularly in Gundam Breaker 3. The single-player campaign mostly follows a mission-based structure, with players gradually unlocking loot that expands their customization options. The latter drives the gameplay forward.

Gundam Breaker 3: The Main Appeal

The series nails mecha customization, with the third entry perfecting the formula (at least, for now). While the combat is more than serviceable, the build options are the game's main selling point, as they present seemingly endless choices for players to bring to life their preferred Gunpla. It is a really great system.

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