Mechabellum gets a free edition on Steam: co-op and online battles remain available

The free version mainly adds limits to progression and rewards. Game River cites restricted public chat, less storage in the Star Expedition warehouse, slower cosmetic rewards, and a slower pace for unlocking Tech Points.

Mechabellum launched in Steam Early Access in May 2023 and reached version 1.0 in September 2024. The game previously sold for around $14.99 and has an 84% positive rating on Steam.

What happened

Game River has added a free edition of Mechabellum on Steam. According to the report, the change took effect on September 22 and does not alter the core of the game, which is built around assembling and deploying mech armies. The free edition is therefore not a separate spin-off, but a new access option for the same Steam title.

According to Game River, the free edition includes most of the paid content. That includes online battles and a co-op mode, while the main restrictions are on chat access, storage capacity, and the pace of unlocks. In the developer’s summary, those limits include restricted public chat, less space in the Star Expedition warehouse, slower cosmetic rewards, and a reduced speed for unlocking Tech Points.

Mechabellum launched in Steam Early Access in May 2023 and reached version 1.0 in September 2024. The game previously sold for around $14.99 and has an 84% positive rating on Steam. Those figures are used in the provided report as context for the new free edition, though the exact Steam status may change over time.

The free edition is, based on the available information, tied to the same Steam page as the paid version. The external context also describes Mechabellum on Steam as a mech auto-battler where players draft troops, customize units, and choose formations for 1v1, 2v2, free-for-all, and Survival Mode battles. The report on the free edition stresses that those modes remain, but progression around them is more tightly limited.

Background

Mechabellum is a mech auto-battler on Steam where players build armies, customize units, and choose formations for 1v1, 2v2, free-for-all, and Survival Mode battles. The game is developed and published by Game River, which has now rolled out the free edition as well. The title was previously known as a paid PC game priced at about $14.99, while the Steam rating in the provided context stands at 84% positive reviews.

According to Game River, the free edition mainly changes progression and rewards, not the core game modes. That means the heart of the game, such as building mech armies and playing online battles, remains intact. The limits mentioned in the report focus on public chat, Star Expedition warehouse storage, cosmetic rewards, and the speed at which Tech Points are unlocked.

The available information does not mention a time limit for the free edition or any hard regional restriction. That remains an open question in the source material. The current Steam rating may also differ now from the 84% positive reviews cited in the context, since that score is only a snapshot. The main takeaway, however, is that Game River made Mechabellum free to access on Steam on September 22, while the paid structure has mostly shifted to progression and rewards.

Sources

• GameRant: Steam free game promotions September, Mechabellum
• Steam store listing for Mechabellum
• Steam statistics as context for price and review percentage