Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries, the first single-player Mechwarrior to come along since 2002 and the third in the series to be subtitled Mercenaries (it's a popular theme), finally arrives on December 10. With the big day looming, developer Piranha Games has dropped a launch trailer showcasing all sorts of things getting blown up real good, and also—more usefully—nailed down the hardware specs you'll need to run it.
The minimum system requirement has changed slightly from what was reported earlier this year. CPU and GPU are the same, but the minimum RAM requirement has gone up, while the hard drive requirement has actually gone down. Courtesy of the Epic Games Store, here's what's what:
Minimum system requirements:
- OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions)
- CPU: Intel Core i3-7100/AMD Ryzen 3 1200
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770/AMD Radeon R9 280X
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 55GB free space
- DirectX: Version 11
Recommended system requirements:
- OS: Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64-bit versions)
- CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K/AMD Ryzen 7 1700
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070/AMD RX Vega 56
- RAM: 16GB
- Storage: 55GB free space (SSD)
- DirectX: Version 11
The trailer itself is mainly a cinematic thing, but it looks great, and I particularly like the bit that illustrates how a good pilot in a Locust can hold their own against a heavyweight. Not that it's necessarily a good idea as a day-to-day thing, but in the right hands and conditions speed can be more dangerous than heavy weapons—it's all about patience, focus, and picking your shots.
Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries is launching as an Epic Games Store exclusive, but according to an FAQ will likely go to "other digital game stores" (you know what they're talking about) in a year. We'll have a closer look at the game's performance, and a full review, coming soon.
