Steel Hunters impressions: what is interesting about the new world of giant mechs created by Wargaming

By: Vladyslav Nuzhnov | 02.04.2025, 08:00

If you don't follow absolutely all games and events, you might have missed the fact that Wargaming is releasing a brand new game for the first time in 7 years, but now you are very curious about what it is.

At The Game Awards 2024, when one of the trailers was shown, players thought that they were shown a game that visually resembled a Transformers project or even Titanfall 3, but it turned out that it was Steel Hunters, a new online shooter from Wargaming that takes us to the post-apocalypse, where we control huge mechs that fight for resources.

Let's jump right in:

What is Steel Hunters anyway?

In Steel Hunters, players control powerful mechanical giants known as Hunters and engage in dynamic battles to complete various tasks, level up, and obtain new equipment. Each Hunter has its own unique playstyle and abilities, allowing you to use different tactics to achieve victory.

The game takes place in a futuristic world where humanity is fighting for survival after a disaster. Hunters were created to protect the rare resource Starfall, and they are used in the struggle for control of this resource in the abandoned territories.

The game will be released in early access on PC on April 2, and I was lucky enough to visit Wargaming's Kyiv office to play Steel Hunters and now I can tell you everything you need to know before you head into the new battle.

Let's break down the game genre and how it works

What is the genre of the game? Get ready to write down - this is a PvPvE Battle Royal extraction shooter from 3 people (although it is officially called Third Person Shooter). And no, this is not a set of tags in a YouTube video. But in practice, everything is much simpler than it seems.

You get on the map with your partner (the game has only duo mode so far). There are 5 other teams like you, and you collect resources, level up your hero during the match, destroy bots (so far, only drones) and other mechs controlled by players. The last one to survive or capture the evacuation point wins.


Thanks to the correct understanding of the genre, the authors managed to make a dynamic game where real action begins in a couple of minutes. Illustration: Wargaming

How long will one match take

In this regard, Wargaming made a smart decision and you will play a match for a maximum of 10 minutes, and that's if you win. If you get knocked out at the beginning or in the middle, you will be able to look for a new game in about 7 minutes. And I like this approach because I don't want to spend 40-60 minutes on one match, because taking into account various force majeure, it's a bit scary to spend an hour in the game without the ability to press pause. But the chance that nothing will happen in 10 minutes is much higher. And even if you have an hour where you know for sure that nothing will happen, you can play up to 6 matches, which will give you much more emotions, adventures, and experience.


If you have the energy to play for up to 30 minutes after work, Steel Hunters is for you. Illustration: Wargaming

Who is Steel Hunters designed for?

In this aspect, Wargaming has also calculated everything and understands that it is virtually impossible to lure players from Fortnite, Overwatch, Apex, or another similar project. Some have already tried to "steal" the audience with their shooter Concord, and we remember the result. Wargaming is focused on the age of 21-40, so the chance of meeting an 8th grader who will make you a 360º noscope in half the map is extremely low.

For the sake of understanding, I hardly play online games, but out of the 4 matches I have played, all of them ended in victory for me. So it is important to note the low entry threshold. If you've played at least a few hours of any online shooter, you'll need less than 20 minutes to understand the Steel Hunters base. For example, I just spent 15 minutes on the training stage and already got my first victory, so there is no need to spend hours understanding the mechanics.


You don't want to be killed halfway through the map by a schoolboy who skips class? That's unlikely here because they're all in Fortnite. Illustration: Wargaming

Who we will play as

Now let's look at the core of the game - who we control. Players control powerful fighting machines known as "Hunters". Each Hunter has a unique set of abilities, playstyle, and progression system that allows you to use a variety of strategies and tactics to achieve victory.

Among the available Hunters are the following.

  • Razorside: A high-speed mech specialising in medium-range attacks and fast retreat.
  • Heartbreaker: A medium-armoured Hunter with a balance between attack and defence, similar in style to a sniper.
  • Fenris: A heavily armed mech with powerful armour, ideal for direct combat and holding positions.
  • Ursus: A mobile mech that acts as a mobile fortress with heavy armour.
  • Trenchwalker: a mech medic that is suitable for close quarters firefights.
  • Prophet: A scout with advanced sensors that can detect enemies at a great distance and provide information to allies.
  • Weaver: A manoeuvrable mech that uses cloaking technologies to launch surprise attacks and avoid combat.

1) Razorside, 2) Heartbreaker, 3) Fenris, 4) Ursus, 5) Trenchwalker, 6) Prophet, 7) Weaver

And thanks to this set of mechs, you can immediately find your favourites. Want to be a sniper? Here's the Heartbreaker for you. If you like robotic animals, no problem, take Ursus or Fenris. Are you a connoisseur of the classics and just want a mech with a rifle to shoot? Razorside is at your service. By the way, I liked it the most.

And given that we play in duos, we can come up with cool combinations when, for example, you shoot enemies with Razorside from a medium distance, and at the same time, your partner on Fenris makes his way close to the enemies to inflict devastating damage.

But in general, Wargaming does not rely on reflexes, but on tactics. There is always a chance and opportunity to simply shoot others, but it will not always work, so you need to constantly come up with something. Somewhere to come from the back, somewhere to retreat, and the third time to come up with a "trap" plan and then brag about what a strategist you and your friend are. So if you wanted to have an advantage over others thanks to your brain, not the ability to quickly shoot everyone, you will find yourself in Steel Hunters.


Image description. An illustration: джерело

What about the graphics?

It all sounds interesting, but what does it look like? This time, Wargaming used the familiar Unreal Engine 5. By the way, one of the reasons for this decision is that it is much easier to find specialists who know this engine. And even at the stage of early access, the game has good graphics.

The mechs are detailed, the environment does not feel empty, and the coolest thing is that most objects can be destroyed with a shot or simply smashed with your 6-metre mech. And in general, the three executions that are available so far have been filled with a lot of stuff. From houses to rocks and airfields, so there's plenty of room to roam.

And at the same time, be prepared for the fact that you need at least RTX 2060, and preferably 3060. So if you haven't updated your PC in a while, you should either do it now or wait for consoles.


All the beauty of UE5 can be seen at the end during intense battles, when everything explodes and spills spectacularly. Illustration: Wargaming

When to wait for consoles

If you're like me and prefer consoles for a comfortable gaming experience, then I don't have the best news. Wargaming has made it clear that we won't see the game on Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 before the full release. And although the company does not plan to "marinate" the game in early access for a long time, the option to play Steel Hunters will definitely be available only on PC for the next six months.

What are your general impressions of Steel Hunters?

It is extremely difficult for me to find an online game that will draw me in, and Steel Hunters has become the exception to which I will definitely return as soon as the game is released on consoles. What attracts me the most is the game's low entry threshold. You can easily get your first victory in less than an hour of playing the game. The matches themselves don't last long, which also plays into player retention, because I don't really want to run around for more than 20 minutes with the same players. The gamer's soul is constantly asking for new experiences and challenges.

And the concept of mechs is pretty cool. Of course, Steel Hunters isn't the first to use them, but it still feels like something fresh against the backdrop of games with heroes with magical powers.

And thanks to duos, it's fun to spend time with a friend, because getting five of you together for a match of conditional Counter-Strike in adult life is much harder than finding one person with whom your schedule coincides to go destroy a map and other mechs.


It is likely that other modes will be added to the game in the future, but for now, grab a friend and go destroy mechs together. Illustration: Wargaming

Each Hunter feels special and allows you to experiment and find the fighter that will make you destroy everyone. The battles are dynamic, intense, and tactical. The mindless "run and shoot" will not work here - every attack matters, and the wrong manoeuvre can be fatal. Teamwork with another mech is especially fun, when one of them ambushes the other, and while the enemies are targeting the other, you fly out in front of them and throw all the weapons you have at them. And the mechs themselves feel heavy and dangerous - just as they should in a game about giant steel monsters.

Add to this an upgrade system that allows you to modify Hunter to suit your playstyle, and you get intense, strategic and adrenaline-fuelled matches that are hard to put down.

So if you wanted to try out a new online shooter for yourself (and for free), I definitely recommend paying attention to Steel Hunters.


The game's slogan: "It's a marathon, not a sprint", so the authors rely on long-term planning, not a momentary hype that everyone will forget in a month. Illustration: Wargaming

What's next.

Steel Hunters will be released in early access in free-to-play format on 2 April on PC. Season 0, which will start on 2 April, will not have any monetisation, and starting from May, along with the start of Season 1, players will be able to buy battle passes and new skins for their mechs to stand out on the battlefield.

The developers' main task now is to collect player feedback, polish the game, and not delay the release of the full version 1.0, which will also appear on consoles.

So, players should share their ideas and observations about the game as actively as possible so that it can be improved as soon as possible and make Steel Hunters even more comfortable to play.

And before you go to win new online victories, check out the system requirements and make sure your PC can handle it. And I will continue to monitor the development of this interesting project.

System Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: minimum requirements - Intel Core i5 8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600; recommended requirements - Intel Core i5 9600 / AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Video card: minimum requirements - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD Radeon Vega 64; recommended requirements - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 / AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT
  • DirectX: version 12
  • Disk space: 32 GB of available space

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