Bandai Namco has announced Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3, a free-to-play team combat game for PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam with cross-play between the two. It was revealed on October 28 during the Gundam Games 40th Anniversary livestream, and the Steam page is already open for wishlists. There is no release date yet.
What Battle Operation 3 is
Battle Operation 3 is developed by Bandai Namco Forge Digitals and keeps the series’ combined arms formula: you pilot a mobile suit in large team battles, but you can also leave the cockpit to plant base bombs, call in support fire and take objectives on foot. A new hub called Base Camp lets players meet up between matches.
The headline new system is SP Skills. Every mobile suit has one, and the gauge fills over time and as you deal or take damage. The official examples: Blue Destiny Unit 1 gets a temporary performance boost and can fire some ranged weapons while boosting, and the Guncannon can drop its weapon lock and fire its 240mm cannon on auto.
Which Gundam series are in it
At launch, Universal Century units come from Mobile Suit Gundam, The 08th MS Team and 0083: Stardust Memory. Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is the first Alternative series, and this time Alternative series get mass-produced units too, not just hero and rival suits. The trailer shows a BuCUE. Bandai Namco says a new mobile suit will be added every week, with two to three new series planned each year.
Ranked matches stay 6v6, but custom matches go up to 9v9, according to Dengeki Online’s report from the stream. The game supports English, Japanese, Korean and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
The catch for Battle Operation 2 players
Battle Operation 2 has been running since July 2018 and is now on PS4, PS5 and Steam. During the stream, Bandai Namco said it does not plan to keep both games running side by side, and units and other assets from Battle Operation 2 will not carry over. Instead, it plans linked rewards based on your Battle Operation 2 record, with details to come. No end date for Battle Operation 2 was given.
Our take
Free-to-play with PS5 and Steam cross-play on day one is the right setup for a game that lives or dies on full lobbies. But asking players to walk away from more than eight years of unlocked suits is a big ask, and how generous those linked rewards are will decide how many veterans follow. A weekly unit drop also tells you this is built as a long-running live service, much like how Bandai Namco handled Sparking Zero’s cross-play roadmap.
When can you play it
- A Japan-only cross-play network test runs November 20 and 22 (Japan time).
- A larger open network test is planned, with no date yet.
- A code on the official site unlocks a Premium Unit Assembly in SD Gundam G Generation ETERNAL.
We will update this story when Bandai Namco shares a release window or open test dates.
Sources: Bandai Namco Entertainment (press release, @GBO_EN on X, Steam), Gematsu, Dengeki Online, GAME Watch.
