PvP shooter Mecha Break is dominating Steam Next Fest with player numbers matching Marvel Rivals and GTA 5 even as it suffers mostly negative reviews

A hangar door opens, throwing two mechs into close-quarters battle in Mecha Break
(Image credit: Amazing Seasun Games)

Steam Next Fest is upon us, and it's already being dominated by an open beta for PvP shooter Mecha Break. That's maybe not entirely in the spirit of what we generally consider a demo bonanza for smaller indie games, but Valve's own metrics are calling it one of the biggest games of the event.

The official Steam Next Fest page ranks Mecha Break's beta as the top game in the popular upcoming and top demos categories - that means it's top by "most wishlists" and "daily active users," respectively - and its top spot in the trending upcoming category is thwarted only by a delightfully charming-looking fishing RPG.

If you want hard numbers, we can head over to the concurrent player charts at SteamDB, which shows that Mecha Break reached a peak of 256,783 simultaneous players today. That makes it the fifth-biggest game on Steam in the past 24 hours, just behind Marvel Rivals and well ahead of venerable favorites like GTA 5, Rust, and Apex Legends.

But one area Mecha Break isn't doing so well is in the ol' player review scores. This demo is currently sitting at a "mostly negative" rating with just 33% positive reviews, and the complaints range from sluggish gameplay to an overlong tutorial and aggressive monetization. A lot of the negative reviews also come from the first day of the beta, when the game was suffering serious server issues.

It's clear that there's a lot of early interest in Mecha Break, but time will tell if those issues mecha break - uh, hm, sorry - make or break the game's long-term chances at success. Our own early impressions of Mecha Break have been quite positive, and there's an army of mech sickos out there looking for the next game to flock to.

Dying becomes a skill in this JRPG from the Danganronpa devs, and its Steam Next Fest demo is already Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam.

CATEGORIES
Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
a bulldozer on a dirt road
We all yearn for construction jobs as simulator RoadCraft takes a podium spot in Steam Next Fest's most-played demos just behind PvP mech game Mecha Break
Mecha Break appearing in the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2025
Take a look at Mecha BREAK's Global Storm in its all-new PvPvE extraction mode
Alsynes attacks an enemy with a laser halberd in Mecha Break's Mashmak mode
"For mechas, this will be a breakthrough": Mecha Break impresses across its chaotic 6v6 action and revamped Mashmak extraction mode
Shape of Dreams heroes stand around a fire
Someone combined Diablo and League of Legends for a roguelike co-op MOBA with Risk of Rain energy, and it deserves the hype it's getting in Steam Next Fest
Wanderstop screenshot of two characters sitting together on a bench, one holds a wooden spoon
The 10 Steam Next Fest demos you need to play this weekend
Gal Guardians: Servants of the Dark demon sisters in maid uniforms
The most popular Metroidvania in Steam Next Fest is just what I'd expect from one of the best names in anime games, and it's also coming to consoles
Latest in Third Person Shooters
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals has an unintentional Team-Up ability for Jeff the Land Shark and Doctor Strange, who can join forces for a bug that sends foes into an inescapable void
Four Helldivers lined up on base ship
A year after Malevelon Creek became Helldivers 2's fiercest battleground, it looks like the Automatons are coming back for more
Helldivers 2 screenshot showing someone using a big gun
Helldivers 2 boss says "death and rebirth" is a natural part of the games industry, but it's "unnecessarily brutal" right now "because we don't diversify enough"
The Invisible Woman in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs know exactly how popular Invisible Woman is, and say that "body shape or silhouette" add to a character's popularity in a way far more innocent than the internet deserves
Helldivers 2 Warbond
Helldivers 2 players "became obsessed" with Malevolon Creek, but it was Gabe Newell who really kicked off one of Super Earth's bloodiest battles
Heroes and villains face off in Marvel Rivals key art
Marvel Rivals exec isn't afraid of roster bloat after NetEase promised new heroes every 6 weeks: "There's no limit for the sky. We just throw everything at it"
Latest in News
Lunar Remastered Collection
"Will today’s players still enjoy a game from 30 years ago?": JRPG icon Kei Shigema says he was thrilled to see Lunar getting a remaster even after all this time
Nick Offerman as Bill and Murray Bartlett as Frank in The Last of Us episode 3
The Last of Us season 2 showrunners tease a "gorgeous" episode akin to season 1’s Emmy-nominated Bill and Frank story: "Just you wait"
The Witcher 4 screenshot with Ciri using sword and sorcery to fight an ancient monster
CD Projekt boss says "cutting-edge single-player games" – you know, like The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 – will "continue to enjoy great popularity" despite industry shifts
Cyberpunk 2077
Despite releasing exactly zero new games, CD Projekt bagged $120 million in profit for 2024 – the Witcher and Cyberpunk studio's third-best result ever
Muse
Daredevil: Born Again midseason trailer teases Matt Murdock’s violent fight with Muse, including a gory scene straight from the comics
Batman looking over the city during Batman: Arkham City, one of the best PS3 games.
The PS2 Batman Begins game was considered such a "disaster" that Christopher Nolan turned down a Dark Knight-inspired game