Publisher Sold Out and developer Piranha Games have announced a new MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Legend of the Kestrel Lancers expansion, which is launching September 23 alongside a free update adding melee combat to the game.

The new MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries – Legend of the Kestrel Lancers expansion is launching alongside the new free melee update on September 23 across all platforms – the same day the game is launching for PS4 and PS5.

Furthermore, the a physical edition for MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is coming for the game’s Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 versions sometime in November. Further details are coming later.

Here’s a teaser trailer and new gameplay for the expansion:

Here’s a rundown on the new content:

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries finds players in the battlefields of the future, dominated by BattleMechs, hulking machines of war capable of leveling entire cities. As the inheritor of a once-glorious Mercenary company, the quest for glory and revenge will stretch light years, chasing the threads of interstellar intrigue on the journey to become an elite MechWarrior and mercenary commander.

Legend of the Kestrel Lancers expansion key features:

• Story Rich Campaign: Set during the “Fourth Succession War,” one of the most famous periods of conflict in BattleTech lore, players can look forward to an epic 14-mission campaign complete with custom dialogue
• Urban Warfare: Explore and destroy Mega Cities significantly larger than any Urban Centers previously in the MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries
• All-Out War: These grand-scale scenarios are designed to make the player feel like their Mercenary company is part of a larger force at play on the field of combat
• New Biomes: The operatic scope of the campaign’s original story calls for equally impressive environments. Players can look forward to exploring new Mega City, Jungle, and Tourmaline Desert biomes on their journey across the galaxy

Base Game Update key features:

• Melee Combat: For the first-time, players will be able to swing and punch with close quarters mech-on-mech combat
• Mech Switching: Take on full direct control of any AI-controlled Lance ’Mechs in any mission with the press of a button

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is available on Windows PC (via the Epic Games Store, GOG, and Steam), Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 on September 23. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass. If you missed it, you can find our review here (we recommend it!)