Gundam Battle Operation 3 is coming to PS5 and Steam with a weekly new-unit plan

The next Battle Operation is official. Bandai Namco has revealed Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3, a free-to-play team battle game for PlayStation 5 and Steam, and the brand-new English account for the series has been laying out the details.

The basics

According to the official site, matches support 1 to 18 players online, the game is free-to-play with some paid content, and the release date is still TBD. PS5 and Steam versions are being developed for simultaneous release, with cross-play between the two.

What is changing on the battlefield

• SP Skills for every mobile suit. The early examples give Blue Destiny Unit 1 a temporary performance boost that lets it fire some ranged weapons while moving fast, while the Guncannon can drop its weapon lock and unleash its 240mm cannon on auto.
• A visual upgrade. Higher resolution, better metallic textures, heavier animation, and more realistic lighting and shadows.
• More than the Universal Century. Units from alternate universes are coming too, with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED machines, mass-produced grunts included, already planned.

The part I care about most

The roster plan is the real headline for me. The team says a new mobile suit will be added every week, with two or three Gundam works added each year. That's a live-service pace aimed squarely at people who want to keep logging in, and it sounds like it keeps faith with what made Battle Operation fun in the first place: the mass-production units fighting next to the hero machines.

The same English account will keep covering Battle Operation 2 on PS4, PS5 and Steam, so current players aren't being left behind just yet. No date yet, but wishlisting on both platforms is open now.