Armored Core VI reveals the first gameplay trailer, info, and release date. See all the explosive details here!
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Explosive Trailer Unleashed, Release Date Confirmed
Bandai Namco suddenly dropped an unexpected bombshell on eager Armored Core fans. Ever since its initial announcementback in December, Armored Core VI has been pretty quiet. Fans of the series will finally get their hands on the first mecha fighting game in 9 years.
They won’t have to wait long, either. Bandai Namco announced that Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon will be released on July 01, 2025. This is just under 4 months away.
Welcome to Rubicon
The story of Armored Core VI takes place on the ruins of the planet Rubicon 3. Coral, a powerful yet extremely volatile resource, was discovered here years ago. Thanks to humanity’s hubris and greed, they over-mined the resource, causing a planet-wide inferno. The resulting explosion laid ruin to the planet’s inhabitants and nearby stars. Yet greed knows no bounds. Many corporations have gone after Coral yet again, re-igniting the potential for another cataclysmic disaster.
And based on the trailer footage, Rubicon’s areas are extremely massive. Player’s Armored Cores (also called ACs) will have tons of both horizontal and vertical space to explore. There will be tons of expansive areas, ranging from cityscapes to underground laboratories, to industrial factories. The sense of scale and awe is on full display here, thanks to FromSoft’s world-building (thanks,Elden Ring!).
The planet will be littered with these humongous structures and environments, giving players tons of freedom to move around.
The Armored Core VI Combat
Armored Core VI will retain the series’ heart-pounding combat. For those unfamiliar, the AC games are all about mechs duking it out against competitor mechs, or even gigantic weaponry and other mobile platforms.
The upcoming game will showcase some new or modified mechanics, of course. One such feature is called Assault Boost, which is different from normal boost. ACs typically drift and fly around the battlefield at a steady pace. However, with Assault Boost, players can trigger an offensive boost to gain a burst of speed in order to close the gap between themselves and their foes. Perfect for melee-oriented characters or finishing moves.
Armored Core VI will also introduce a stagger mechanic. Like in most games, getting hit too many times in quick succession will leave you stunned or otherwise quite vulnerable. Of course, this can also be applied to enemies as well, adding to the strategic element of the game. The amount of stagger that is dealt will be dependent on things such as weapon type and distance.
Build-a-Bot
Creating the perfect weapon of mass destruction is the name of the game in Armored Core VI. While the mechs created here may not be as lithe as those in the Gundam series, they are still a sight to behold. As expected, there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of possible loadout configurations.
Players will have tons of options for all of the different parts of their AC. The Leg parts, for example, will have the usual humanoid legs. But can even get tank treads instead and sacrifice mobility for maximum weight capacity (and we can even see in the trailer that treads-based ACs can now ram into foes).
ACs can be equipped with up to four weapons at a time: one in each hand, and one on each shoulder. We can expect to see a wide arsenal with a split of more standard weaponry and energy weapons. However, we will see quite the resurgence of melee options, especially with the new Assault Boost.
Armored Souls
While the Armored Core series traditionally has boss fights, not everything is memorable. Who can forget encounters in Elden Ring like that ofMargit,Godrick, or evenGodfrey? Armored Core VI will try to emulate these epic fights in some way. Of course, we have AC vs AC combat yet again, but the trailer ups this to 11.
We can see gigantic mechanical tentacles, a humongous battle tank, a spider walker with a tracking laser, and even an AC attached to a weapons platform that was firing dozens of missiles at the player, and trying to burn them with a flamethrower for good measure.
Just like in previous entries, your AC won’t be a one-size-fits-all kind of configuration. You will need to carefully plan and adapt your Core for the fight.
Masters of the Arena
Armored Cove VI will reintroduce the Arena mode into the game. Players can battle against other ACs and their pilots, moving up the ranks in the process. It looks like the foes you face in the arena will have different personalities, and you’re able to even encounter them up and about during actual missions.
It is also confirmed that Armored Core VI will have multiple endings. Perhaps there will be some (or hopefully, many) choices that will challenge the player.
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