The Best Armored Core Games to Play Before Fires of Rubicon Comes Out

Prepare for Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon with these essential series entries! While FromSoftware is renowned for Souls-like games, their Armored Core franchise boasts a rich history spanning decades. This mech-based series typically casts players as mercenaries in a post-apocalyptic world, completing missions for profit to fund upgrades and maintenance for their powerful Armored Cores.

The Armored Core series features diverse gameplay, from destroying rebel forces and scouting enemy territory to pursuing high-value targets like trains. Success earns you funds for crucial mech enhancements, ensuring your continued survival in this unforgiving world. Failure, however, means mission termination.

The series comprises 5 main entries (with numerous spin-offs), totaling 16 games. Armored Core 1 and 2 share a continuity, while 3, 4, and 5 each have their own distinct timelines. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon (August 25, 2023 release) will likely establish a new continuity. To help you prepare, Game8 presents a curated selection of the best Armored Core games to play before diving into the latest installment.