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Bandai Namco Entertainment announced Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3 on October 28, 2026, during its Gundam Game 40th Anniversary live stream. It is coming to PS5 and Steam as a free-to-play title with cross-play and some paid items. Early network tests run on November 20 and 22, and there is no release date yet.
Two changes stand out. Every mobile suit in the game gets an “SP Skill,” and units from the alternative-universe Gundam series, not just the Universal Century, join the roster properly. The announcement confirmed the BuCUE from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Then there is the part Battle Operation 2 players care about most. The two games will not run side by side, and there is no way to carry over units or any other in-game assets. Instead, Bandai Namco says “linked bonuses based on your play record” are being planned. This article breaks down the specs revealed so far and what happens to Battle Operation 2.
Losing eight years of unit collection with no carryover stings, no two ways about it. But saying up front that the two games won’t be run in parallel is the honest move.
Platforms and pricing first.
What platforms is Battle Operation 3 on, and how much does it cost?
The game is coming to PS5 and PC via Steam, with cross-platform and cross-play support, and both versions will be operated simultaneously. It is free-to-play with some paid items. Matches hold 1 to 18 players, and custom matches go up to 9v9.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Title | Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3 |
| Platforms | PS5 / Steam (cross-play, both run simultaneously) |
| Pricing | Free-to-play (some paid items) |
| Genre | Team battle action |
| Players | 1 to 18 (custom matches up to 9v9) |
| Early network test | November 20 and 22, 2026 (sign-ups open on the official site) |
| Official release | TBA (CERO rating pending) |
Battle Operation 2 launched on PS4 and only picked up a PS5 version later, so this is the first time PC players stand on the same ground from day one. Not splitting the player pool between PS5 and Steam is a straightforwardly good thing for matchmaking speed.
What do SP Skills and supply pods change, and which series are in?
SP Skills are a new system available to every mobile suit. The gauge fills as time passes in a match and as you deal and take damage, and once it is full you can fire off a move meant to swing the fight. A team supply pod function has been added alongside it, and the structure of swapping between piloting a mobile suit and controlling infantry to win for your team carries over from the previous game.
On the series front, the Universal Century is represented by Mobile Suit Gundam, The 08th MS Team and 0083: Stardust Memory, while the alternative-universe side is confirmed with the BuCUE from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Bandai Namco also signaled a plan to field a large number of mass-production units.
Battle Operation 2 did get SEED units in as collaborations, but this is the first time the word used is a proper roster addition. Which cost bracket the four-legged BuCUE lands in is the big question, because in this series leg type and terrain are what decide matches.
What happens to Battle Operation 2, and can you transfer your assets?
As of October 2026, no end-of-service date has been announced for Battle Operation 2. Bandai Namco has, however, stated that it will not run the game alongside Battle Operation 3, and has said outright that units and other in-game assets cannot be migrated.
On the other hand, “linked bonuses based on your play record” are said to be in planning. What gets carried across and how far it goes has not been announced, so the safe play right now is to leave your Battle Operation 2 data alone. The early network tests run across two days, November 20 and 22, with sign-ups being taken on the official site.
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Summary: get hands-on at the November 20 early test
Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 3 is a free-to-play title for PS5 and Steam with cross-play support. Every mobile suit gets an SP Skill, and alternative-universe units starting with SEED join the roster properly. The early network tests are November 20 and 22, 2026, and the release date is TBA. There is no parallel operation with Battle Operation 2 and no asset carryover, but linked bonuses are being planned.
Stating the no-carryover policy up front is the coherent way to hand over from a long-running live service. The real question is whether SP Skills genuinely deliver on “every unit can swing the fight,” because if that balance breaks, this becomes a high-cost-units-only game. The November 20 early test is the first chance to feel out the answer.
Don’t delete your Battle Operation 2 data yet. Not until we see what the linked bonuses actually are.
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