Bandai Namco has unveiled Gundam Blitz Order, a free-to-play mobile game for iOS and Android that pitches itself as the franchise's first idle game. There is no launch date yet, but the publisher has already opened applications for a closed network test that runs from November 18 to November 24. Only 500 players in the United States and England will get in, so anyone curious needs to apply before October 26.
What kind of Gundam game this is
Idle games tend to get a bad name with players who want to steer every fight themselves, and Bandai Namco's development team seems aware of it. Its first dev notes describe Blitz Order as an "RPG-style idle simulation" that splits its time between two modes. In one, your deployed squads fight on their own around the clock and pile up upgrade materials while you are away. Those materials sit in storage for up to 24 hours, so checking in once a day is enough to avoid wasting any. As you progress you can field more squads at once, and more squads mean bigger rewards.
The levelling system leans into that low-friction approach. Materials power up your whole roster at once rather than one unit at a time, so a mobile suit you just pulled can go straight into a fight without hours of catch-up grinding. That is the opposite of the usual gacha treadmill, where a fresh unit sits on the bench until it has been fed enough resources to matter.
The hands-on half: classes, formations and EX Skills
The second mode is where the strategy lives. Every unit belongs to one of six classes: Guardian, Striker, Assault, Artillery, Sniper and Support. The team uses the original Gundam as its example of a Guardian, a defensive unit built to absorb hits so the rest of the squad can do its job. Artillery units hit hard but break easily, so they belong at the back, and some fire in a line that can catch several enemies if you place them with that trajectory in mind. Assault units charge straight at priority targets, while Support units heal and buff.
Before each battle you choose which units to bring and where to put them on the field, and the developers stress that matchups against the enemy line-up matter as much as synergy within your own squad. In the fight itself, each unit has its own skills, headlined by an EX Skill that charges over time and can be fired whenever you choose. You can also hand EX Skills over to an auto setting that picks a target or spot and fires the moment the skill is ready. You can flip it on and off mid-battle. Each EX Skill also gets its own animation, styled to match the unit that uses it.
Beyond combat, the official site lists boss battles and warship escort missions, plus side activities such as developing new mobile suits and collecting well-known items from the series. The roster is not tied to one show: mobile suits, warships and Mobile Armors from across the Mobile Suit Gundam series are all promised.
Network test dates and how to apply
Applications opened at 12:00 JST on October 15 (03:00 UTC) through the game's official website and close at 11:59 JST on October 26 (02:59 UTC on the same day). The test itself runs from 14:00 JST on November 18 to 13:59 JST on November 24, which works out to 05:00 UTC on November 18 through 04:59 UTC on November 24.
A few conditions are worth knowing before you fill in the form:
- Who can apply: residents of the United States and England who are over the age of majority where they live.
- How many get in: 500 participants. If applications exceed that, Bandai Namco will choose who gets in, and says it may weigh what applicants write about their knowledge of and passion for Gundam.
- One email, no changes: the address you apply with must match the one on your Apple ID or Google account, and it cannot be changed afterwards. One application per person.
- Results: selected players will be emailed on or after November 13. The email goes out once and cannot be resent.
Bandai Namco says all of these dates may still move.
Device requirements
The test build is phone-only. iPads and Android tablets are not supported. On iOS you need an iPhone XS or newer running iOS 16 or later with at least 4GB of RAM. On Android you need Android 16 or later and at least 6GB of RAM. Your device must meet both the OS and the memory requirement.
The test version is a cut-down build. Some features from the full game will be restricted, the unit count will differ from launch, and maintenance is planned during the test window. Bandai Namco's terms say selected testers may post screenshots and video of the test on social media, as long as they follow the company's game commentary policy.
What's next
Bandai Namco has confirmed the game will launch but has not given a date. The official site and trailer come in English, Japanese, Korean and two Traditional Chinese versions, which points to a wide release even though this first test is limited to two countries. The team has promised further dev notes covering the systems it only sketched this time.
