The game will be playable in some form in December at Mech Con in Vancouver.:
Mech Con's official website: https://mechwarrior.com/mechcon
This year, Mech_Con attendees will have the opportunity to be among the first to play an early, never-before-seen build of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries. Featuring tactical, first-person PvE 'Mech combat in an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice and set within an advancing timeline, players will adopt the role of a green MechWarrior mercenary thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere; the vast region of colonized space surrounding Earth. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield but in the maintenance and enhancement of your BattleMechs.
Set for release in 2018, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is under development by a dedicated development team at Piranha Games using Unreal Engine 4.
Mech Con's official website: https://mechwarrior.com/mechcon