Players are headed back to where it all began with Gears of War: Reloaded.
Since the first game launched back in 2006, Gears of War has been one of the biggest Xbox franchises around, with epic campaigns that can be played solo or in co-op alongside brutal multiplayer unlike anything else available.
With Gears of War: Reloaded, that original experience is being brought to modern gaming hardware, letting players experience the story of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad all over again or for the very first time.
Here is everything you need to know about Gears of War: Reloaded.
When is the release date for Gears of War: Reloaded?
When is the release date for Gears of War: Reloaded?
Gears of War: Reloaded is slated to launch on Aug. 26, 2025. This is almost exactly a decade after Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and almost 19 years after the launch of the original Gears of War.
Developed by Epic Games using the studio’s Unreal Engine 3 technology, Gears of War launched exclusively on Xbox 360 in November 2006. The game was an instant hit, receiving rave reviews and selling over a million copies in its first two weeks.
The game was ported to PC as part of the ill-fated Games for Windows Live program a year later in November 2007. This port included some extra chapters, greatly extending the length of the game’s fifth act.
Microsoft acquired the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games in 2014, building a first-party studio called The Coalition to lead the series moving forward. In August 2015, The Coalition released Gears of War: Ultimate Edition for Xbox One consoles, with a PC port exclusive to the Microsoft Store following on March 1, 2016.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition featured new visuals, rebuilt cutscenes, improved textures, and effects all rendered at 1080p, as well as 60 FPS support on Xbox One in multiplayer. Ultimate Edition also included the chapters that were included in the prior PC version.
Gears of War: Reloaded is now scheduled to arrive on Aug. 26, 2025, marking the second time this game has been remastered.
What is Gears of War: Reloaded?
What is Gears of War: Reloaded?
Gears of War: Reloaded is a third-person shooter developed by The Coalition with assistance from Sumo Interactive and Disbelief, and published by Xbox Game Studios. Gears of War: Reloaded is also a remaster of the original Gears of War, building on the work done with the previous Ultimate Edition remaster. Reloaded packs in better textures, 4K resolution, 120 FPS in multiplayer, and more.
The original Gears of War was a massive game, changing the way players understand third-person games and shooting, spawning waves of imitators and strongly influencing the cover-based gameplay design of other titles like BioWare’s science-fiction role-playing series Mass Effect.
Gears of War features a brutal setting where humanity lives on a planet called Sera. After years of warring against each other over resources, humanity is then invaded from below, with a subterranean race known as the Locust Horde decimating humanity in an event known as Emergence Day, or E-Day.
Developed by The Coalition with assistance from Sumo Interactive and Disbelief, Gears of War: Reloaded features a number of visual and technical improvements over the prior remaster, 2015’s Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
Gears of War: Reloaded features 4K resolution, HDR, VRR, and 60 FPS in campaign, with 120 FPS multiplayer support. The game also features zero loading screens in campaign, with improved textures, particle effects, and more.
What platforms is Gears of War: Reloaded coming to?
What platforms is Gears of War: Reloaded coming to?
Gears of War: Reloaded is coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam and the Xbox app), and PlayStation 5.
The original Gears of War launched on Xbox 360 before being ported to Windows PC. Similarly, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition launched on Xbox One before getting a PC port.
Eschewing this kind of staggered rollout, Gears of War: Reloaded is launching across Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PlayStation 5 all at once. Notably, this is the first time a Gears of War game has ever launched on a PlayStation console.
PC players can choose to play Gears of War: Reloaded on Steam or via the Xbox PC app.
What price is Gears of War: Reloaded?
What price is Gears of War: Reloaded?
Gears of War: Reloaded is launching at $39.99 USD on all platforms. Xbox players that already owned a digital copy of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will get a free upgrade.
Gears of War: Reloaded is slated to launch with a $40 price tag on all platforms, meaning it won’t be a “full price” game. While Microsoft announced in 2025 that some Xbox games will eventually launch at $80, the company is still using a range of different prices for different games, something sometimes referred to as “variable pricing.”
It’s important to note that Xbox players that purchased a digital copy of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition prior to May 5 (which is when the game was announced) will get a free upgrade, with a code for Gears of War: Reloaded sent to their Xbox accounts shortly before launch.
As an Xbox first-party game, Gears of War: Reloaded is also included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch. It’ll also be available via Xbox Cloud Gaming for anyone subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Does Gears of War: Reloaded have crossplay?
Does Gears of War: Reloaded have crossplay?
Yes, Gears of War: Reloaded has full crossplay, letting players fight in co-op across the campaign or against each other in multiplayer no matter their chosen platform. Signing in with a Microsoft account also grants full cross-progression, letting players take their progress across any platform.
Crossplay has become a huge factor in multiplayer games, letting players engage in co-op or compete regardless of where they like to play.
In addition to local two-player split-screen, Gears of War: Reloaded supports full crossplay, meaning you can play together regardless of if you’re on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC.
Players on non-Xbox platforms are not required to use a Microsoft account, but signing in with one grants full cross-progression, meaning your campaign and multiplayer progress can be carried with you across platforms.
