Gears of War Reloaded Launches: What It Means for Xbox Exclusives and PlayStation Gamers

Playing Gears of War on a PlayStation console with DualSense Impulse Triggers firing while a Lancer Chainsaw Bayonet rips through skin and bone is a genuinely bizarre experience. But what about joining a friend on Xbox Series X for a cross-platform co-op session? Honestly, that is a quiet but significant stride forward. I recall when Gears first came out nearly two decades ago. The concept that players on different consoles could one day play together online was simply impossible. Cross-platform play may be commonplace now, but it was only roughly eight years ago that firms like as Epic and Xbox worked hard to make it a reality. And what about Gears of War, a popular Xbox title, coming to PlayStation? That wasn't simply impossible; it was amusing to think about.

I've tested Gears of War: Reloaded on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and the forthcoming ROG Xbox Ally X portable. I have to say that I am quite satisfied with the quality of this remaster. The Coalition collaborated with Sumo Digital and Disbelief in its development. They did an excellent job. They have updated their assets to 4K. Textures were redone. The addition of HDR support gives the campaign a completely new feel. It also operates at an extremely smooth 60 frames per second across all platforms. Both the original Gears game and the 2015 Ultimate Edition remaster, on which this new one is based, were stuck at 30 frames per second. You've never played this game like this before. It feels incredible.

Kate Rayner, technical director of The Coalition, discussed why this update is important. "Gears has always served as both a visual and technological display. "It was important for us to continue that tradition with Reloaded," she stated. "It's running at 4K. We doubled the campaign's framerate and increased the multiplayer framerate to 120 frames per second. The game now supports native HDR. There are improvements to the lighting quality, shadows, and reflections. We're doing things with Reloaded that weren't possible on the Xbox 360 or Xbox One, so there's an additional degree of fidelity beyond better pixel counts and framerates." This demonstrates how much effort was put into making this game genuinely shine on contemporary platforms.

How This Gears of War Remaster Gives New Life To A Classic Story

The original campaign holds up surprisingly well, and its influence is still seen today.

I haven't played the original Gears of War campaign since 2006. My time with Ultimate Edition was spent primarily in multiplayer matches. What struck me most about getting my hands on Gears of War: Reloaded was how wonderfully the campaign still works. It has solid underpinnings, as Rayner put it. It is difficult to express how crucial Gears was to those who were not around when it originally launched. It wasn't just the most visually appealing game on Xbox 360. It improved on the movement technique established in Resident Evil 4. Since then, third-person shooters have used the waist-high cover system.

My setup was an online co-op session with two televisions side by side. Another player sat next me. One of us had an Xbox Wireless Controller, and the other a DualSense. It wasn't long before we were completely immersed in our recollections. We were moving between covers, taking out Locust with strong bullets. We were sealing E-holes with grenades and assisting each other out. Playing 2006 again has never looked or felt so amazing. This session demonstrated just how fantastic a co-op game Gears can be. It's a blast to play with someone else. You're working together as a team to defeat a variety of terrifying foes. This game makes the experience very enjoyable.

I recall Gears of War being labeled as a "bro game." Looking back, it was actually rather stupid. Within minutes, we were repeating character lines and laughing at ludicrous objective descriptions via voice chat. There are still many questions over Microsoft Gaming's decision to release its most popular games to PlayStation. But I enjoy the concept that a large number of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 customers will be able to play something they have never had access to before. And Xbox Series X users can guide them along the way. This broadens the game's appeal to a far larger audience, which is a positive development for gaming in general.

Gears of War Reloaded offers surprising features and some early stumbles.

From physical disc exclusivity to beta server woes, what players need to know.

Gears of War: Reloaded will receive a physical edition for PlayStation 5, marking its debut appearance on Sony consoles. This feature is currently unavailable for the Xbox Series X/S versions of the game. The game will be released on August 26 for PC, Ps5, and Xbox Series X/S. This is the second time the original Gears of War game is being remastered. The first game was Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, released in 2015. Gears of War: Reloaded is another major Xbox exclusive coming to PlayStation. Earlier this year, there was speculation that Halo and Gears of War may be coming to PlayStation 5. This game confirms at least some of that theory. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has stated that no first-party game is off limits. This makes me wonder what other games will make the jump.

According to IGN, physical pre-orders for Gears of War: Reloaded are limited to the PlayStation 5. Digital pre-orders for the PS5 and Xbox X/S are $39.99. Only gamers that pre-order the digital version will be able to participate in the special multiplayer beta for Gears of War: Reloaded. The first beta weekend is from June 13 to June 15. All pre-orders for the game will include two multiplayer character skins. These skins represent Marcus Fenix's father, Adam Fenix, and Anya Stroud, a communications officer from the original game.

Xbox owners are also getting some special attention. Fans who have previously purchased the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Xbox is offering free vouchers for Gears of War: Reloaded. In addition, the game will be available via Xbox Game Pass on the first day. Game Pass Ultimate and PC members will receive the same benefits as those who pre-order. This provides access to both the multiplayer beta and the character skins. This is a fantastic surprise for long-time Xbox players.

However, the beta hasn't been without its issues. The Gears of War: Reloaded beta is now open, however it appears that many users are unable to play. Each time a player attempts to start, they are either thrown out of the search or the matchmaking process is restarted. Microsoft has yet to comment on these issues. But fans are undoubtedly upset. The Gears of War subreddit is flooded with users questioning why the beta isn't working. A huge discussion on the site highlights server issues and encourages that players should wait for them to be resolved. It's possible that Microsoft is repairing server issues and didn't expect so many users to attempt and play. They may be waiting to make a comment until the problem is resolved.

It's irritating that the beta isn't working properly. Many people have to pre-order the game to gain access. With a short time window, these server issues are robbing players of crucial playing time. Microsoft may extend the beta period if the problems persist. But we don't know that yet. The upcoming beta weekends are June 13-15 and June 20-22. Hopefully the server issues will be resolved fast. This ensures that similar difficulties do not arise during the second beta weekend. Players will have to remain patient as they wait for a repair.

What more you should know about Gears of War Reloaded and its performance.

From handheld gaming to overall impressions from a long-time fan.

I also got to test the game on the new ROG Xbox Ally X. I was quite impressed by how well it ran. It ran at a consistent 60 frames per second on the 1080p display. It even appeared to have the same real-time reflections and other features as when playing on Xbox Series X. The handheld features the same impulse triggers as Xbox controllers. Even on-screen menus and text, which can be difficult to read on smaller displays when playing large games, were clearly shown. This indicates that the game was created with handheld play in mind. It was quite pleasant and left a positive impression.

It's difficult to define fun. A video game is either true or false for each and every participant. However, playing Gears of War in co-op mode, whether online or via split-screen, which Reloaded enables, is objectively enjoyable. This was true in 2006. This was still true in 2015. This remains true in 2025. Very few games have remained as good over time. Even fewer have a first game that is still enjoyable to play after 20 years. This is due to the robust foundations, sure. But it also demonstrates the incredible effort that The Coalition put into this remaster. With multiplayer beta weekends beginning on June 13, I'm excited to challenge some people if my old wall-bouncing abilities return.

I found myself thoroughly enjoying my return to the universe of Gears of War. The updates are excellent. Playing with buddies on other systems is a big issue. Despite the early beta issues, the game appears to be set to make an impact. I believe newbies will enjoy discovering this classic for the first time. Old fans will enjoy seeing it look and feel better than ever before. It is a good time to be a Gears fan, no matter what console you play on.