After half a decade since the last entry in the series, the iconic Gears of War franchise is finally making its grand return with the Gears of War: Reloaded, releasing this summer. Rather than being a remake of the original Gears trilogy, Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster of the very first entry in the series alone, bringing the series back to its roots before Gears of War: E-Day eventually releases. While there's still no release date for the highly anticipated prequel to the series, Gears of War: Reloaded is the perfect way to refresh your memory beforehand.

While it might be disappointing news for fans hoping to receive a Gears of War trilogy collection before the 20th anniversary of the series, there are still plenty of changes to make the latest remaster worth your while. Introducing the series to more systems and adding several improvements that enhance the original experience, Gears of War: Reloaded has plenty to offer to both new and old players. Thankfully, there won't be much of a wait until Gears of War: Reloaded releases, as it's only a few months before you can relive the original experience in its highest fidelity yet.

Gears of War: Reloaded Is Arriving Soon This Summer

A Short Wait For The Return Of A Beloved Classic

While Gears of War: Reloaded isn't having a sudden surprise drop like the recent Oblivion Remastered, there's not much waiting left, as the remaster releases on August 26, 2025, simultaneously across all systems. The story of Gears of War: Reloaded will be identical to the original experience, aside from its overhauled visuals, featuring the same classic gameplay, horrifying story, and tragic character moments you . Given that Gears of War: Reloaded is primarily a port of the Enhanced Edition with even higher fidelity and performance, it also includes the bonus of additional story DLC in the base game.

Reloaded will offer a great jumping-off point for players who need a recap or a first-time introduction to the series.

Although later entries in the series failed to have the same cultural impact as the original Gears of War trilogy, the franchise is still widely beloved, with as much emotional storytelling as adrenaline-pumping action that's perfectly showcased in the first and more grounded entry in the franchise. With the protagonists, Dom and Marcus, being center stage in the prequel, Reloaded will offer a great jumping-off point for players who need a recap or a first-time introduction to the series. Thanks to its newfound cross-compatibility, you can finally experience the unique storytelling of the Gears on more systems than ever.

Gears of War: Reloaded Is A Multi-Platform Launch Title

Finally Bringing The Iconic Franchise To Even More Players

One of the biggest selling points of Gears of War: Reloaded over the 2015 Gears of War: Enhanced Edition is that the newest remaster will release on the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and even the Steam store. With the Gears franchise officially coming to PlayStation, it's only a matter of time before even more classics make their way to exciting new hardware. While Gears 5 and 4 had PC releases over the years alongside the Enhanced Edition, it's still the first time the originals will become playable on PC, just the same as PlayStation.

While the news about Gears of War: Reloaded's multi-platform launch is exciting on its own, the remaster's availability options have even more potential thanks to the cross-play and cross-progression features included at launch. From couch co-op using split-screen, online co-op, or versus multiplayer with a total of eight combatants per match, there's plenty of multiplayer potential all without needing a Microsoft .

You will still need a Microsoft to send invites and play with your friends across platforms.

Despite not needing one to play, you will still need a Microsoft to send invites and play with your friends across platforms, as well as make use of its cross-progression to save your campaign and multiplayer progression across devices. With a Microsoft unlocking Gears of War: Reloaded's full potential, you won't be tied down to a single console, as you can game by yourself or with players on Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam all simultaneously.

How Much Does Gears of War: Reloaded Cost?

A Surprising Deal For An Overhauled Remaster

While I was surprised to hear about a second remaster for Gears of War, I was also expecting a much higher price tag given the current costs of remasters. Compared to more expensive remakes like The Last of Us Part 1 or even the more recent Oblivion Remastered overhaul, Gears of War: Reloaded will only cost a total of $39.99 USD at launch. To sweeten the deal, Gears of War: Reloaded also includes all the DLC content that was released after the game's original launch in 2006, including the additions of the more recent Enhanced Edition ​​​​​​from 2015.

The free digital upgrade codes for Gears of War: Enhanced Edition owners will be provided prior to launch via a direct message to eligible Xbox s.

The DLC included in Gears of War: Reloaded itself offers "the bonus Campaign act, all multiplayer maps and modes, and a full roster of classic characters and cosmetics unlockable through progression", according to its developers. With how many similarities that Gears of War: Reloaded has with the previous remaster, Coalition has decided to offer a free all players who purchased the digital version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before this announcement.

On top of the free upgrade from enhanced edition owners, Gears of War: Reloaded is also coming to Game Ultimate and PC Game as a day one launch title. Offering new content that wasn't available to most players at launch, Gears of War: Reloaded offers a fresh experience for players who originally beat the original on the Xbox 360 and didn't feel the need to replay it with the Enhanced Edition.

Gameplay And Everything New Coming In Gears of War: Reloaded

Plenty Of Additions To Warrant A Second Remaster Of The Original Gears Title

Not much of the gameplay itself seems to be changing from the Enhanced Edition in the latest remaster, aside from the benefit of reviving the classic multiplayer combat with a massively increased pool of potential players to face off against. This isn't to say the gameplay is the same as the original, as Gears of War: Reloaded features newer mechanics like spotting and switching weapons while running that were included in the Enhanced Edition. With the original Gears of War releasing before the Locusts suffered from repetitive enemies, the classic horror is taken to greater heights with these immersive features.

• 4K resolution
• 60 FPS in Campaign
• 120 FPS in Multiplayer
• High Dynamic Range (HDR)
• Dolby Vision & 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos
• 7.1.4 3D Spatial Audio
• Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)
• 4K assets and remastered textures
• Enhanced post-processing visual effects
• Improved shadows and reflections
• Super resolution with improved antialiasing
• Zero loading screens during the Campaign

Given that each of the consoles Gears of War: Reloaded is launching can vary greatly in their hardware, there will be platform-specific features to take advantage of your current hardware to maintain the desired settings. This likely means that some visual aspects will be tuned down on consoles like the Xbox Series S in favor of stable performance, with PC and the PlayStation 5 Pro likely to take more advantage of the higher fidelity options. While the original entry wasn't the best in the franchise, Gears of War: Reloaded is the most significant yet by bridging the gap between devices.

Source: Xbox