If you read the name Gears of War and were immediately stricken with flashbacks of endless industrial brown corridors clogged with chest-high walls to take cover behind, you might just be in Xbox's target audience. This classic shooter, godfather of the 'brown and bloom' era, was a huge Xbox 360 system seller back in the day – and since Microsoft is having such a great run of rereleasing Xbox 360 system sellers recently, it made some amount of sense that Gears would be next. Per Xbox:
Originally released in 2006, Gears of War: Reloaded brings the full experience forward once again — enhanced for the latest hardware across multiple platforms, introducing the Gears of War franchise to a new generation of players.
Developed by The Coalition in partnership with Sumo Interactive and Disbelief, Gears of War: Reloaded launches August 26, 2025, for $39.99 SRP on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and Steam, and arrives on day one with Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass. Play on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox PC with Xbox Play Anywhere.
Gears of War: Reloaded includes the full breadth of content from the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, delivering the most complete version of the original game to date. Players will gain immediate access to all post-launch downloadable content at no additional cost — this includes the bonus Campaign act, all multiplayer maps and modes, and a full roster of classic characters and cosmetics unlockable through progression.
You read that right – Xbox is sliding yet another of their historic exclusives on over to the PlayStation 5. Mercifully, the game will not be subject to Xbox's recent price hike, which to me is just another reason to not actually own an Xbox. The series' reputation, such as it is, has been soured somewhat by a series of recent snoozefests, so maybe going back to basics is just what Gears of War needs.
…Or maybe the shooter from 2006 will still feel like a shooter from 2006 and make me wish I was playing Uncharted instead. We'll see when it launches this August.
