What you need to know

• Players of Gears 5 on the Steam Deck should now be able to do so finally with no woes or workarounds required for its anti-cheat software. 
• The latest version of Proton GE, a customized version of Valve's own Proton has specific fixes added to address EAC on Gears 5. 
• It takes only a few minutes to install for hours of endless Gears 5 fun. 

It's always exciting being a Steam Deck gamer and today is no exception, especially if you're into Gears 5. Because there's now a way to play the game without having to implement any workarounds for the EAC anti-cheat. 

EAC is supported in Linux and on the Steam Deck, so this isn't a mad hack or anything, but as spotted by GamingonLinux, the latest update to Proton GE, a customized version of Valve's own Proton, has some tasty fixes for Gears 5 on the Steam Deck. 

• Gears 5 now works with EAC without any workarounds needed. If you previously used proton-ge to play, go into the game folder and remove these folders:

/GearGame/Binaries/Steam/EasyAntiCheat-backup /Engine/Binaries/ThirdParty/GFSDK_Aftermath

Then verify the integrity of the game files so that it re-downloads the originals.

You will of course need to be in desktop mode to delete these folders if you'd previously been using Proton GE with Gears 5. 

The Gears fixes were actually part of Proton GE 8-5 but there has since been a newer version, 8-6, pushed out with a hotfix for Final Fantasy XIV as well. Proton GE is not natively part of the Steam Deck, it's built by long standing community member, GloriousEggroll, who by day is a Red Hat engineer. 

So, how do you get it? It's pretty easy, as it happens. 

On your Steam Deck you'll want to flip over to desktop mode, open the Discover store and search for an app called ProtonUp-Qt. Once installed, open it up and make sure that Steam is selected from the dropdown box at the top. 

Hit Add version then make sure Proton GE is selected from the top box. In the one below, choose Proton GE 8-5 or 8-6 and hit Install. It'll only take a minute and when it's done you can close the app. Then quit out of Steam while you're on the desktop to reload the compatibility list and go back to the handheld UI mode. 

Now you can select Proton GE as the compatibility tool by opening the Properties menu for Gears 5 in your Steam library. And away you go! 

What you need to know

• NVIDIA has announced the Gears 5 will be the first Xbox game added NVIDIA GeForce Now, starting today.
• NVIDIA has also stated that Deathloop, Grounded and Pentiment will join GeForce Now on May 25, 2023, with more Xbox titles coming in the future.
• GeForce Now is a NVIDIA's premium cloud-gaming service that allows subscribers to stream games they own on PC and other devices incapable of playing games natively.

Today, NVIDIA has announced that it is collaborating with Microsoft to bring Xbox games to its PC cloud-gaming service, NVIDIA GeForce Now. The first Xbox title to be added to GeForce Now will be Gears 5, which subscribers can stream and play right now.

In addition to Gears 5, other Xbox PC titles like Pentiment, Grounded, and Deathloop will be joining GeForce Now on May 25, 2023. More games will be added in the future along with Microsoft Store support for Geforce Now. 

Gears 5

Gears 5 is the fifth major entry of the most iconic third-person shooter franchise on Xbox, Gears of War. Help Kait Diaz and her comrades save the planet of Sera from the vicious Swarm in an epic campaign that can be played solo or with your friends in split-screen local co-op or three-player online co-op.

You can play Gears 5 on GeForce Now starting today.

Deathloop

Deathloop is a first-person shooter created by Arkane, most notable for critically-acclaimed titles such as Dishonored 2 and Prey (2017). You play as an assassin that has been caught in a neverending timeloop on the island of Blackreef. To escape this nightmare, you will have to explore the island, exterminate your targets, and discover the means to break the cycle.

Deathloop will be added to GeForce Now on May 25, 2023.

Grounded

Grounded is an open-world survival game where you play as a group of teens who have mysteriously been shrunken down to the size of ants. You and other players must band together to traverse the treacherous backyard, gather materials and food to survive, and fend off giant insects looking to devour you.

Grounded will be added to GeForce Now on May 25, 2023. 

Pentiment

Pentiment is a narrative-focused adventure game that tells the tale of Andreas Maler, an illustrator who has been unwillingly caught up in a conspiracy involving murders, scandals, and political intrigue. Help Andreas solve this mystery by exploring the world of 16th-century Bavaria for clues, questioning the locals for leads, and making moral decisions that will determine the outcome of the story.

Pentiment will be added to GeForce Now on May 25, 2023.

NVIDIA GeForce Now is a premium cloud-based gaming subscription service where users can stream digital PC games they own on many compatible devices including TVs, laptops, mobiles, androids, PC, and more.

With the inclusion of some of the best Xbox titles and more upcoming Xbox games on the way, NVIDIA GeForce Now's gigantic library of over 1,600 games is about to get even bigger.

What you need to know

• Development on the Gears 6 campaign appears to have started based on a new Microsoft job listing.
• The listing indicates that The Coalition, the developers of the Gears of War series, are looking for a Lead Mission Designer.
• Gears 6 is expected to follow up on where the story of Gears 5 left off, and could launch at some point in 2024 or 2025.

While the Gears of War developer The Coalition looks to be working on a new IP, that doesn't mean that the studio isn't actively building the next Gears title. In fact, a new job listing on Microsoft's website suggests that the campaign of the next Gears game ⁠— assumed to be Gears 6 ⁠— has entered the development stage.

The job listing in question is for a Lead Mission Designer position at The Coalition, with the developer seeking an individual "with a proven track record of delivering highly engaging, high-quality campaign experiences in games." The listing further states that the Lead Mission Designer will be expected to "work with the Campaign Director and the Level Design Team to design the campaign experience, its pacing, its rewards, and the features that surround it," and will also be responsible for collaborations with The Coalition's Design Team, Level Art Team, programmers, and more.

It's currently unclear when exactly Gears 6 is expected to launch, though based on what Xbox YouTuber Rand Al Thor 19 said our Senior Editor Jez Corden mentioned to him during an episode of the Xbox News Cast podcast, the game could arrive at some point in 2024 or 2025. 

The campaign of Gears 6 would presumably be a direct follow-up to the story of 2019's Gears 5, with its main characters Kait Diaz, Marcus Fenix, Damon Baird, and others expected to return as protagonists. The Swarm, the race of deadly creatures that players fought in Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, is also expected to return as antagonists in Gears 6.

Gears 5 is available now on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, and can also be played if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription. It's one of the best Xbox games available if you love action-packed campaign experiences, though the PvP, Horde, and Escape modes are plenty of fun too.

After Gears Tactics and Gears 5, The Coalition has a bit of a question mark hanging over it. Given the ending of Gears 5, a Gears 6 is all but inevitable — but is it the next game from The Coalition? Maybe not, according to this LinkedIn profile listing.

A developer working for The Coalition recently updated their LinkedIn profile to note that they're working on levels for a new IP. IP stands for Intellectual Property, and generally refers to a specific game franchise. Gears 6 therefore wouldn't necessarily be a new IP, which if correct, could indicate that The Coalition's next game is something new entirely.

The Coalition recently demonstrated their work with the Unreal Engine, building a new tech demo to showcase UE5 on the Xbox Series X. The Coailtion began life as Black Tusk, and went as far to show off a CGI trailer for a game that was shelved in favor of taking over the Gears of War IP, when Microsoft picked it up from Epic Games.

Since changing its name to The Coalition, the studio has worked on Gears of War 4, Gears 5, and Gears Tactics, garnering consistent success and acclaim. Many of us have wondered what the talented team could make if they stepped away from Gears for a little while, and it certainly seems as though the studio is at least exploring what that could mean.

There's every chance that the LinkedIn listing refers to a new IP from another Microsoft partner team, however, such as Contraband from Avalanche, or one of Microsoft's other upcoming Xbox games. Microsoft's studios have been known to contribute to each other's projects when needs arise, but the possibility of a new IP from The Coalition certainly sparks the imagination, either way.

What do you think? Would you like to see The Coalition tackle a new IP? Does Gears of War need a bit of a rest? Or would you like to see Gears 6 first? Hit the comments, let us know.

You can grab Gears 5 on Xbox Game Pass, or direct from the Microsoft Store for $35.

Thanks @BethWilder26 for the tip.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 developer The Coalition is well-known for always being at the forefront of Unreal Engine game development.
• Today, The Coalition has announced that they're officially shifting resources to the next-gen-only Unreal Engine 5.
• This has exciting implications for the multiple new projects coming in the future from The Coalition.
• It does mean that development on Gears 5, however, will slowly start coming to an end over the next few Operations.

Gears 5 is one of the best showcases for the prowess of next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, as well as what can be accomplished with Epic Game's Unreal Engine 4. The Coalition, the developer of the popular Gears (previously Gears of War) series, has long been at the forefront of Unreal Engine game development. Today, The Coalition looks to continue that legacy by moving to the next-gen only Unreal Engine 5 for "multiple new projects in the coming years."

What does this mean? It means that The Coalition has officially begun to shift resources and teams to the new Unreal Engine 5 for game development, and it means that development on the already-excellent Gears 5 will now start to come to an end. Gears 5 has already received a ton of post-launch support, most recently with the arrival of the fantastic Gears 5: Hivebusters DLC, and now we're going to start seeing the end of this active content support.

Through the end of 2021, The Coalition will launch several new updates for Gears 5 with more content and featured playlists, and will drop new playable characters, maps, and more with Operations 7 and 8 (of course following Operation 6 from February, 2021). Gears 5 isn't being cut off instantaneously, and instead will enjoy more updates through the rest of the year until The Coalition is fully invested in the development of several unannounced projects (which won't be revealed for a while, most likely) on Unreal Engine 5.

Gears 5 is one of the best games on Xbox, and it'll be exciting to see what The Coalition is able to accomplish with the power of next-gen gaming hardware and the versatile Unreal Engine 5.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person tactical shooter from the Coalition and Xbox.
• Operation 6 is about to begin in Gears 5, which will add new content to its multiplayer.
• The operation is starting with three new characters and a new map, with a mid-operation content drop planned.
• Operations in Gears will become shorter and more densely packed with updates from here on out.

Gears 5 is continuing to add additional content to its intense multiplayer with the announcement of Gears 5 Operation 6. The next major Operation for Gears 5 is going to make some crucial changes to how Gears 5 handles new content, and will add new characters and maps for players to enjoy.

To begin, Operation 6 will start to shorten Gears 5 Operations from 16 weeks to 11 weeks, and will split content drops into two portions: the initial launch-content, and mid-Operation content. Each content drop will now contain at least two characters. When Operation 6 starts, Gears 5 players will have three new characters with Colonel Victor Hoffman, Queen Reyna, and Locust Zealot. There will also be a new map called Speyer.

The Coalition will drop more information on what's coming in Operation 6 in the coming weeks.

If you haven't played Gears 5 yet, it has certainly earned its place as one of the Best Games for Xbox. It also recently got some excellent campaign DLC. In our Gears 5: Hivebusters review, we said that "fast action is offset by surprisingly introspective character development, all in a jaw-droppingly gorgeous jungle setting." You can play Gears 5 and its multiplayer through Xbox Game Pass.

If you want to get the most out of Gears 5, consider one of the Best Headsets for Xbox Series X|S, where impeccable audio performance can turn the tides of battle.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 and Gears Tactics now support Variable Rate Shading (VRS) Tier 2 on all DirectX 12 Ultimate supported devices.
• VRS is a development technique that can have significant performance gains with GPU-intensive titles like the Gears games.
• With Tier 2 support, Gears 5 and Gears Tactics are on the cutting edge and can gain bigger performance boosts with fewer visual anomalies.
• The Coalition has also released a blog post detailing how they implemented VRS Tier 2 and how it helps their games.

The Coalition, the studio behind the storied Gears franchise, is well-known for constantly pushing the boundaries for what can be accomplished on Microsoft's hardware. Still, they're far from stopping after the release of next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Today, the DirectX 12 Ultimate team has announced that Gears 5 and Gears Tactics now support VRS Tier 2 on all supported devices, including Xbox Series X|S and certain PCs running modern GPUs from AMD and NVIDIA.

Variable Rate Shading (VRS) is a rendering technique that can improve performance in GPU-intensive games by analyzing a scene and applying more GPU power to more essential parts of the screen. VRS Tier 1 already provided pretty sizeable gains for games like Gears Tactics, but VRS Tier 2 increases the performance gains while reducing any visual tears or anomalies that occasionally occurred before. The Coalition have officially implemented VRS Tier 2 in Gears 5 and Gears Tactics, with up to 14% gains in performance with no visual impacts!

If you want the full run-down, Microsoft has a new blog post up detailing everything you need to know about VRS Tier 2 in Gears 5 and Gears Tactics. Either way, this is impressive tech and hints at the future of the Xbox Series X|S and the kinds of things DirectX 12 Ultimate will be capable of as we move forward with brand-new gaming hardware.

Gears 5 and Gears Tactics are already lookers, but the games and VRS both shine, especially when playing at higher resolutions like 4K. To get the most out of both, consider one of the Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X|S to upgrade your visuals. Both games are also available through Xbox Game Pass, so you can play them without needing to commit to a full purchase.

Related: Read our Gears Tactics full review!

Gears 5, the latest entry in the longrunning Gears of War franchise, released in 2019 to critical praise and is, in many regards, one of the best Xbox One shooters available. Our own Jez Corden loved it in his review, though he felt it didn't quite go far enough in changing things up at certain points.

Now, over a year later, the developers at The Coalition have released an expansion pack of sorts, a DLC called Gears 5: Hivebusters. This story follows the origin of Scorpio Squad — Mac, Lahni and Keegan — as they work to uncover a way to destroy entire Swarm hives on a near-suicide mission.

Gears 5: Hivebusters combines the best of the main game's combat setpieces with some newfound introspection. These quiet moments, examining the casualties of war, cowardice, depression, and even the loss of one's culture, are surprisingly touching. Mixing in some abilities usually only found in the Horde or Escape modes, Gears 5: Hivebusters is a rousing success for almost three hours, provided you're willing to pay the entrance fee.

Gears 5: Hivebusters brings new ideas to the best of the series

Gears 5: Hivebusters takes what already worked in the main campaign and refines it. Best-in-class third-person shooting takes Scorpio Squad through the Galangi islands' jungle setting. Pseudo-stealth sections and fierce firefights amid constantly changing environments make for a fantastic overall experience. There's also some neat additions, which further help to shake things up in the form of character abilities.

Gears 5 already had some RPG-lite elements with upgrading JACK, the robot helper who also became playable through co-op. Mac, Keegan and Lahni all have their own unique abilities, capable of generating a wide defensive shield, ammo resupply, or an electrically-charged knife, respectively. These abilities can also be upgraded by finding secret hidden stones throughout the chapters. Waves of enemies are more overwhelming and I found myself having to constantly use these abiltiies if I didn't want to be overrun. This is a change I hope is explored more in further games, perhaps as Gears leans in even harder on being an RPG.

What really surprised me was the restraint shown when you aren't gunning and cutting through the Swarm. Beneath his joking facade, Mac the Outsider is seriously depressed, with time taken to address how he's getting past it. Lahni was taken away from her Pahanu culture in the South Islands, so she has a tone of child-like wonder as she learns about her mythology and the stories she's missed out on. It's a nice change of pace and oddly self-reflective.

There's no wide open sections here like in Act 2 or 3 of the original campaign, but that's a strength given the pacing of the story. Gears 5 was already a looker but Hivebusters is downright jaw-dropping. On Xbox Series X, seeing some of these locations running at 4K 60 FPS with this kind of detail in mind-blowing. It's not hyperbole to say this DLC contains some of the best-looking environments and vistas ever seen in the Gears franchise.

The team at The Coalition refined already-excellent HDR implementation even further with the jungle setting, even appearing to draw inspiration from games like Monster Hunter World. Ice and red sand are exchanged for dense overgrowth and active volcanoes, which never failed to look appealing.

Overall, I completed Hivebusters in just under three hours on Intermediate difficulty. If you're on a higher difficulty or want to thoroughly explore to find all the different collectibles, it may take you a bit longer.

Gears 5: Hivebusters also has a steep entry cost

I have very few complaints about what The Coalition crafted here but I do think it's a shame that ultimately, Keegan gets less development than his squadmates. This isn't an awful thing since he works well as the straight-laced, emotionally stable military man to contrast Lahni's wide-eyed wonder and Mac's alcoholic rage, but I would've liked to learn more about him. Five years down the road, if there's a DLC for Gears 6, I hope we see Keegan's story explored a bit more.

On a broader note, Gears 5: Hivebusters is $20. I'm not normally one to tie monetary value to length of playtime but if you only intend to go through this once, it's a steep asking price for just one three-hour mode. With that said, it's also included for free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which you can easily subscribe to in order to access this — and many more games — for a very reasonable cost.

Should you buy Gears 5: Hivebusters?

If you're a big Gears fan, grabbing Gears 5: Hivebusters is a no-brainer. This is a fantastic DLC with rollercoaster action juxtaposed with some stellar quiet moments. For anyone who is new to the franchise I still think it's worth checking out but maybe wait for a slight discount. Of course, if you have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, then just get to downloading it since it's included at no extra cost.

Gears 5: Hivebusters brought solid changes and gorgeous environments in a concise package. Moving forward, I hope the gameplay mechanics, art and characters in this DLC are carried forward.

What you need to know

• Gears 5: Hivebusters is a new expansion for Gears 5.
• It costs $20 and is included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
• The story is three hours long and has Scorpio Squad on a suicide mission.

Back in October, The Coalition revealed that a story DLC pack was coming to Gears 5 sometime in December. Now, we've got a new trailer and release date for Gears 5: Hivebusters. This expansion adds a three-hour story campaign that sees Scorpio Squad traversing the volcanic Galangi islands. Gears 5: Hivebusters is set to release on December 15, 2020.

You can check out the new trailer for the Gears 5: Hivebusters expansion below.

Scorpio Squad — Mac, Keegan and Lahni — have unique abilities that can be used in the story missions. This trio first debuted in the Escape mode that shipped with Gears 5, so it'll be interesting to see where their story goes, especially with mysterious new Swarm creatures shown in the trailer.

Much like the main campaign, Gears 5: Hivebusters is enhanced for Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X, as well as supporting three-player co-op. There's also 210 Gamerscore worth of new achievements that are being added. This expansion is available for $20 but if you're subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, it's included at no additional cost.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

Out of nowhere, The Coalition revealed that Gears 5, which released back in September 2019, is getting some story DLC. There aren't too many details right now, but Gears fans can look forward to more campaign content later this year. The very name of the DLC is also a direct indicator of what to expect. Here's what we know about Gears 5 Hivebusters so far.

What is Gears 5 Hivebusters?

Hivebusters is a story DLC coming for Gears 5. This expansion pack of sorts is an add-on to Gears 5, which released in September 2019. We don't know right now if it will be a paid DLC or added to the game for free.

Gears 5 Hivebusters story, gameplay and features

Not many details have been given for Hivebusters so far. Still, given the name, it's almost certain to center around the titular Hivebusters of Scorpio squad: Jeremiah Keegan, Lahni Kaliso, and Leslie 'Mac' Macallister. Working under the command of Victor Hoffman, this group of Gears works to infiltrate Swarm hives, intentionally being podded, then revived and planting a Venom bomb to obliterate the hive.

The Coalition did tell IGN that this DLC will be around 3 to 4 hours long.

Will Gears 5 Hivebusters be on Xbox One?

Yes. While Gears 5 is being optimized for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, bringing new visual features like 60 FPS cinematics and better texture quality, the Hivebusters DLC is still being released on Xbox One and Xbox One X. This means if you haven't upgraded your gaming systems by the time it releases, you won't be left out.

When is the Gears 5 Hivebusters release date?

Gears 5 Hivebusters DLC is available on December 15, 2020. It's $20 and included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is an intense third-person tactical shooter that received rave reviews at launch for its visuals and gameplay.
• With next-gen consoles coming soon, Gears 5 is coming in guns blazing with a massive update day one.
• Alongside huge visual and performance upgrades for next-gen hardware, Gears 5 will add new campaign content and a New Game+ mode.
• New Game+ will have harder difficulties, including permadeath, more character and weapon skins, and more.

In some ways, launch line-ups for next-gen consoles like the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Playstation 5 are a little lacklustre, with a shortage of true next-gen titles showcasing the power of the new hardware. One game that refuses to be lumped in with the rest is Gears 5, which is marching onto the Xbox Series X and S with fervor and a humungous next-gen update. Thanks to a report from IGN, we now have a lot more details on what to expect with Gears 5's big update, notably regarding the New Game+ mode.

Gears 5 will implement a New Game+ mode accessible to all players on all platforms that will enable:

• Two new difficulties: "Inconceivable" is one difficulty level higher than Gears 5's current max, while "Ironman" increases the challenge even further by giving you only one life to complete the game.
• Jack upgrades don't reset. In order to make playing at the highest difficulties easier, any upgrades to your handy Jack will carry over in New Game+.
• New skins. Character skins will be added for Kait, Del, and JD, while weapons will also have new skins.
• New achievements. If you want more reason to replay Gears 5, additional Achievements will be added in New Game+ mode.
• Mutators. Shake up your Gears 5 gameplay with some fun mutators, like "Big Head Mode."
• Dave Bautista as Marcus Fenix. And optional skin will turn Dave Bautista, a WWE wrestler, into Marcus Fenix, complete with his own voice over.

Other details we already knew, one way or the other, like Gears 5's next-gen visual and performance enhancements, which include 4K at up to 120fps in campaign and multiplayer, massively improved lighting, shadows, textures, increased loading speeds, 60fps cinematics, reduced latency, and a whole lot more. It's a seriously impressive list of upgrades, and showcases the skill the Coalition has at drawing the max out of Xbox.

In case you missed it, Gears 5 is also getting new story DLC later this year in December, so even more great content is planned to come to the game. Gears Tactics, the turn-based strategy spin-off of Gears, is also an Xbox Series X and S launch title, complete with its own next-gen update and new content. The Coalition is really bringing their A-game to next-gen.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 first released in September 2019.
• Since then, the game has received numerous Operations adding new multiplayer content.
• The developers at The Coalition confirmed to IGN that Gears 5 is getting story DLC in December 2020.
• This DLC appears to star the Hivebusters of Team Scorpio.

Gears 5 released over a year ago and while the developers at The Coalition have previously discussed the upgrades the game is getting on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, there's been no indication of new story-based content. That changes today, as The Coalition revealed to IGN that Gears 5 is getting story DLC in December titled Hivebusters.

Hivebusters refers to Team Scorpio in Escape Mode, which is composed of Lahni, Mac and Keegan, three characters that are available in Escape and Multiplayer. The story DLC will be around 3 to 4 hours long, with more details coming in early December. Zoe Curnoe, Gears 5 principal lead producer, explained that the studio chose to work on this DLC after hearing fan requests.

We'll be sure to share more about this new DLC as more details are revealed. In addition to Gears 5, Gears Tactics is hitting Xbox consoles on November 10, so there's plenty of Gears goodness for fans to dive into this holiday.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 released in September 2019 and will Xbox Series X and S Optimized.
• Gears Tactics released on PC earlier in April 2020 and is coming to Xbox consoles on November 10, 2020.
• Gabe Diaz, the main character of Gears Tactics, is coming to Gears 5.
• Players need to complete the Gears Tactics tutorial to unlock Gabe Diaz in Gears 5.

Gears Tactics is currently available on PC and is launching for Xbox consoles alongside the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on November 10. To celebrate, The Coalition announced today during a RazerCon presentation that Gears Tactics hero Gabe Diaz is coming to Gears 5.

In order to unlock him, players will need to finish the Gears Tactics tutorial mission on any platform. They'll then receive the Armored Gabe character skin. Gabe Diaz may have other alternate skins to unlock as well but at this time, the Armored base skin is all we know of.

Gears 5 first released in September 2019 and since launch, The Coalition has worked to add new maps, modes and characters, with Minh and Sam recently added. Gears 5 will be Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S Optimized, adding new particle effects and 120 FPS support in multiplayer. Gears Tactics is also optimized for Microsoft's next-gen machines, running at 4K 60 FPS on Xbox Series X.

Like all Xbox Game Studios titles, Gears Tactics is also launching for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Xbox One consoles through Xbox Game Pass.

Related: Read our Gears Tactics full review!

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• The Xbox Series S was recently announced following a couple of major leaks.
• Today, Microsoft detailed the technical specifications for the console, with the same CPU as the Xbox Series X.
• We also got to see Gears 5 and The Outer Worlds running on Xbox Series S at higher framerates and loading faster, respectively.

After months and months of speculation, the Xbox Series S was finally announced following a couple of leaks. The console is a digital-only system with a retail price of $299. In order to hit that price, it doesn't quite have the beefy graphical specs of the Xbox Series X. It does feature the same SSD tech and the same 8-core CPU just clocked at 3.4Ghz with SMT, or 3.6Ghz without it, which you should keep in mind when trying to figure out which console is right for you.

You can take a look at the video below for a deep dive into how the system works via Jason Ronald, Director of Program Management at Microsoft. The video shows Gears 5 multiplayer running on Xbox Series S at 120 FPS, as well as The Outer Worlds loading in 12 seconds on Xbox Series S compared to 53 seconds on Xbox One S.

The Xbox Series S is set to release on November 10 alongside the Xbox Series X.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is the latest in a long running franchise from Microsoft.
• It's adding new characters today that are available for purchase for interested players.
• There's also a brand-new bundle that includes these characters and more.

If you've been looking for a reason to drop more on Gears 5, look no farther than the news coming out of the Coalition today. To celebrate the one year anniversary of Gears 5, the Coalition is releasing three new characters for their latest third-person tactical shooter, and an Anniversary Bundle to tie them all together with weapons, banners, and more. Players can grab these new characters or the bundle tomorrow directly from the game.

The three new characters are E-Day Minh, Armored Sam, and Uzil Sraak, and will be available for 250 iron or 2,000 coins a piece. There's also the new Gears 5 Anniversary Bundle that will be available for 1,800 iron, and will include the following:

• E-Day Minh
• Armored Sam
• Uzil Sraak
• Collector's Minh
• V-Day Sam
• Collector's Sraak
• Equalizer weapon set
• Minh banner
• Sam banner
• Sraak banner
• Deadweight bloodspray
• Bodied bloodspray

If you're interested, be sure to jump into Gears 5 any time tomorrow to take a quick look at the new content on offer. Gears 5 is still available through Xbox Game Pass if you've yet to take a look, and it's definitely worth your attention. If you're on PC and desire something more strategic, Gears Tactics was a surprisingly great turn-based tactical shooter from the Coalition, and is also available through Xbox Game Pass.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 first released in 2019.
• Since then, The Coalition has released several content updates, adding new characters and maps.
• The latest update, Operation 4: Brothers in Arms, is adding six characters, including Dominic Santiago.
• There's a trailer showing everything this update has added.

The Coalition previously announced that Dom was making his debut Gears 5 Operation 4: Brothers in Arms. Now, Operation 4 has launched and Dom isn't alone: six characters have been added in this update, alongside three maps, a new Ranked system and more. You can check out the trailer below.

Operation 4 has also introduced a new way to unlock characters. Now, if you unlock a character's skin, you'll also unlock that character and immediately be able to use them. Here's the full list of new characters:

• Dominic Santiago
• Garron Paduk
• Jinn-bot
• UIR Soldier
• Zamil Karn
• Locust Grenadier

In addition to all this, there's new Achievements to earn and some bug fixes for a smoother gameplay experience. Level Six skill cards have also been introduced, so there's a ton to go through in both PvP and PvE.

Gears 5 will be Xbox Series X Optimized when the Xbox Series X launches, with better textures, effects and a possible 120 FPS mode. The Xbox Series X is expected to launch at some point in Holiday 2020.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• It's getting massive changes to progression.
• A new currency called Gears Coins can now be used to unlock almost everything.
• Gears 5 is part of Xbox Game Pass.

Today, developer The Coalition announced radical changes to the progression and currency systems in Gears 5. Progression has been made much simpler because the Scrap and Supply, and Totem system are gone. You can take a look at what The Coalition wrote below.

However, the bigger addition has to be Gears Coins. It's used to unlock nearly everything in the store from now on. The post said the following about the new currency.

It's great to see that Gears 5 is still getting such dramatic changes even after all these months. Let's hope the team continues to listen to consumers and make appropriate changes. Do you play Gears 5? What do you want to see from the game? Let us know.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Gears 5 Operation 4 is bringing new characters, maps and more.
• Today, The Coalition revealed that one of these new characters is Dom, from the original Gears of War trilogy.
• Operation 4 is scheduled to begin on July 14.

Gears 5's current Operation is coming to an end and players can look forward to Operation 4: Brothers in Arms occuring very shortly. Ahead of this Operation, The Coalition shared a teaser indicating that one of the new playable characters will be Dominic Santiago. You can check out the quick teaser for Operation 4 that was released below:

Much like the Carmine brothers who were added during Operation 3, Dom will only be usable in PvP at launch, with PvE support coming a bit later. Other new characters and new maps will also be added in Operation 4.

Operation 4 is currently slated to begin on July 14. That means if you have anything else in Operation 3 that you'd like to earn, you've got one more week to grind it out. Gears 5 is available on Xbox One and PC via Game Pass for PC and Steam. Gears 5 will be an Xbox Series X Optimized title, with possible 120 FPS support.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• The Coalition has announced that Anthony, Benjamin and Gary Carmine are being added to Gears 5 today.
• Each of these three can be unlocked by earning 30,000 XP, or purchased.
• The three Carmines are only available in PvP right now, with PvE support coming later.
• This is part of The Coalition's move to release characters faster.

While Clayton Carmine and his niece Lizzie Carmine have been available in Gears 5 for some time, the remainder of the infamously catastrophic Carmine clan have not been playable...until now. Today, The Coalition revealed that Anthony Carmine, Benjamin Carmine and Gary Carmine are all being added as playable characters. You can take a look at the three Carmines in action in the amusing trailer below.

Right now, these three will only be available in PvP (player-versus-player), with PvE (player-versus-environment) updates coming at a later date. This is part of The Coalition's changing strategy to get new characters out faster. If you want to earn any of the three Carmines, you'll just need to craft the Totem for them and earn 30,000 XP while playing. You can also purchase them separately for 500 Iron, or in one of two bundles.

Gears 5 will be Xbox Series X Optimized, with The Coalition exploring Ray Tracing for global illumination, more particle effects, better textures and even a 120FPS (frames-per-second) mode.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Xbox Game Studios.
• You can play as actor and wrestler Dave Bautista in the game.
• You can earn the "Batista Bomb" move from April 2 to 18.
• You can access Gears 5: Ultimate Edition through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Updated April 2, 2020: Batista is back and he's bringing the "Batista Bomb" Play any mode this weekend and you'll get the Batista Bomb move for free. You can earn it through April 2 to 18.

For years now, actor and wrestler Dave Bautista has been eyeing the role of Marcus Fenix in the upcoming Gears of War film. While progress on the project is moving quite slowly, you'll still be able to see Bautista in action in Gears 5. Now, you might be wondering how. Well, he's a playable character in the multiplayer mode from the looks of it.

To unlock Bautista, simply play any version of Gears 5, including with your Xbox Game Pass membership, beginning September 15. The promotion ends on October 28.

Gears 5 is an upcoming third-person shooter from Microsoft's The Coalition team. The studio has worked on Gears of War 4 in the past, and it wants to make the sequel an even bigger adventure. The game is also more advanced on a technical front. According to Gears 5's Multiplayer Design Director, the franchise will feature 60 Hz servers for the first time.

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What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Microsoft.
• The game's multiplayer mode is still quite popular after many months.
• It's getting an update called "Operation 3: Gridiron' on March 31 with new characters and modes.
• You can purchase Gears 5 for $60 on Amazon.

Updated March 31, 2020: Gears 5's latest update is now live on Xbox One and PC. You can start earning the new content right now.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter that has quite a strong multiplayer following even until now. The Coalition has updated the game several times since then, each time adding new features and balancing weapons.

However, it looks like the best is ahead of us. Today, the team revealed a first look at "Operation 3: Gridiron." The trailer is quite bombastic and reveals a lot of details. The update launches on March 31.

As you can see, new characters and maps will be added to the game. The highlight of the experience has to be the titular mode, Gridiron, which features one life. Gears 5 multiplayer is already a hectic experience, and Gridiron will probably add even more intensity to the game.

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "While some of the new elements come across as a bit under-iterated and rudimentary, it's the basis for growth that is perhaps the most exciting aspect as a long-time Gears fan. The Coalition shows that the franchise has legs for some serious longevity."

What you need to know

• Gears 5 has a Ranked system for their online multiplayer for dedicated players.
• It's received some criticism for being unclear in its scoring, or being too harsh.
• Coalition has committed to completely overhauling the system.
• They're first starting with some minor changes to Ranked matches.

Gears 5 made a lot of waves at launch for its very good campaign and the visual quality on the Xbox One X, but its multiplayer hasn't quite succeeded the same. Notably, its Ranked mode has come under fire from fans for a number of reasons, including lack of transparency and heavy-handed penalties. Coalition has announced a plan to completely overhaul the Ranked system, but that will take time to fully implement. In the mean time, they're making a few smaller changes to hopefully improve the experience.

• Split-screen multiplayer will no longer be allowed in most Ranked matches, with the exception of two versus two Gnasher matches.
• Players under Level 30 will no longer be able to play Ranked matches, unless they're playing with a higher level player.

The changes aren't much, but pave the way for Coalition to completely overhaul the system later on. The Xbox Games Studio already has an idea of the direction they want to head, to make Ranked "a fun, clear, rewarding experience." There's no exact timeline for when we should expect the overhaul, but the effect should be dramatic. Coalition is also intending to reduce the chances that players in Ranked matches can receive little to no points for completing a match, which should come soon, but not quite immediately.

Coalition says they'll announce more information about the planned changes further down the road, so we'll keep you posted. If you're interested, you can read the full blog post announcing the changes here.

Are you playing Gears 5's Ranked mode? How has the experience been so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Xbox released several new tidbits of information for Xbox Series X today.
• Part of this rollout was details on how Gears 5 will benefit from Xbox Series X.
• Gears 5 on Xbox Series X will get Ultra level settings, with features like raytracing global illumination.
• Gears 5 will be upgraded for free through Smart Delivery.

As part of the big drop of Xbox Series X information today, Xbox and The Coalition revealed new information on exactly how Gears 5 will benefit from the new hardware. For starters, Gears 5 on Xbox Series X uses the full slate of PC Ultra settings, which had to be pared back on Xbox One X. This means things like better textures, better fog and increased particle counts.

The campaign cutscenes, which run at 30 frames per second (FPS) on Xbox One X, now run at 60FPS on Xbox Series X. Load times are also heavily decreased and The Coalition told Digital Foundry that the game will feature ray-traced screen space global illumination. You can click the images below for an early technical comparison.

Source: Xbox Game Studios

The improvements don't stop there, as The Coalition also mentioned on Xbox Wire that Gears 5 runs at over 100FPS on Xbox Series X and the team is actively looking at 120FPS for the multiplayer modes. Gears 5 supports Smart Delivery, so these upgrades will all be free for Xbox Series X owners.

Xbox Series X is scheduled to release in Holiday 2020.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• Razer highlighted its lineup of phone cases and mouse mats inspired by Gears of War.
• The lineup features designs from Gears 5 on Twitter.
• The mouse mats start at $35.

Razer highlighted a lineup of Gears of War mouse mats and phone cases on Twitter this week. The lineup features designs from Gears 5, including fan-favorite characters, Gears logos, and shots from the game. The mouse mats start at $35 and range up to $40.

Gears 5 is a popular title from Microsoft that's available on Xbox One and PCs. You can purchase it through Steam or the Microsoft Store, and it supports cross-play and cross-save across all versions of the game.

Gears 5 introduced a soft RPG-style progression to the Gears series of games and also has near-open world segments that expand the feel of the game. It also has several versus modes that provide a varied style of competition.

The mouse mats and cases feature striking designs from Gears 5. Razer also gives you the option to customize your order with a gamertag up to 15 characters.

What you need to know

• Rod Fergusson, studio head for Gears of War caretaker, The Coalition, has announced plans to depart Microsoft.
• Fergusson joins Blizzard Entertainment next month, overseeing the Diablo franchise.

The Coalition head, Rod Fergusson, has announced plans to depart Microsoft, and moving onto a role within Activision Blizzard. Overseeing Xbox Game Studios' dedicated Gears of War developer for half a decade, Fergusson will soon shift focus to the Diablo franchise.

His departure follows heading The Coalition since inception, migrating away from Black Tusk Studios branding and shipping three Gears of War titles. While debuting the remastered Gears of War: Ultimate Edition in 2015, Fergusson watched over the four and fifth mainline entries. It comes as Microsoft prepares to release Gears Tactics in April, shifting away from its shooter roots into turn-based strategy.

Fergusson announced the move on Twitter, detailing plans to join the Diablo team in March.

Fergusson started his career at Microsoft, shifting to Epic Games in 2005, aiding in the development of the original Gears of War trilogy. His return to Microsoft followed its acquisition of Gears of War, since delivering two mainline titles, and now solidified among the staples of the modern Xbox lineup. While scheduled to depart in March, a new studio head is yet to be confirmed. It follows former Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Gaming, Mike Ybarra, who joined Blizzard Entertainment in late 2019, following 20 years at Redmond.

Microsoft is scheduled to ship Gears Tactics on April 28, 2020, headed to Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Steam. Its tactical squad gameplay essentially fuzes the world of Gears of War with XCOM, primarily developed Splash Damage, with support from the Vancouver-based developer. That follows the launch of Gears 5, which while initially launching to praise, has struggled to retain a long-term following.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Xbox Game Studios.
• It's getting a new villain named Kantus soon.
• Operation 2 bundle owners get Kantus for free.
• Gears 5 is part of Xbox Game Pass.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition, an Xbox Game Studios team. It received great reviews at launch and the multiplayer mode seems to have gained a lot of traction in recent weeks. Today, the developer detailed what's part of the latest update.

While the upcoming update may not be as feature-rich as past ones, there are a lot of notable additions to the game. You can read about the major ones below.

• Kantus is a new villain and brings challenges.
• The Operation 2 bundle owners receive Kantus for free.
• The estimated time for matchmaking has gotten better.
• The weekly store update brings new items.

According to the post, the "fifth and final character of Operation 2 – the Kantus – is set for release this month as part of Title Update 4." Kantus is a mirror of Lizzie Carmine so expect similar abilities. You can read more about the update on the Gears 5 website. Do you still play the game? What do you think of the multiplayer? Let us know.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• The Golden Joystick Awards 2019 winners were just announced.
• Gears 5 and Minecraft won two accolades.
• Gears 5 won Xbox Game of the Year and Minecraft won the Still Playing Award.
• You can access all of these titles through Xbox Game Pass.

The Golden Joystick Awards take place every year and they're voted on by the public. This year, some more winners were crowned for 2019. Two Microsoft games, Gears 5 and Minecraft, won the Xbox Game of the Year accolade and the Still Playing Award. As you probably surmised, Gears 5 won the Xbox Game of the Year since it was a new release, and Minecraft bagged the Still Playing Award because it has hundreds of millions of players.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter that features a lengthy campaign and strong multiplayer modes. It garnered great reviews at launch, and the fact that it features some open areas with lots of exploration doesn't hurt the game either.

Minecraft, as always, has received so many updates over the years that it keeps on attracting more players. It's great to see that it bagged the Still Playing Award because it has become an educational tool and much more in recent years.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Sea of Thieves continues to receive new updates on a regular basis.
• A new crossover promotion adds cosmetic items themed after Gears 5.
• Sea of Thieves is included in Xbox Game Pass.

Sea of Thieves has a new promotional crossover with Gears 5. The Omen ship pack includes sails bearing the iconic Crimson Omen, alongside a hull, flag and figurehead. Grabbing these new items is fairly easy, as you just have to play Sea of Thieves before November 22. Take a look at the items below.

Sea of Thieves continues to get new content on a regular basis, such as the Fort of the Damned event that was added in October.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• The Coalition has shared some details on the next update for Gears 5.
• This update will see Lancer damage at range reduced to better balance the gameplay.
• Only Core modes are being changed, while Arcade will remain the same.
• You can grab Gears 5 for $47 from Amazon.

Some players are currently unhappy with the balance of different weapons in the competitive modes in Gears 5. As part of a plan to address these issues, The Coalition has detailed the changes coming in the next update for Gears 5. Here's the exact details on how the Lancer will be changing in competitive modes:

• Active reload rate of fire increase reduced by 50% (was 20%, now 10%)
• Long range damage reduced by 20% (damage done beyond 30m)

This isn't a huge change, rather it's simply meant to give players hit by Lancer fire a tiny bit more to time to respond or think. There's also some global weapon tuning changes that will arrive in the next update:

• Aim assist (adhesion) effect strength reduced for all weapons by 25% at all ranges up to 30m (beyond which there is no adhesion)

It it important to note that this update does not affect Arcade and naturally does not affect any PvE modes like Campaign, Horde or Escape. Our Senior Xbox Editor Jez Corden recently wrote about how Gears 5 hasn't lived up to expectations as a live service. Hopefully this update is well received and is part of the changes needed to make fans happy and help the game succeed in the long term. Gears 5 debuted at the #7 spot on the overall September 2019 NPD charts and is included in Xbox Game Pass.

Related: Gears 5 gets powerful characters like General RAAM with special abilities

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

Gears 5 won itself piles of praise from critics and fans alike for its evolving campaign formula, which added wide-linearity to break up the corridor shooter gameplay. As solid as the multiplayer seemed on the surface, at events, and during the game's limited access periods, the live service has proven to be anything but solid.

Many of Gears 5's casual fans might have moved on from the game already to single-player games like The Outer Worlds or bigger multiplayer titles like the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare. Gears of War's most dedicated fans, however, are getting the short end of the stick right now.

Unstable

Gears 5 like many of Microsoft's multiplayer offerings (and multiplayer games in general in 2019) is a live service game, complete with incentives to continue playing, atop a promise of free content drops on a regular cadence. The post-launch plan for Gears 5 includes free maps, new playable characters, and skins to earn, among other things. But since the game's launch almost two months ago, the service has been marred with poor stability, which has led to a wave of alleged unfair bannings, and general user discontent.

After weeks of silence, Gears 5 community manager known as Octus provided an update on the game's subreddit, which has been charged with negative feedback since a few days post-launch.

To start with, The Coalition is prioritizing server stability above all else, removing the temporary bans for "quitting" in standard playlists since it was unfairly banning users who had been disconnected as well. The Coalition is also working to implement fixes to the ranking system, which have been providing inaccurate rewards that don't reflect a player's performance. Matchmaking quality to improve ping times and also general balance tuning is also on-going.

You have to wonder why it took The Coalition so long to begin addressing the community's concerns here, which have doubtless compounded some other aspects of negative feedback surrounding the game.

Paid DLC as progression

In a game like Call of Duty or Battlefield, general progression comes from earning weapon attachments and other similar bits of gear that helps you tailor your playstyle. Gears of War is a different beast, where weapons are fixed quantities. To keep people feeling rewarded for play, Gears 5 is crammed with cosmetic skins and character models that can be earned through gameplay over time. Problematically, though, The Coalition incentivizes people to cheat the progression mechanics using real money, which can allow you to bypass the grind, undermining the value of the system at large.

The Coalition knowingly creates this contention, forcing players to opt-in to grinding modes they may not enjoy in order to unlock specific characters or, alternatively, spend some money. It's not difficult to unlock the characters, but being forced to choose between spending time or spending money on top of a $60 premium title feels egregious, especially considering the challenges don't stack per character unlock.

On top of that, some of the biggest "additions" as part of Gears 5's live service has been insanely overpriced marketing tie-ins with the Terminator franchise. Twenty dollars will net you access to a couple of characters from the upcoming Terminator Dark Fate, one skin of which has been accused by the community as offering a gameplay advantage, due to the small size and dark tone of its model.

The Coalition has yet to address the community's negative reaction to these monetization schemes, but I hardly feel like they've earned the right to begin price gouging given the quality and content spread of the service thus far.

Pro League who?

Finally, did you know the Gears 5 esports league has started? You'd be forgiven for not knowing, given that Microsoft and The Coalition have done approximately zero marketing for it. Indeed, the last press release I received for anything Gears and esports related was back in July 2019, which begs the question: how serious is Microsoft about this, really?

It's utterly unfair to expect esports pros, from players to casters and other staff to invest their time and effort in Gears esports, while The Coalition and Microsoft does zilch to support it.

What's going on here?

Gears of War is a pillar franchise for Xbox Game Studios, sitting alongside the likes of Halo and Forza, and to see it operated in such a haphazard way is frustrating even as a casual fan of the franchise. Is The Coalition stretching itself too thin by committing to these lofty goals? Are they distracted by other projects? Either way, it's unfair to everyone who remains invested in the game and franchise at large to be treated so casually.

What do you think? Are the complaints justified? Hit us with your Gears 5 experiences in the comments.

What you need to know

• The September 2019 NPD data has been released.
• For this month, NBA 2K20 took the top position for the month, while Borderlands 3 was the bestselling game on Xbox One.
• The Nintendo Switch was the bestselling console overall.
• You can get Borderlands 3 on Xbox One for $60 at the Microsoft Store.

Every month, the NPD Group releases information on the top-selling games across all video game platforms in the United States. While it doesn't account for worldwide sales, it does provide a good snapshot of one the largest video game markets. Mat Piscatella, an analyst for NPD, has shared the results for September 2019. For this month, data was tracked from September 1 through October 5, 2019.

There's a fair bit of change on the charts this month, as NBA 2K20 was the bestselling game for the month overall. It's also already the bestselling game of 2019, knocking Mortal Kombat 11 to #2 for the year. Borderlands 3 also did extremely well, coming in as the bestselling game on Xbox One, at #2 for the month and #3 for the year so far. Major Xbox title Gears 5 came in at #7 for the month. The Nintendo Switch unsurprisingly took the top spot for console sales and is the bestselling console for 2019 so far.

Here are the numbers for the September 2019 NPD results:

• Total: $1.278 billion, down 8% year-over-year
• Video games hardware: $240 million, down 22% year-over-year
• PC and video games software: $732 million, down 4% year-over-year
• Accessories and game cards: $308 million, down 7% year-over-year

Here are the September 2019 game sales rankings (based on dollar sales, not units):

1. NBA 2K20
2. Borderlands 3
3. FIFA 20
4. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening*
5. Madden NFL 20
6. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
7. Gears 5**
8. Code Vein
9. NHL 20
10. Mario Kart 8*
11. Minecraft***
12. Grand Theft Auto V
13. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
14. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
15. Red Dead Redemption II
16. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
17. Plants vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville
18. Marvel's Spider-Man
19. Catherine
20. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*

• *Does not include digital sales
• **Does not include Steam sales
• ***Minecraft digital sales include Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but not other digital sales.

Here are the best-selling games of September 2019 by platform:

Xbox One

1. Borderlands 3
2. NBA 2K20
3. Gears 5
4. FIFA 20
5. Madden NFL 20
6. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
7. NHL 20
8. Plants vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville
9. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands
10. Grand Theft Auto V

PlayStation 4:

1. NBA 2K20
2. Borderlands 3
3. FIFA 20
4. Madden NFL 20
5. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
6. NHL 20
7. Code Vein
8. Marvel's Spider-Man
9. Catherine
10. Minecraft

Nintendo Switch

1. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening*
2. Mario Kart 8*
3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*
4. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild*
6. Super Mario Maker 2*
7. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age*
8. Astral Chain*
9. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe*
10. Super Mario Party*

Here are the best-selling games of 2019 year-to-date:

1. NBA 2K20
2. Mortal Kombat 11
3. Borderlands 3
4. Madden NFL 20
5. Kingdom Hearts 3
6. The Division 2
7. Anthem
8. Smash Ultimate
9. Resident Evil 2 2019
10. Grand Theft Auto 5

That's all for the breakdown of this month's numbers. For more information, you can consult Mat Piscatella's thread right here. If you'd like details on last month's NPD breakdown, you can find that right here.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Xbox Game Studios.
• It's getting powerful characters like General RAAM today.
• You can unlock them by playing the game or purchase them through the Microsoft Store.
• Gears 5 is part of Xbox Game Pass.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition, an Xbox Game Studios team. It received great reviews at launch and the multiplayer mode seems to have gained a lot of traction in recent weeks. Today, the developer detailed how it would evolve the competitive experience with four new characters. The COG Gear, DeeBee, Warden, and General RAAM are being added to the game. Every character will feature powerful multiplayer abilities to master. It's a lot like Star Wars Battlefront II's Heroes and Villains.

These new characters are available today starting at 3 PM EDT and can be earned through gameplay or purchased in the store. However, there's more. If you loved the Terminator: Dark Fate crossover, you'll be happy to know that two new characters from the film are being added. Grace and the Terminator Model Rev-9 are both deadly additions to Gears 5.

In a press release Windows Central received, The Coalition added that in the coming weeks, new Escape Hives, seasonal multiplayer events, and new customization rewards will be revealed. It's never a dull moment, that's for sure!

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Xbox Game Studios.
• The in-game economy is broken at the moment because it's quite grindy.
• Studio Head Rod Fergusson vowed to fix it.
• You can access Gears 5: Ultimate Edition through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Updated October 1, 2019: In a new post on the game's website, The Coalition confirmed that prices of certain items in the Gears 5 store will be reduced. These changes will occur over the coming days and weeks.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition. The studio has worked on Gears of War 4 in the past, and it wanted to make the sequel an even bigger adventure. The game is also more advanced on a technical front. According to Gears 5's Multiplayer Design Director, the franchise features 60 Hz servers for the first time.

While there's a lot to love about Gears 5, the in-game economy isn't one of them. Despite the fact that it features cosmetic-only items, the grinding to earn them is unreal. A lot of players are complaining about this, and Studio Head Rod Fergusson said that the team will continue to tweak it.

Fergusson said, "We're learning as we go. This is a completely different economy... so it will take a little time to work through any issues. Our first attempt is not our last and we will continue to evolve until we get it right." Hopefully, this means that the team will make it easier to acquire items soon.

Xbox

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Seagate's excellent lineup of collector's HDDs took an icy turn for Gears 5, sporting the same designs as the amazing limited edition Gears 5 Xbox One X console. Is it worth buying, though?

Here's a closer look at this incredibly frosty accessory.

A frost-bitten HDD masterpiece

I'm not sure I ever expected to be sitting here, praising the design of an external USB HDD, but it's 2019 and apparently, anything is possible. Seagate may have built the sexiest external HDD in existence, which also feels like one of the strangest sentences I've ever written. Seeing this thing up close and personal, though, is quite a delight.

The design work is the real headline here, in what would otherwise be a standard Seagate USB 3.0 external HDD. It sports the same attention to detail of Microsoft's internal products. It has textured frost on the upper side, the Locust symbol on the underside, and the incredible layering effect on the Gears omen, making it appear as though it's underneath the ice. It's hard to reproduce on video, but trust me when I say it's hypnotically stunning.

Beyond that, there isn't a huge amount to say about its design. It's simply excellent, and well worthy of a Gears fan's collection. It also comes with a month of Xbox Game Pass for good measure, and an in-game skin for the Lancer. It's powered entirely via USB, so there's no need to dedicate a power outlet to it. We've seen some 5TB versions floating around online, but they may be a store exclusive somewhere since Amazon seems to only carry a 2TB version for $100.

For Gears of War fans, the design and skin might be enough by themselves to push you over. If you're looking for storage though, the purchase decision gets a little blurry.

Should you actually buy the Seagate Gears 5 HDD?

Whether or not you'll want to buy this HDD hinges entirely on whether or not you actually need an external storage device. In 2019, USB HDDs just feel painfully slow, as SSD prices continue to come down. Using a cheap USB SSD enclosure and an internal SSD, you can get far faster speeds with decent storage space for around $100. Seagate's own Xbox SSD vastly outperforms their HDDs on speed, although you'll be paying a lot more for the same amount of storage.

The Gears 5 HDD (left) vs. Seagate's Xbox SSD speeds (right). Higher is better.

The Gears 5 Seagate HDD has an incredibly sexy design, but the limitations of HDD tech are becoming increasingly apparent in 2019, as loading times ramp up across the board. Rumors suggest that the next-gen consoles will ship with SSDs too, putting external HDDs on the backfoot. Additionally, Seagate does comparable USB HDDs for half the price, albeit without the sexy Gears 5 design.

Whether or not you'll want this rests entirely on whether or not you want the awesome design work and the Lancer skin, ultimately. There are better, cheaper storage options out there otherwise, including from Seagate itself.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• The game was played by over three million gamers during early access and launch week.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition, the Xbox Game Studios team responsible for the acclaimed Gears of War franchise. It launched in early access a few weeks ago as an Ultimate Edition, and last week, the Standard Edition became available to everyone else. As has become tradition, Microsoft just revealed the launch players for the game. Keep in mind that the title is part of Xbox Game Pass, so the figure includes those who played it through the subscription service and those who bought it.

Microsoft sent out a press release which said that in the first week, which includes the four-day early access period, Gears 5 garnered over three million players. It's unclear how many of them bought the game and how many played it through Xbox Game Pass. You can read an excerpt from the statement below.

This breakdown would've been even more interesting had the company provided a breakdown of how players accessed the title. Alas, that information may never be revealed as Microsoft moves towards a subscription model.

Related: Gears 5 known bugs and launch issues

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• It seems like it's getting a photo mode soon.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition, the Xbox Game Studios team responsible for the acclaimed Gears of War franchise. It launched in early access last week as an Ultimate Edition, and this week, the Standard Edition became available to everyone else.

While the game is getting great reviews, there are some missing features like a photo mode. Luckily, it seems like it's on the way because The Coalition's Rod Fergusson teased it on Twitter today. When IGN's Destin Legarie commented that the game needs a photo mode, Fergusson replied with a popular meme, urging patience.

Hopefully, the team will announce when the long-awaited photo mode will be available soon. Gears 5 should've launched with it to begin with.

Related: Gears 5 known bugs and launch issues

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• Its Ultimate Edition beat Fortnite to become the most-played game on Xbox One.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition, the Xbox Game Studios team responsible for the acclaimed Gears of War franchise. It launched in early access last week as an Ultimate Edition, and this week, the Standard Edition became available to everyone else.

For many months, Fortnite has been the most-played game on Xbox One by miles. Titles like NBA 2K20 have come close, but none have been able to surpass the free-to-play juggernaut. However, that changed a few days ago. If you go to the "Most played games" section of the Microsoft Store, you'll see that Gears 5: Ultimate Edition is at the top. This is quite a feat and is thanks to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which gives players access to the Ultimate Edition if they subscribe to the $15-a-month service.

Given the fact that Fortnite is the most popular game in the world, and a free-to-play title, the sheer number of players needed to dethrone it are probably astronomical. Luckily, Gears 5 was the hit Xbox Game Pass needed to gain more subscribers. Hopefully, they'll continue to remain subscribers. It'll be interesting to see how many players have experienced the game when Microsoft reveals launch figures on Friday or next week.

Related: Gears 5 known bugs and launch issues

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

One of the coolest things about gaming in 2019 is how seriously it is taken. And with that comes not only respect but fun celebrations of one of the most creative forms of entertainment around. The new Xbox One X Gears 5 Limited Edition Bundle ($499) is the first truly customized Xbox One X making it a bit of a hallmark. We managed to get our hands on one of them and while at its core it is still the same Xbox One X, on the outside, it's a gorgeous tribute to the new Gears 5 game.

This custom Gears 5 Xbox is not Microsoft's first rodeo with custom Xbox hardware commemorating Gears of War. One of my favorite Xbox One designs of all-time was the limited-edition blood-red Xbox One S from 2016. It launched alongside Gears of War 4 with a custom Xbox Elite Controller (sold separately).

For 2019, with Gears 5, it only makes sense for the game to get the same treatment but with the One X. After all, the One X and Gears 5 are 4K- and HDR-gaming capable so it makes sense to for it to get the best hardware.

Here is what you get with the Gears 5 Xbox One X console:

• Xbox One X (1TB) limited-edition console.
• Xbox One Controller featuring Kait Diaz.
• Full-game download of Gears 5 Ultimate Edition.
• Full-game downloads of Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3 and Gears of War: Judgment.
• Month trial of Xbox Game Pass.
• Month of Xbox Live Gold.

It's a bit disappointing that this package didn't come with any unlockable in-game content. The Kait Diaz controller, Gears 5 Seagate Drive, and Gears 5 Kait Diaz Limited Edition Charging Stand have either a free supply drop or character skin. It would have been wild to have an original, exclusive, rare item to show in-game that you have the ultimate Gears 5 tribute console.

The free Gears 5 Ultimate addition is a $70 value (the old Gears of War games are part of that bundle). But factoring that into the cost, you're still paying about an extra $20 for this Gears 5 Xbox due to the customized design.

Xbox One X Gears 5 Limited Edition Bundle design

Microsoft pulled no punches with this Gears 5 console. The company's description sums it up nicely:

The Crimson Omen – the main symbol of the Gears of War franchise – is below the ice, but it's not some "use your imagination" design here. While it's hard to convey in pictures, the ice is actually a translucent layer with the Crimson Omen physically layered below it. It's an impressive effect, albeit one you will only see close up and at an angle.

Laser-etched cracks are one of the leading custom hardware changes Microsoft does with these products. With the limited-edition Gears of War 4 Xbox One S console and Elite Controller, those too had laser-etched claw marks, which looked (and felt) fantastic. The same here with the Gears 5 edition but instead of claw marks they represent cracks in the ice. The fact they are laser etched physically – instead of just a paint job – is one of those quality things you get here.

On the back (or bottom, depending on how you mount your consoles) is the Golden locust symbol. That symbol is revealed at the end of Gears of War 4 when Kait's mother gives it to her before her demise. The totem is part of the narrative for Gears 5, so it's a subtle nod to see it here as well.

Finally, one of the more subtle things Microsoft did that I am glad to see is a custom boot sound. The Gears of War 4 console did this too. When you turn on this Xbox One X instead of the typical Xbox boot audio clip it plays one from the game instead. While it's not a reason alone to buy this, it does serve as a daily reminder that you have a unique Xbox here.

Xbox One X Gears 5 Limited Edition Bundle final thoughts

This exclusive, limited-edition Xbox One X is strictly fan-service. Granted, it's a smidge more expensive, and it doesn't necessarily do anything else any other Xbox One X does (save for the sound and how cool it looks). But that's not the point.

When combined with optional accessories like the 2TB Gears 5 Seagate expansion drive, and charging stand for the included Kait Xbox One controller, you get a remarkable looking tribute to Gears 5. Luckily, the game has garnered some incredible reviews, so it's not like you buying into some bomb of a game either.

If you're a fan of Gears of War and have been yearning for some real 4K HDR gaming, this is the console to get. The tougher challenge is knowing that in late 2020, Microsoft will unveil its next generation console, "Xbox Scarlett." Where to put your money today versus tomorrow is always a hard choice, but down the road you could just put this sweet Gears 5 Xbox in another room. That's what I do.

Gears 5 review: An evolved formula brings home a big win for Xbox

Finally, if Gears 5 isn't your thing, there's little reason to think that Microsoft won't do something special for the next Halo game in 2020.

Gears 5 marks the latest from the gritty shooter, packing a new suite of challenges, with tools of destruction to tackle them. Microsoft has doubled down on its cosmetics lineup, serving a variety of collectible vanity items up for grabs.

Injecting a personal flair into your favorite firearms, Gears 5 already packs a rich assortment of weapon skins at launch. While preorder and merchandise opportunities lock down dozens of unlocks, progression milestones, "Tour of Duty" ranking, and microtransactions also grant in-game wraps for your guns. And with a stream of content on the horizon, there is plenty more to come. We've wrapped up every Gears 5 weapon skin so far, as of launch.

Lancer MK 3 Assault Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Lancer Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Lancer Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Carmine Tattoo Lancer Weapon Skin (Walmart Preorder)
• COG Air Lancer Weapon Skin (Best Buy Preorder)
• Crimson Lancer Weapon Skin (GameStop Gears 5 Replica Red Crimson Lancer)
• DeeBee Lancer Weapon Skin
• Factory Lancer Weapon Skin
• Gilded Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Graffiti Lancer Weapon Skin (Kait Diaz Action Figure)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)
• Ice Block Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Seagate Game Drive 2TB)
• Marcus Tattoo Lancer Weapon Skin (GameStop Preorder)
• Museum Lancer Weapon Skin
• Neon Wave Lancer Weapon Skin
• NCOG Marine Lancer Weapon Skin (Amazon Preorder)
• Razer Lancer Weapon Skin (Razer Turret for Xbox One / Razer Thresher Headset
• Rockstar Del Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy, Circle K Exclusive)
• Rockstar JD Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy)
• Rockstar Kait Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy)
• Rockstar Marcus Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy)
• Rockstar Scorpion Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy)
• Rockstar Swarm Lancer Weapon Skin (Rockstar Energy, Walmart Exclusive)
• Vector Lancer Weapon Skin (Terminator Dark Fate Pack)

Gnasher Shotgun

• AAPE Black Camo Gnasher Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Gnasher Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Gnasher Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• C H I L L Gnasher Weapon Skin (Tour of Duty, Operation 1)
• DeeBee Gnasher Weapon Skin
• Factory Gnasher Weapon Skin
• Gilded Gnasher Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Graffiti Gnasher Weapon Skin (Marcus Fenix Action Figure)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Gnasher Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)
• Ice Block Gnasher Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Seagate Game Drive 5TB)
• Neon Wave Gnasher Weapon Skin
• Team Metal Gnasher Weapon Skin (Tour of Duty, Operation 1)
• Team Rock Gnasher Weapon Skin (Tour of Duty, Operation 1)

Snub Pistol

• AAPE Black Camo Snub Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Snub Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Snub Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Snub Weapon Skin
• Factory Snub Weapon Skin
• Gilded Snub Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Graffiti Snub Weapon Skin (Kait Diaz Action Figure)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Snub Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)
• Ice Block Gnasher Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Seagate Game Drive 5TB)
• Neon Wave Snub Weapon Skin

Boltok Revolver

• AAPE Black Camo Boltok Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Boltok Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Boltok Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Boltok Weapon Skin
• Factory Boltok Weapon Skin
• Gilded Boltok Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Boltok Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)
• Neon Wave Boltok Weapon Skin

Boomshot Grenade Launcher

• AAPE Black Camo Boomshot Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Boomshot Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Boomshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Boomshot Weapon Skin
• Factory Boomshot Weapon Skin
• Gilded Boomshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Boomshot Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Dropshot Munitions Launcher

• AAPE Black Camo Dropshot Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Dropshot Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Dropshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Dropshot Weapon Skin
• Factory Dropshot Weapon Skin
• Gilded Dropshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Dropshot Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Enforcer Submachine Gun

• AAPE Black Camo Enforcer Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Enforcer Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Enforcer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Enforcer Weapon Skin
• Factory Enforcer Weapon Skin
• Gilded Enforcer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Enforcer Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Embar Railgun

• AAPE Black Camo Embar Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Embar Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Embar Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Embar Weapon Skin
• Factory Embar Weapon Skin
• Gilded Embar Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Embar Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Hammerburst Assault Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Hammerburst Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Hammerburst Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Hammerburst Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Hammerburst Weapon Skin
• Factory Hammerburst Weapon Skin
• Gilded Hammerburst Weapon Skin
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Hammerburst Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Lancer GL Assault Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Lancer GL Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Lancer GL Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Lancer GL Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Lancer GL Weapon Skin
• Factory Lancer GL Weapon Skin
• Gilded Lancer GL Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Lancer GL Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Longshot Sniper Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Longshot Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Black Phantom Longshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Longshot Weapon Skin
• Factory Longshot Weapon Skin
• Gilded Longshot Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Longshot Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Markza MK1 Marksman Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Markza Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Markza Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Markza Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Markza Weapon Skin
• Factory Markza Weapon Skin
• Gilded Markza Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Markza Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Overkill Shotgun

• AAPE Black Camo Overkill Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Overkill Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Overkill Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Overkill Weapon Skin
• Factory Overkill Weapon Skin
• Gilded Overkill Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Overkill Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Retro Lancer MK1 Assault Rifle

• AAPE Black Camo Retro Lancer Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Black Phantom Retro Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Factory Retro Lancer Weapon Skin
• Gilded Retro Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Retro Lancer Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Breaker Mace

• AAPE Black Camo Breaker Mace Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Breaker Mace Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Breaker Mace Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Breaker Mace Weapon Skin
• Factory Breaker Mace Weapon Skin
• Gilded Breaker Mace Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Breaker Mace Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Talon Pistol

• AAPE Black Camo Talon Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Talon Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Talon Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Talon Weapon Skin
• Factory Talon Weapon Skin
• Gilded Embar Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Talon Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)
• Neon Wave Talon Weapon Skin

"Claw" Light Machine Gun

• AAPE Black Camo Claw Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Claw Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Claw Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Claw Weapon Skin
• Factory Claw Weapon Skin
• Gilded Claw Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Claw Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

Torque Bow

• AAPE Black Camo Torque Bow Weapon Skin (AAPE Pack)
• Art Deco Torque Bow Weapon Skin
• Black Phantom Torque Bow Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• DeeBee Torque Bow Weapon Skin
• Factory Torque Bow Weapon Skin
• Gilded Torque Bow Weapon Skin (Gears Challenge)
• Halo: Reach Noble Team Torque Bow Weapon Skin (Gears 5 Ultimate Edition)

With fresh Gears 5 on the roadmap for months to come, expect regular new additions to this list going forward.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• Gears of War 4 ran at 30 FPS during the campaign even on Xbox One X.
• The developer didn't want to limit the game to 30 FPS on Xbox One X this time.
• You can play Gears 5 through Xbox Game Pass.

Gears 5 is the latest game from Xbox Game Studios and is garnering great reviews since its early-access launch last week. The PC port is a sight to behold and seems to offer a glimpse into what a Gears 5 port on Project Scarlett would look like. However, even on Xbox One X, The Coalition wanted to focus on 60 frames per second (FPS) from the start.

In an interview between GameSpot and Gears 5's Colin Penty, even more information about the reasoning behind the 60 FPS target was revealed. The next-generation of consoles seems to be focusing on better frame rates — up to 120 FPS — so it's great to see that we're getting a taste of it with Xbox One X. Penty said the following.

Gears 5 is available through Xbox Game Pass. You can either purchase a subscription for $10 a month, or pay $15 a month which bundles Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Game Pass for Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass for PC into one complete package.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is the latest third-person shooter in the Gears of War franchise, developed by The Coalition.
• In an interview with VentureBeat, Rod Fergusson, Head of The Coalition, says that Gears 5 is not necessarily the middle game in a trilogy but rather part of a saga.
• Gears 5 is available right now for $50 on Amazon.

Gears 5 has released and the standard edition is available worldwide. Gears 5 is a sequel to Gears of War 4, continuing the story with Kait, JD and Del. According to Rod Fergusson, Studio Head of The Coalition, this isn't necessarily just the middle act in a trilogy.

In an interview with VentureBeat, Rod explained that "We're trying to get out of the trilogy mindset. The word I like now is "saga." Just the idea that we don't want to limit ourselves to a beginning, middle, and end, one-two-three thing. "Oh, this is the Empire Strikes Back game." That kind of thing. For us it's just about where the story can take us and what stories we can tell. This is just a continuation of the saga."

The next Gears of War game that has been announced is Gears Tactics, which will shake things up by entering a new perspective, one of turn-based combat similar to XCOM. With the Gears of War franchise continuing to evolve and Rod Fergusson now saying Gears 5 isn't just the middle game in a trilogy, the future is full of potential for the series.

Related: Gears 5 review: An evolved formula brings home a big win for Xbox

What you need to know

• Microsoft's next console is called Project Scarlett.
• Just like high-end NVIDIA graphics cards, it features hardware ray tracing.
• Gears 5's Colin Penty says that it featured dedicated cores for ray tracing.
• Project Scarlett is expected to launch in Holiday 2020.

Gears 5 is the latest game from Xbox Game Studios and is garnering great reviews since its early-access launch last week. The PC port is a sight to behold and seems to offer a glimpse into what a Gears 5 port on Project Scarlett would look like.

In a recent interview between GameSpot and The Coalition's Technical Art Director Colin Penty, the latter said that the upcoming console would feature dedicated ray tracing cores. This was first spotted by TweakTown.

Microsoft claims that Project Scarlett is already four times more powerful than Xbox One X. It'll be interesting to see when the company reveals final specifications because it's probably waiting for Sony to go first. However, only time will tell which machine comes out on top.

On a side note, if you're interested in Gears 5, be sure to check out the game on Xbox Game Pass. It's a lot of fun and you can play it for $10 a month. However, if you want to access the multiplayer modes, then you probably want to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which bundles Xbox Live Gold with Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Microsoft has dropped Gears 5 for Xbox One and PC, the latest and greatest of its gritty in-house shooter. Delivering a gripping single-player campaign and wealth of multiplayer experiences, it's a high-value package brimming with content. And with regular updates expected for the months ahead, Gears 5 puts cosmetics central to player progress and expression.

With an elevated role for vanity items in Gears 5, it's hard to miss the high volume of cosmetic content locked to external purchases and promotions. Microsoft has cooked up an overwhelming lineup of deals around the game's launch, making the full collection near impossible to obtain — unless you're a U.S. citizen with a ton of time and money to spare.

Every facet of Gears 5 promotions features unique cosmetics and tracking them proves challenging. We've been rounding up all skins available under the latest installment for guides, and even with hours of research, assembling a cohesive roundup is a headache.

Start with the Gears 5 Collector's Edition exclusive to GameStop, compiling Ultimate Edition Halo: Reach and Terminator Dark Fate packs, alongside a unique Jack paint job. You'll need to have preordered the game from Microsoft, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart to cover those exclusive Lancer designs too. Microsoft's icy Gears 5-themed Xbox One X packs a Kait variant also available with the Gears 5 Xbox One controller and an additional console-only Jack skin. Don't forget exclusive two cosmetics spanning the Gears 5 Razer peripherals and three with the Seagate Xbox Game Drive — but 2TB won't cut it with just one, you need the 5TB drive for the three-piece set.

Pick up some treats with four packs of Gears 5-marked Chips Ahoy cookies and five Rockstar Energy drink cans, but visit Circle K and Walmart for two exclusive drops. Avoid that $210 AAPE by *A Bathing Ape collaboration hoodie via $20 AAPE Pack in-game. But you don't get an AAPE red banner, so pick the collection's cheapest $55 hat instead. Oh, and throw in two action figures and a life-size Gears 5 Lancer replica too. Hanging in there?

• Gears 5 Collector's Edition at GameStop ($270)
• Gears 5 Standard Edition x4 ($240)
• Xbox One X Gears 5 Limited Edition ($500)
• Seagate Gears 5 Special Edition 5 TB Game Drive at GameStop ($150)
• Razer Thresher Gears 5 Edition Headset ($180)
• Razer Goliathus Chroma Gears 5 Edition Mouse Mat ($80)
• Gears 5: Kait Diaz Winter Armor Action Figure ($65)
• Gears of War: Marcus Fenix Action Figure ($65)
• Gears 5 Crimson Lancer MK3 Weapon Replica ($150)
• AAPE x Gears 5 Cap ($55)
• Chips Ahoy x4 (~$10)
• Rockstar Energy x5 (~$10)

The result is a total of $1,775 when purchasing the cheapest items to complete the set. That's a hefty investment for any digital product, let alone cosmetics with no gameplay consequences. We're not even touching on microtransactions, where most games catch flak for controversial business practices.

In reality, high-priced skins have little harm on the Gears 5 community, and there's no obligation to collect them all. But looking at the broader landscape, Microsoft has cooked up deals to the point of confusion, with overlapping bonuses and overwhelming retailer exclusivity. Even with substantial research, I'm still not 100 percent confident I've caught every skin among the noise. Just don't set out to collect the full Gears 5 skin set – even with the cheapest routes, you're in for a serious shopping spree.

Gears 5 offers a ton of collectibles. While the franchise has always had lots of little tibits tucked tidily away for thorough players to find, Gears 5 has 90 different collectibles. These are composed of different COG tags, files, documents and more. Then, there's also a new kind of collectible item, one with impact on the gameplay: Relic weapons. In this guide, we go over the location of every single collectible in Gears 5.

Related: Gears 5 guide: List of Jack upgrades and where to find them

Relic weapons

While the Omen symbol (the Skull and Cog, the symbol of the Gears franchise) has usually been associated with COG tags, in Gears 5, seeing that symbol means that a Relic weapon is nearby. Relic weapons are unique weapons in the Gears 5 campaign that have special bonuses. There's also a few achievements tied to Relic weapons, including getting a kill with each, so they are worth hunting down. You can see the Relic weapons that we've found below:

Enforcer Relic

Most of the Relic weapons found in Act 2 can be acquired at any point in the open areas. This one is the exception - you can only grab it during Act 2, Chapter 2. When you first have to stop the Skiff, open a gate and acquire the map, take a left instead of a right into the back of the security room. There, you'll find the Enforcer Relic. You have to grab it here because once the Skiff has jumped down on to the ice below, there's no going back. Click to enlarge the images.

The Enforcer Relic does more damage and hits harder however, its rate of fire is a bit slower.

Longshot Relic

You can find the Longshot Relic at any point during Act 2 when you can freely roam and pull up your map, as early as Chapter 2. After passing through the first gate, head to the left and you'll eventually find a small shack on the ice. Inside the shack, the Longshot Relic is resting on a table, underneath a white Omen sigil. Below, you'll find images of the location on the map and what the shack looks like. Click to enlarge the images.

The Longshot Relic has an Active Reload bonus, where performing an Active Reload properly will give you two shots instead of one, which is great for rapidly dealing headshots against groups of Swarm.

Torque Bow Relic

The Torque Bow Relic can be found at any point during Act 2, Chapter 4. It's at the very entrance to the mining camp. You have to visit this mine as part of the story however, you're free to grab the gun before heading in. After dismounting the Skiff and going through the entrance, head immediately to the right. You'll see a Crimson Omen on your right, as well as a small trail. Follow the trail to grab the weapon.

The Torque Bow Relic is very different from its explosive-tipped peers: it can fire non-explosive rounds and reload extremely quickly. This means you'll need to score headshots - but if you can reliably land headshots, you can rapidly decimate large groups of foes.

Boltok Relic

The Boltok Relic can be acquired during Act 2, Chapter 4. It's in the middle of the map, near a downed Condor aircraft. At the location marked on the map below, find the Crimson Omen and then look slightly to the right. The gun is leaning against a massive block of ice.

The Boltok Relic can be fired far faster than its non-Relic counterpart and can even be used accurately when hip-fired without aiming.

Retro Lancer Relic

The Retro Lancer Relic is found in Act 2, Chapter 4 at any point after opening the old, reliable COG security gate. At the location on the map below, find the Crimson Omen, then check the lone, tall tree to the right. The Retro Lancer Relic is leaning against the tree.

This is one of the most different Relic weapons, as it forgoes being an assault rifle. Instead, the Retro Lancer Relic fires off multiple grenades. This automatic grenade launcher is useful for clearing enemies out but will rapidly chew through ammo.

Dropshot Relic

The Dropshot Relic is found in Act 2, Chapter 4 (are you sensing a pattern yet?) and is extremely close to where you'll need to eventually blast through the ice to continue on to Chapter 5. At the area marked on the map below, find the Crimson Omen, then look to the left. Following the ice closely, you'll find a small pathway that leads to the Dropshot Relic.

The Dropshot Relic functions much like the regular Dropshot but with an icy twist: the explosion freezes any enemies in the blast radius. This can be used to give yourself some breathing space by freezing then shattering clustered groups of opponents.

Boomshot Relic

The Boomshot Relic is the final Relic weapon to be found in Act 2, Chapter 4 (and Act 2 as a whole). You'll find this gun at the North Tower Substation. At the station, as you face the building, turn to the right and look behind a large container with a Crimson Omen sigil. The Boomshot Relic will be right there.

The Boomshot Relic is the same as the regular Boomshot - except it holds three explosive rounds at a time and can fire them all with one long pull of the trigger (or press on the mouse button). Fantastic for dishing out high damage, it's important to be careful with how close your target is, otherwise the splash damage from the explosion will stack and kill you.

Talon Relic

The Talon Relic is the first Relic weapon you can find in Act 3, as early as Chapter 1 but you can also grab later on whenever you can freely explore with the Skiff. Once you gain access to the Skiff, you'll find it close by the airfield where you start the Act. Go slightly south to the area marked on the map, then find the hangar with the Crimson Omen. The Talon Relic is right around the corner.

This gun is pretty simple. On an Active Reload, it does more damage and is far more accurate than the regular Talon.

Gnasher Relic

The Gnasher Relic can be found during Act 3, Chapter 1 or at any point later on in Act 3 when you have free reign to explore. After leaving the airfield and traveling east in the Skiff for a short while, you'll come upon some cliffs. One of these (marked on the map below) has a Crimson Omen sigil. Look on the ground, slightly to the right of the sigil and you'll find the weapon.

The Gnasher Relic uses heavy slugs instead of regular shotgun shells. As a result, it isn't as effective at turning enemies into pulp up close, since there's no spread however, it gains a much higher range and the ability to pull off rapid headshots, rewarding a steady aim.

Lancer GL Relic

The Lancer GL Relic is located on the path leading to the Cosmonaut Training Facility. Still, you can grab it as early as Act 3, Chapter 1 if you are so inclined. At the spot on the map below, check behind the second-to-last tall pillar. You'll find the gun laying down on a concrete slab behind the pillar.

The Lancer GL Relic has a slightly different secondary fire. Instead of the mortar barrage hitting the area you targeted, it flies in a straight line, activating its payload if it encounters an enemy in its path.

Claw Relic

Continuing eastward, the Claw Relic is found in a cluster of small buildings, which you can go to at any point in the open section, as early as Act 3, Chapter 1. One of the buildings has the Crimson Omen sigil on it. Check around almost directly opposite the sigil, and you'll find the Claw Relic lying down.

When you perform an Active Reload, the Claw Relic fires much faster and much more accurately, turning what is already a powerful machine gun into a portable turret.

Markza Relic

At the Pump Station, find the entrance. Then turn around and find the Crimson Omen emblazoned on a small cliff. The Marka Relic is in the back of a ruined vehicle slightly to the right. You can do this as early at Act 3, Chapter 1.

The Markza Relic functions like its non-Relic namesake, except if you hold down the trigger (or button on PC) it is fully automatic. This is useful for stunning enemies then headshotting them through the recoil.

Hammerburst Relic

Next up is the Hammerburst Relic, found very close to the City Ruins. At the location on the map below, you'll see a Crimson Omen symbol behind a large gate. Slip through the gate and take a right, you'll see the gun lying on the ground. You can come and get this gun at any point on the Skiff, as early as Act 3, Chapter 1.

The Hammerburst Relic fires increasingly longer bursts, an effect that is pronounced upon an Active Reload. With consecutive pulls of the trigger, you can fire longer and longer bursts, easily shredding weaker enemies and even getting headshots.

Snub Relic

The Snub Relic is nearby the Rocket Hangar you'll have to visit on the main story path. As such, it's quite easy to grab in Act 3, Chapter 1 but you can do it later in the Act. At the entrance to the Rocket Hanger, keep on going right in the Skiff a short ways. You'll see the trademark Crimson Omen emblazoned on the side of the wall. Right next to it, you'll find the Snub Relic.

The Snub Relic fires a two-shot burst. While not a vast difference, it does mean less pulls of the trigger to stagger enemies or, with careful aim, pop their heads apart.

Overkill Relic

Near the Cosmonaut Training Facility, you'll see a large rock all by its lonesome with the Crimson Omen painted on it. Walk around behind the rock to find the Overkill Relic. After you grab the gun, several Rejects will pop out of the sand, so you can immediately get to testing it. While it's probably more convenient to grab this gun in Chapter 3, it can technically be done in Chapter 1.

The Overkill Relic is fully automatic, which means that instead of merely tearing your target to pieces, you'll outright liquefy it. Very good for rapidly blasting a Scion or Pouncer into pieces.

Lancer Relic

We finally come to a Relic weapon in Act 3 that can't be acquired in Chapter 1. Instead, you'll have to wait until later, when the bridge is raised and you can pass under. Shortly beyond the bridge, you'll come upon a tanker shipwreck. Circle around to the back and find the Crimson Omen. The Lancer Relic is just a short ways to the right.

The Lancer Relic allows you to bash an enemy with your rifle butt by pressing B. This attack stuns them and sets the enemy up for an execution, whether by Lancer chainsawing or by knife. Usually, you can only do this move as part of a combo: B, B, B (hold). With this gun, you can do it freely by itself.

Embar Relic

Also in Act 3 and also unavailable in Chapter 1, you can find this gun at one of the downed Condor aircraft. After making your way through the Windflare storm turning the sand to glass, check the tail end of the downed Condor, which separated from the rest of the wreckage. You'll see the Crimson Omen sigil and the gun is lying on a crate nearby.

The Embar Relic is slower to charge than the normal gun however, it does far more damage per shot. Use it carefully to vaporize targets.

Collectibles

The collectibles in Gears 5 include COG tags, UIR tags, other types of tags, documents, photos and many other items. There's a whopping 90 collectibles to find. They've been broken down by Act and Chapter, so if you're looking for specific items it'll be easy to scroll through.

Act 1 collectibles

Act 1, Chapter 1

• Weathered Spectacles

Found immediately after rappelling down into the water, just walk to the right instead of heading to the left and you'll find this item on a rock.

• Onyx Guard Challenge Coin

From the aforementioned water, head to the left but instead of going up the hill, keep going to the left and down a very short ways. You'll find this coin on a rock.

• Wellness Advisory Poster

A short way into the chapter, you'll see a waterfall (Marcus will comment that only a handful made it off Azura alive), then head into some buildings. On a wall on your left, you'll find the poster.

• COG Tags: Fallen Azura Gear

Later in the chapter, you'll have Dave open some doors as a DeeBee follows you. Go into the Infirmary (it has the word Infirmary up top, it's hard to miss) and on the right, there's a dead Gear who's been reduced to a skeleton in armor. Pick the tags up from the corpse.

• Chairman's Wristwatch

In that same area, leave the Infirmary and go upstairs. Take a right, then a left and in a small back room, there'll be a desk with the watch.

• Lightmass Missile Strike Authorization

After a fight where your remaining DeeBee is destroyed and there's a huge explosion in the middle of the room, go near the back of the room but take a left. Up a short flight of stairs, you'll find the document on an old computer terminal.

• UIR Hammer of Dawn Blueprints

Going back into the big room where the explosion went off, go up the stairs and have Jack open the door. On the table directly in front of you, you'll see the blueprints.

Act 1, Chapter 2

• Photograph of Kilo Squad

The moment the cutscene ends and you control JD, walk forward and check Baird's desk. There'll be a small photo to grab.

• Mark 3 Lancer Blueprint

From Baird's desk, walk up the short stairs and go to the right. On top of a box, you'll find this blueprint.

• Trauma Record: Marcus Fenix

Turn around and walk to the other side of the room past Baird. You'll find this white document next to a takeout box.

• Gym Notice to Trainees

After the cutscene where you're introduced to the polite and charming Fahz, check the wall directly behind the fallen training DeeBee. You'll find this amusing notice there.

• DBI Marketing Brochure

Exit the gym and go to the right. In the small lobby, turn to the left and you'll find this brochure on a small couch.

Act 1, Chapter 3

• COG Tags: Fallen Raven Pilot

Once JD has been saved from the Juvies and you can move again, check the fallen Raven pilot in front of you for some COG tags.

• The New Ephyran: 20th Anniversary Edition

Once you walk out from your burning surroundings to the next room, check a desk in front of you.

• Seditious Literature

After a brief fight with the Swarm, head upstairs then turn to your left. Check a desk against the railing and you'll see a magazine with SEDITIOUS stamped on it in bold red letters.

• Settlement 2 Welcome Package

After finding a small group of survivors and Gears huddling in a building, look towards the small area you're supposed to crouch through. Go to the left in a small room and you'll see this pamphlet on a small desk.

• Storied Embry Star

After Lizzie Carmine shows up and you've called in additional Guardian DeeBees to clear the street, check the building that Swarm snipers were previously huddled in. Go up the stairs and in the dark back of the room, find a desk with an open drawer. Look down into the drawer to grab this medal.

• COG Tags: Fallen Gear at Condor Crash

When you find the Condor gunship that's been brought down and is currently a flaming wreck, about halfway through the wreckage, you'll see a dead Gear on your left. Grab the tags on the body.

• Seran Colossus

In the street where Poppers (Juvies with grenades attached) attack you and Cole loudly voices his displeasure, check the very end of the street on the left and go in the bookstore. On a stand in the middle of the store, you'll find this book.

Act 1, Chapter 4

• Memo to Bomah Staff

When you go through the gate to the Grand Bomah Hotel, go to the left and hop up into the garage. In the garage, there'll be a table past some boxes where you can pick up the memo.

• COG Tags: Fallen Gear at Hotel

When you enter a pitch-black room and Jack provides some light, look in front of you where two Gears have been butchered. You can grab tags off the corpse leaning against the shelf.

• Lost Plush Horse

After entering a lobby with several dead civilians, check under the upper balcony near some couches to pick up this plush toy.

• Settlement 2 Summer Birth Pamphlet

Go upstairs from the lobby with the plush and check on your right to see a table with balloons behind it and baby bottles on it. Pick up the pamphlet here.

• Song Lyrics

After fighting your way through the street and entering the theater, head upstairs and find the wardrobe and makeup section. On the left in a small room, you can grab this sheet of lyrics.

• Worn Lighter

In the backstage area of the theater, there's a small mirror and bust on a desk, next to a poster advertising Jace Stratton. Grab this lighter from the desk.

• Octus Canon Scroll Prop

On the stage, in the same area where you find the control panel to lift the curtain, check opposite the controls and nab this theater prop.

Act 2 collectibles

Act 2, Chapter 1

• Hand-Carved Riftworm Flute

After the cutscene, walk down the stairs on your right and check the building on your right. This flute is on a table.

• Ilima City License Plate

As you walk towards the objective, you'll see a big building marked Infirmary on your left. There'll be a furnace on your right and right next to the furnace, you can grab this license plate.

• Lost Gear Helmet

Past the furnace, you'll see a large, decorated bone statue. Go past that and on the left in some flowers and snow is this helmet.

• Wooden Toy Lancer

After a young boy taunts you then runs away, check the corner of the building where he was standing. On a block next to the building, you'll find this toy.

• Major Howl and the Battlin' Ants

From the block, walk forward then to the left and go inside the salvage shop. On a back table you can find this poster.

• New Village Rules Mandate

Past the stable, enter the building in front of you. You'll see this sheet of rules hanging up on your left.

• Note to the Chief

When you reach the stairs where villagers are planting flowers, instead of going down the stairs, enter the building just behind them. This note is laid out on a table in the middle of the room.

• Norsko's Letter

After you can see the Village Chief working, before going to the gate on the left to talk to them, turn right and find this letter on some crates.

• Outsider Skiff Schematic

After the fight against the Swarm begins, go up some stairs and you'll find a room with a Silverback (which you can use!) on the left. On a crate next to it you can grab this schematic.

• COG Tags: Oscar Diaz

After you are in the dark room with the Skiff and need to turn the lights on, check one of the workbenches along the wall to get these COG tags.

Act 2, Chapter 2

• Grindlift Maintenance Notes

Now that the world has opened up and you can roam freely with the Skiff, find the abandoned train tunnel. After going in and fighting a Carrier, check the back of the train car for the notes. (It's worth mentioning that you'll have a second chance to grab this collectible in Act 2, Chapter 4, as you'll be openly roaming the same area again)

• Faded Photograph

Follow the tracks outside of the abandoned train tunnel a short distance and you'll come upon a single, detached train car. Enter it and you can find the photograph. (Much like the collectible before, you can grab this during Act 2, Chapter 4 as well)

• Islander's Lost Earring

A short ways in front of the Old COG gate you'll use to move on later, there's some crashed trucks covered in snow. You can nab the earring here, lying next to a corpse and Torque Bow. (Much like the collectibles before, you can grab this during Act 2, Chapter 4 as well)

• Lena's Journal

As you head to the New Hope facility main mission, you'll pass an Outsider campsite (it's impossible to miss). At this campsite, you can grab a journal, netting you a collectible and also kicking off a secondary mission. (Much like the collectibles before, you can grab this during Act 2, Chapter 4 as well)

Act 2, Chapter 3

• Intercepted Letter

In the New Hope facility lobby, go to the back right corner and you'll find this letter.

• Sovereign Directive 10345

Later, you'll find yourself having dropped down a hole into a dark hallway with lots of cells. Exit the room you dropped into and turn to the right. There'll be a locked door near the end of the hallway that Jack can open. The directive is in the back of this room.

• Patient Analysis: AX-331-2

Leave the room you found the directive in and turn to the right. Amidst a lot of medical equipment, you can find this analysis near a body covered with sheet.

• Patient Analysis: EV-184-9

After finding a special cell that clearly belonged to a child, jump through the window. The analysis is on a table to your left.

• Patient Analysis: RK-619-4

A short distance ahead, you'll find a long hallway with light coming in from openings in the ceiling. There's a door on the right, with the corpse of one of the Sires on an examination table. You can grab the analysis from next to the body.

• Timeworn Data Drive

After dropping down from some destroyed stairs, you'll enter a server room, with dozens of cables running along the floor. The data drive is on your right in the dark.

Act 2, Chapter 4

This section is very long and very open, so remember than you can backtrack and grab any collectibles from Chapter 2 you previously missed. Also, the open world sections of this can be done in any order. You'll get a notice when you're about to leave the open area behind permanently and until you get that notice, you're free to roam and explore.

• Frayed Pouncer-Tooth Necklace

One of the missions in Chapter 4 that has you leave the Skiff behind is an abandoned mine. At the abandoned mine entrance, go up the watchtower to nab this necklace lying on the floor.

• Nethercutt Mining Poster

Inside the abandoned mine, when you make your way to the locker room, go to the right into a small room. There'll be a poster on the wall.

• Nethercutt Miner's Journal

In a large, dark room illuminated by several pods hanging from the ceiling, go to the back and to the left. A small side room has this journal on a table.

• Letter to Momma

Back out in the free-roam of the open section, you'll need to take the Skiff across a narrow bridge between icy ledges at one point. Before crossing, you'll spy a snow-covered Centaur tank on your right. Go up to it and on a crate next to the tank you can find this letter.

• Security Memorandum

At the East Tower Substation, you can go inside and find this memorandum opposite a frozen corpse. This is also part of the Outsiders secondary mission and is necessary for opening another substation.

• Krav's Locust Tag

At one of the Old Derrick Sites, you'll see a Grindlift capsule below a yellow flag. Next to the capsule is a Locust skeleton, which you can take the tag from.

• Grindlift Actuator Component

At the same Old Derrick Site as above, check the iced-over Derrick for a yellow compartment that you can open. This is also part of a secondary mission that when complete, nets you an Ultimate upgrade for Jack.

• Orders from Ketor Skorge

At the second Old Derrick Site, enter into the wreckage and you can find this document on a skeleton to your right.

• Grindlift Actuator Component

At the same Old Derrick Site as the orders were found, make your way down and over to the second iced-over Derrick. Nab this component from a yellow compartment. This is another part of a secondary mission giving you an Ultimate upgrade for Jack.

• Lena's Scribbles

As you arrive at the North Tower approach and have to dismount the Skiff, check to your right for the North Tower Substation. Before you enter the substation (which requires the Security Memorandum collectible from the previous substation) you can grab a note on the keypad.

Act 2, Chapter 5

• Nethercutt Helmet

Once you've broken through the ice, you'll make your way to a security door with laser-targeting autoturrets. Turn around but don't go back the way you came, go to the left (your right facing the security door) and walk until you see frozen corpses trapped in ice. There's a helmet on top of the ice.

• Subject Analysis: UL-119-2

After disabling the first cryo jets so you can walk through the room, go to your right up a ramp and kick down a door. At the back of this room, you'll find the document

• Subject Analysis: TE-872-3

After a dramatic cutscene that leaves you standing in a room with a giant yellow tank, grab the document off the floor directly next to you.

• Lexigram Board

After making your way through a second batch of cryo jets and disabling a generator, grab the board from next to the generator.

• Subject Analysis: EV-184-9

When chasing the Niles bot, you'll make your way through an area with several malfunctioning cryo jets. Grab this document off a table right under of the jets.

• Sketchbook

When you make your way into a room with a dead scientist and notice that the massive tank that held the Matriarch is busted open, turn to the left and go into a dark room. The document is on the floor in the dark to your left.

Act 3 collectibles

Act 3, Chapter 1

• Corisku Newspaper

When you gain control of Kait, there'll be a bar on your left. Grab the newspaper there.

• Doomed Empire, by Logan Hobbs

After going downstairs into the baggage claim area, there's a book next to some boxes. Swipe it.

• Missive to Agent 9

Go through the airport metal detectors, turn left but instead of taking another left, keep going straight ahead to a small room. The ominous document is on a table in the back

• Nomad's Creed

Past the table where some Claw machine guns are laid out, you can find this creed stabbed to another table with a knife.

• The Astounding Lightning Rangers!

Out in the open with all the different hangars, head into Hangar 4. Check to the left of the aircraft, there's a comic book to grab.

Act 3, Chapter 2

• UIR Tag: Fallen Loyalist

As you arrive at the Rocket Hangar for the main mission, stop and go to the right of the entrance. You'll see a corpse propped up against a wall with a tag to grab.

• Hammer of Dawn Command Case

After first entering the building, you'll make your way to a dark room where Fahz is complaining about the lack of lights. There's an armored skeleton with a command case for you to snatch.

• OZP-11 Termination Directive

In the vast, open hangar where you'll be spending a lot of time traversing via gurney, don't get on the gurney yet. Go down and to the right, where you'll find this document on a barrel.

• UIR Space Mission Brief

A few hallways and corridors later, there'll be a room of enemies to clear out with the floor covered in red sand and capsule in the center. Drop down but go to the left up into a hidden room with a model of a Rocket on a table. Towards the back of the room, you can find this brief.

• Loyalist Order from Major Toly

When you enter another vast room and see a chunk of a rocket to your left, go to the right and hop some sandbags. There'll be a Longshot and this orders document.

• UIR Tag: Major Toly

You'll come upon an area briefly glimpsed in the E3 2018 reveal trailer for Gears 5, with some deserted tanks. There's a UIR corpse leaning against one of the tanks, grab the tag from there.

• The Major's Speech

A short ways later, you'll have to take a left turn through a wall that's been blasted open. The document will be resting on a console directly in front of you.

• UIR Tag: Lieutenant Melich

At the turntable, in a room where you'll need to order Jack to operate the turntable controls. In the back of that room, you'll find the UIR tags.

Act 3, Chapter 3

• Nomad's Sketchbook

In the open world, go to the Watertower location, which is part of a secondary mission. Grab the sketchbook from the same room where the sole survivor of the Watertower is. (Technically, you can grab this and all the other "open area" collectibles back in Act 3, Chapter 2)

• UIR LC Circuit A1

At the City Ruins location, you'll have to hold out as you are attacked by Swarm, particularly a large number of Elite Hunters. After Jack slices through the door, go in and upstairs, the electronic part is on a countertop.

• Well-Worn Vasgari Flag

After grabbing the electronic part above, head to the right and over the damaged roof on your way out but stop and turn to the right after entering the next building. You'll see a big flag hanging on the wall to grab.

• UIR LC Circuit C1

At the Artillery Battery locale, go upstairs from the room where you rescued the podded Nomads. You'll find the circuit on a table right in front of you.

• Emergency Loyalist Radiogram

In the same room as the circuit above, on a console directly behind the table, you can snatch this document.

• Loyalist Orders to Lieutenant Melich

At a cluster of fallen tanks just south of the Harbor Docks, you'll be able to see the bridge clearly. The orders are next to one of the tanks.

• RNV Borascu Captain's Log

At the Cargo Shipwreck, drop down, then stick to the right. You'll find an open cargo container with the document next to a UIR corpse.

• UIR LC Circuit B1

On the corpse of a Nomad at the far back of the Cargo Shipwreck, you'll find the final circuit.

• Lightmass Missile Fragment

At the Cosmonaut Training Facility, before heading into the ruined building go to the far right. At a wall, you'll find this piece of scrap.

• UIR Tag: Captain Tagger

Inside the mission, at the giant training area where pilots are tested for centrifugal force (the giant thing that spins around crushing Swarm until it breaks) you'll find a tag on a body in the area that opens up once the training equipment blows apart. It'll be a few steps left of what you need to do for the main mission.

• Fallen Nomad's Visor

At the Nomad convoy you rescue, just inside the entrance and to the right you can find this visor.

Act 4 collectibles

Act 4, Chapter 1

• Encyclopedia of Tyran Military History

In a wrecked building very reminiscent of the original Gears of War, you can find this book after going down some stairs and checking a corner that is directly underneath an upstairs piano.

• Ruptured Gear Helmet

As Baird frantically yells at his AI assistant to take notes, go opposite your objective and take a right up a destroyed street. You can see this helmet at the end of the road.

• COG Tags: Minh Young Kim

As you make your way to the tomb to reinforce Paduk, take a right directly in front of the building. Wading through the swampy water, look closely to your right and you'll see these COG tags held in place with a blade.

• Restoration Notice: Tomb of the Unknowns

You'll see this notice right next to the door you have to go through to enter the tomb.

Grabbing every last item

Congratulations, you've got every collectible! There's a lot of stuff to grab in Gears 5 and The Coalition hid items away in every crack and crevice. If at any point you grab a collectible but it isn't showing up in your list on your menu, just be patient, it's likely an issue with the servers syncing and the data has been recorded.

Related: Gears 5 review: An evolved formula brings home a big win for Xbox

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• Its early-access launch has been plagued with problems and the team is offering in-game compensation.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition. Not only does the game feature a larger campaign, but it also provides plenty of multiplayer modes. Some of the more underrated features of the game have to be its accessibility support and 60 Hz servers for smooth competitive matches. However, its early-access period hasn't been without problems.

Today, the team announced that it was giving players in-game items as compensation for the early-access problems. According to a post on Twitter, The Coalition is awarding five days of Boost which grants faster progression and 600 Scrap. It should be added to your account in the next two days.

It seems like the majority of the problems Gears 5 is facing, even when it comes to its campaign, are related to server issues. Since the title is part of Xbox Game Pass, let's hope it's fixed before Tuesday because even more players will have access to the game in a few hours.

Related: Gears 5 known bugs and launch issues

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• Its early-access launch has been plagued with some serious server-side problems.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Updated September 12, 2019: The Coalition just released another update which missing collectibles, Xbox Achievements, and more.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition. Not only does the game feature a larger campaign, but it also provides plenty of multiplayer modes. Some of the more underrated features of the game have to be its accessibility support and 60 Hz servers for smooth competitive matches. However, its early-access period hasn't been without problems.

Last night, The Coalition issued another server-side update which fixed the infamous progression problems. Hopefully, you should see the correct experience, rank, character level, and other details now. The team added, "Over the next few hours... should slowly return to their correct state."

It seems like the majority of the problems Gears 5 is facing, even when it comes to its campaign, are related to server issues. Since the title is part of Xbox Game Pass, let's hope it's fixed before Tuesday because even more players will have access to the game then.

Related: Gears 5 known bugs and launch issues

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Xbox accessories you'll love

Every one of these quality accessories is guaranteed to enhance your Xbox experience.

PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller for Xbox One ($20 at Amazon)

PowerA's take on the Xbox One controller is an attractive pickup for budget-conscious gamers that nails all the basics.

Talon PDP Xbox media remote ($20 at Amazon)

The Talon PDP Xbox media remote is great for watching shows on your console.

Xbox One S vertical stand ($10 at Amazon)

Stand your console upright with this accessory.

Gears 5 is a welcome evolution of the franchise, bringing new gameplay features, insane visuals, and an engrossing plot. It doesn't, however, change up its signature third-person cover shooter gameplay, which has occasionally been the topic of debate over the years.

Resident Evil breathed new life into its aging franchise by switching gears (pun intended) to a first-person perspective for Resident Evil 7, to widespread praise. As franchises get older, the need to "evolve" becomes increasingly apparent. If you've ever wondered what the quintessentially third-person Gears of War franchise might look like in first-person, this interesting glitch from AruriusTheMage on Twitter offers a brief glimpse at the possibility.

Sure, it doesn't work properly, and the gun models glitch through the screen as you might expect, but it's hard not to imagine what Gears' gloriously satisfying violent gameplay might handle like with a more visceral, first-person viewpoint after seeing the video in action. Can you imagine getting right up in a Juvie's face with a chainsaw lancer? Well, I guess we have DOOM for that, but hey, Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront offer optional first and third-person perspectives with little fuss, and Grand Theft Auto V added it as an option with its current-gen re-releases. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Gears of War was among the first games to truly popularize the third-person cover mechanic on consoles, but I do sometimes wonder if Gears' very strict shooter formula holds it back sometimes. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks @D_R_Fletch for the tip!

Related: List of known bugs for Gears 5

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition. Not only does the game feature a larger campaign, but it also provides plenty of multiplayer modes. Some of the more underrated features of the game have to be its accessibility support and 60 Hz servers for smooth competitive matches.

However, as if the case with almost every game, there are still a number of bugs to be aware of. While an official list hasn't been shared as of yet, we did come across some interesting ones that are giving players a hard time. You can read about them below.

Saving

It seems like if you're using a slow external hard drive (HDD), not a solid-state drive (SSD), saving the game can be a hassle. The checkpoint logo keeps on spinning but nothing happens. Some reports indicate that if you're using an external HDD, you'll likely have this issue. Others say that it's related to server problems. Either way, it's an ongoing concern with no clear solution as of now. Try installing the game on an external SSD if you have one.

Stuck animations

It seems like some characters are stuck in rage animations even after a match is over. While this bug is hilarious, it can be disconcerting because they're very loud.

Performance

Certain areas of the game exhibit noticeable performance dips. This happens usually when there's a lot of action in the campaign.

Stuck progress

According to reports on Twitter, there are some missing prompts in the campaign and certain computer-controlled characters don't do what they're supposed to. For example, Jack gets stuck behind a box and you can't move to the next area.

Language support

According to another report on Twitter, the Brazilian and Portuguese voices and subtitles are broken.

Progression

Some users are reporting that they are missing collectibles and campaign progression.

We'll keep adding to this list as we encounter more problems. Hopefully, The Coalition is aware of these problems and is actively working on solutions.

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

What you need to know

• Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from Xbox Game Studios.
• The game features a lot of new additions to its campaign and multiplayer.
• The Coalition wants to expand the franchise in a number of ways.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass through Amazon.

Gears 5 is a third-person shooter from The Coalition. Not only does the game feature a larger campaign, but it also provides plenty of multiplayer modes. Some of the more underrated features of the game have to be its accessibility support and 60 Hz servers for smooth competitive matches.

According to an interview between The Coalition's Rod Fergusson and The Hollywood Reporter, the team wants to make the franchise "flourish" after it was "put it on the shelf to essentially die" by Epic Games, the original creators. He said the following in an interview. You can read a condensed segment below.

It's great to see that The Coalition wants to expand the property. However, it must do so in a cautious way because only by releasing quality experiences will Gears prosper. Another tidbit that came out of the interview was the fact that Microsoft didn't pay Ninja to stream Gears 5. However, that's a story for another day.

In Windows Central's review, Jez Corden wrote, "as a benchmark for visual excellence balanced against stellar performance, Gears 5 is technical wizardry. It also bridges platforms and storefronts... complete with... cross-play. The fact that Gears 5 manages to jam a... 12 to 18-hour campaign, several multiplayer modes, a map editor, and the promise of post-launch support represents one of the best deals in gaming right now. It's an even better value when you factor in Xbox Game Pass."

The game is garnering stellar reviews and you should check it out if you can. Gears 5: Ultimate Edition is already out for everyone, but Gears 5: Standard Edition launches on September 10 and is part of the regular Xbox Game Pass subscription. Only Xbox Game Pass Ultimate gives you access to Gears 5: Ultimate Edition.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

In Gears 5, light RPG elements are introduced through the ability to upgrade Jack, your robot companion. Jack's skills are divided into three categories: Assault, Support, and Passives. Each category is fairly easy to understand. You'll acquire each upgrade at specific points in the story, and several are actually required to use in order to progress at different points. While you collect Components to acquire most of the different upgrades, the Ultimate upgrade will require completion of a secondary mission. The Ultimate upgrades for each ability have been bolded, with details on how to get them.

Related: Gears 5 review: An evolved formula brings home a big win for Xbox

Assault skills

Flash

You'll earn this skill during Act 1, Chapter 2. It allows Jack to stun an enemy, temporarily blinding them and knocking them out of cover (if they were in cover). Eventually, it can be upgraded to hit multiple foes at once, which there is an achievement for (I Was Born in a Crossfire Hurricane).

• Faster Recharge - Flash recharges 25% faster
• Range Boost - Increases range by 50%
• Concussive - Flash inflicts moderate damage
• Flash Freeze - Freezes enemies, incapacitating them for longer

The Flash Freeze upgrade is acquired during Act 2. After passing through the first gate in the Skiff, as you explore you'll find an old train tunnel. Enter it, and after fighting a Carrier, you'll get a secondary mission. As you continue to explore through Act 2, Chapter 4, find two Old Assault Derrick sites. Each one will have one of the components you need. When you've completed all three locations, you'll get the Flash Freeze upgrade.

Shock Trap

The Shock Trap is acquired during Act 2, Chapter 1. As it might sound, this places an electric trap on the ground that can shock and slow down enemies that pass through it. There's an achievement (Shock and Awe) for shocking six enemies at the same time.

Upgrades for Shock Trap

• Improved Capacitor - Shock Trap lasts 50% longer
• Multi-Trap - Place a second Shock Trap without destroying the first
• Ensnare - Shock Trap slows enemies more
• Seeker - Shock-Bots chase targets and do double damage

Seeker is acquired through completing the Lost Outsiders secondary mission. You'll encounter a small Outsider camp in Act 2, Chapter 1, which will start the quest. Later in Act 2, you'll need to find two substations. At each station, simply look around outside and find the secondary entrance. Complete the quest, and you'll earn the upgrade.

Hijack

You'll get this skill automatically during Act 3, Chapter 1. This ability allows you to temporarily force a member of the Swarm to fight on your behalf. Note that it doesn't work on Carriers or Snatchers however, everything else is fair game. In fact, there's even an achievement (An Enemy Among Us) tied to getting kills with four hijacked enemies - a Pouncer, Warden, Stump, and Elite Hunter.

Upgrades for Hijack

• Duration - Hijack lasts 30% longer
• Stim Target - Stims the enemy while controlled
• Faster Recharge - Hijack recharges faster after use
• Detonator Implant - Hijacked enemy explodes on death

Detonator Implant is earned by finding three different parts during the Scavengers secondary mission in Act 3. At different points through the Act, someone will task you with aiding their teams of scavengers in the desert. You'll visit three locations: the Artillery Battery, the City Ruins and the Shipwreck. Collect all three parts for the upgrade.

Support skills

Pulse

Jack has Pulse from the very beginning of the game. You can use it to scan for enemies, outlining them through cover or smoke, which is useful when visibility is low.

Upgrades for Pulse

• Range Boost - Increases range by 50%
• Expanded Targeting Array - Doubles duration of Pulse outlines
• Detect Pickups - Pulse also detects weapons and ammo
• Marked for Death - Attacks against Pulsed enemies deal 20% more damage

Marked for Death is acquired by checking out one of the crashed Condor sites in Act 2, Chapter 3.

Stim

Stim is earned in Act 1, Chapter 4. It boosts your armor, allowing you to survive damage that would otherwise put you in DBNO (Down But Not Out) mode or kill you outright. It can be upgraded to the point it revives downed teammates, which you can earn an achievement for (Back on Your Feet, Soldier!).

Upgrades for Stim

• Faster Recharge - Stim recharges 25% faster
• Duration - Increases Stim duration by 2 seconds
• Revive - Stim can revive downed members of your squad
• Brawler - Melee damage is tripled while stimmed

Brawler can be found at one of the downed Condor aircraft during Act 2, Chapter 3.

Cloak

Cloak is found automatically during Act 2, Chapter 4. It turns you and your squadmates invisible, able to stealthily execute enemies and unable to be seen or targeted. There's an achievement (Seraninja) for executing three foes in one go while Cloaked.

Upgrades for Cloak

• Agility - Cloaked squadmates move 15% faster
• Extend - Kills while Cloaked extend Cloak's duration
• Faster Recharge - Cloak recharges 15% faster
• Slayer - Remain Cloaked for the full duration, even while shooting

Slayer is acquired through the Waterworks secondary mission in Act 3. You'll be asked to visit three locations to turn the water back on for some allies - simply visit the Water Tower, Pump and Harbor Docks. At each location, an electrical part can be found. Grab all three to unlock Slayer.

Barrier

Earned during Act 3, Chapter 3, Barrier has Jack summon an energy shield in front of you, protecting you from harm. When upgraded to reflect bullets, killing an enemy with reflected bullets will net you an achievement.

Upgrades for Barrier

• Duration - Increases Barrier duration by 50%
• Reflect Bullets - Bullets reflect off of Jack's Barrier
• Bulwark - Increases the size of Jack's Barrier
• Deadly Overload - Jack's Barrier explodes outwards when it expires

You can find Deadly Overload in Act 4, Chapter 1. When fighting a Swarmak near a ruined bar, check the back of the bar on the right.

Passives

Core

Jack's core systems. Like the other passives, they can all be upgraded from the beginning. There's no Ultimate upgrade to earn here. After upgrading Jack to fetch heavy weapons, there's an achievement (Gimme, Gimme, Gimme) if you get Jack to bring back one of every Heavy weapon.

Upgrades for Core

• Fetch Heavy - Jack can fetch Heavy weapons
• Sharpshooter - Headshot kills recharge Jack's abilities faster
• Executioner - Executions recharge Jack's abilities faster
• Savage - Kills recharge Jack's abilities faster

Zapper

Zappy zap zap. These upgrades are all about letting Jack deal more damage.

Upgrades for Zapper

• Improved Capacitor - Jack can fire the Zapper for longer
• Arc Booster - Increases the Zapper's effective range
• Cascading Energy - Zapper damage increases the longer it hits an enemy
• Beam Splitter - Zapper can hit multiple enemies at once

Stealth

Jack is nimble, but the Stealth upgrades allow him to operate with silent, undetectable efficiency.

Upgrades for Stealth

• Stealth Thrusters - Jack can remain Cloaked while boosting
• Reactive Stealth - Jack re-Cloaks faster after performing actions
• Stealth Shielding - Jack takes less damage while Cloaked
• Stealth Fetch - Jack can remain Cloaked while carrying a weapon

Health

A healthy bot is a happy bot. These upgrades improve Jack's durability, which is extremely useful on higher difficulties.

Upgrades for Health

• Repair Boost - Jack regenerates health faster
• Osmium Plating - Increases Jack's maximum health
• Self-Revive - Jack can revive himself twice as fast
• Revive Command - Jack can be sent to revive downed squadmates

Keeping an edge

Upgrading Jack is extremely important, as it allows you a whole host of new combat options and ways to deal with your different foes. Get creative, try different abilities, and don't be afraid to experiment!