Gears 5 is making some much-needed improvements to its online Ranked system

Kait executes a Swarm soldier with the Breaker mace
Kait executes a Swarm soldier with the Breaker mace (Image credit: Microsoft)

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!

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Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.