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."
Three-month subscription
Xbox Game Pass gives you access to over 200 games for one monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate also adds Xbox Live Gold to the package so you can play online with your friends.
Ditch the discs
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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)
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ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)
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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.
