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Gears of War 5 release date: Gears of War 5 launch date announced for 2019

Here’s everything we know so far about Gears of War 5

We’re just months away from the release of Gears of War 5 and E3 2019 provided us with more than enough information and gameplay to tide us over. With the release date announced, new game modes revealed and a whole host of other details to pour over, it’s a great time to be a Gears fan.

Taking the story in new and intriguing directions while innovating on the cover based shooter gameplay that made the series so iconic, the next Gears game promises to be an exciting new step for the franchise.

If you’re here looking to catch up on everything Gears 5 in anticipation, you’ll find everything you need to know down below.

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Gears of War 5: Everything we know so far

Gears of War 5 release date: When will Gears of War 5 launch?

Thanks to the cinematic trailer shown at E3 2019, we now know that Gears of War 5 will be releasing later this year on September 10. For those who want the game as soon as possible, you can pick it up four days early on September 6 by subscribing to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

You usually have to pay £10.99 per month to subscribe, but Microsoft’s current deal means you only have to pay £1 if you sign up now.


Gears of War 5: What’s the story?

If you’ve landed on this page, you’ve surely already played Gears of War 4 and you’re just as tormented by that cliffhanger ending as we are. It looks like Gears of War 5 will build on the story from the last game, with players instead thrust into the shoes of Kait Diaz, rather than J.D Fenix, with Marcus, Del and the rest of the Gears 4 cast returning.

From what we can tell, Kait begins suffering from nightmares after failing to rescue her mother from the Swarm, who was kidnapped due to her and Kait’s connection to the Locust and Queen Myrrah. As a result, she’s determined to learn more about her family origins and how they’re connected to the Locust Horde. Journeying to the birthplace of the Locust, (the New Hope Research Facility from Gears of War 2), Kait hopes to find the answers she’s looking for.

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Gears of War 5: Gameplay details

At Xbox’s E3 2019 conference, The Coalition unveiled a brand new game mode for Gears of War 5, called Escape. You and two other people play as one of three characters: Lahni, Keegan or Mac. As part of a group called Hivebusters, they willingly let themselves get captured by the Swarm so that they can be taken back to their hive. Once there, the three of them plant a venom bomb, which releases a lethal poison that will destroy the hive and players must escape before the gas reaches them.

Each of the playable characters in Escape come with their own unique abilities. Lahni is specialised for fighting enemies up close and personal, while Keegan can give his teammates more ammo for a limited time. Mac, meanwhile, serves as the group’s tank and uses a shield as his special ability. In order to escape successfully, players must utilise their abilities and work together whilst being swarmed (we couldn’t resist) by enemies.

Hopefully, this means The Coalition will take a few more risks with Gears of War 5, especially considering that many people criticised the previous game for being too familiar and playing it safe. Even Cliff Bleszinski, previous director of the Gears of War series, advised The Coalition to take a few more risks. In an interview with GameSpot, Bleszinski said: “What The Coalition did was give the people what they want. He did the JJ Abrams Episode VII. I’ve watched Episode VII five times. I still get misty-eyed and all excited, but when I think objectively about it, I’m like ‘there wasn’t a lot of risks there’. So I’m hoping they take a little bit more risk in the future.”

It seems The Coalition heard people’s complaints, as they’ve already confirmed that certain gameplay features have been modified. For example, when answering fan questions for IGN, the developer said that the iconic chainsaw bayonet attack has now been changed from holding the B button to holding the RB shoulder button. This was done because it “allows players to access all of their weapon’s attack options without having to let go of the thumb sticks, allowing for greater control of both movement and attacks”.

If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, it looks as though Gears of War 5 will be seeing a number of changes and improvements, while still offering that familiar and satisfying gameplay loop that fans of the series have come to love. The changes can even be seen with the environments which are now more varied, with snowy tundras and lush jungles taking centre stage. New enemies have also been revealed, along with brand new melee weapons.

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Gears of War 5: What platforms will it launch on?

As a Microsoft release, Gears of War 5 will be out on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs. The Coalition have also confirmed that Gears of War 5 will have 4K resolution with HDR and will play at 60FPS.

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