What You Should Do First in Gears of War: Reloaded

Xbox's multiplatform strategy is now in full force. Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and Forza Horizon 5 have all come over to PlayStation 5 in the last year or so, and now one of Xbox's biggest franchises is making the same leap. As of August 26, 2025, Gears of War is officially on PlayStation.

A 2025 refresh of the 2018 remaster of the original 2006 Xbox 360 game, Gears of War: Reloaded lands on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5 today, bringing with it a slight graphical overhaul and some major performance upgrades for both the campaign and multiplayer modes. Gears of War: Reloaded promises to be the definitive way to experience this first entry in the long-running Sci-Fi military shooter franchise, and as such, it's bound to bring in a new suite of players who have never touched the series before. Those newcomers have a lot of content to dive into.

The First Step: Play Gears of War: Reloaded's Campaign

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It may be the most obvious starting point for players brand new to the Gears of War franchise, but the campaign really should be anyone's first port of call when jumping into Gears of War: Reloaded for the first time. The entire campaign can be completed in around nine hours or so, and while some of the game's story, character moments, and dialogue might feel outdated 19 years after Gears of War's initial release, the campaign's set pieces and general atmosphere are still worth experiencing today, especially with a buddy in co-op.

Escaping from a giant Locust boss - Gears of War Reloaded

Jumping into Gears of War: Reloaded's campaign first also gives franchise newcomers plenty of time to learn the ropes. Though Gears of War's unique brand of cover-shooting has been imitated by countless titles since the original's 2006 launch, the game's heavy movement controls, active reload systems, and cover-swapping mechanics might require a bit of an adjustment period.

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Playing through the campaign will give new players the opportunity to try out all of Gears of War: Reloaded's weapons, giving them a good idea of the type of firearms they should be using in multiplayer. In classic 2000s fashion, some of Gears' multiplayer maps are also tweaked versions of locations players visit during the campaign, which should give them a slight edge in multiplayer.

The Second Step: Play Gears of War's Multiplayer

With a good understanding of the game's core mechanics, players are ready to dive into Gears of War: Reloaded's multiplayer modes. Players should probably begin with Gears of War: Reloaded's unranked modes, of which there are seven in total:

Team Deathmatch
Blitz
King of the Hill
One Shot One Kill
Warzone
2v2 Gnasher Execution
Assassination

Those still gaining their Gears of War sea legs might want to begin with one of the game's more straightforward multiplayer modes, such as Team Deathmatch, as its rules are immediately recognizable to any multiplayer game fan. After that, franchise newcomers should feel free to check out any of Gears of War: Reloaded's more unique modes, such as Warzone, in which players have just one life per round, or 2v2 Gnasher Execution, a shotgun-only mode.

Gears of War: Reloaded - Locust Curbstomping Baird

Gears of War: Reloaded features crossplay between consoles and PC, as well as cross-progression for those who want to sign in with a linked Microsoft account.

Try Ranked Mode

With a few unranked Social matches under their belt, it's time for players to try out Gears of War: Reloaded's ranked modes:

Execution
2v2 Gnasher Execution

As is the case with any online ranked game, these modes might be a bit intense for Gears of War newcomers, especially during Gears of War: Reloaded's launch window, where even veteran franchise fans are starting fresh. The limited number of ranked game modes might also have players returning to Social playlists after a few rounds.

The game's third person combat system - Gears Of War

Of course, those picking up Gears of War: Reloaded can play the game however they like. They can jump straight into ranked matches if that's what they want to do. They just might have a smoother experience if they play Gears of War: Reloaded's campaign first, then go on to its multiplayer modes.

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