Microsoft is still sending free Gears of War: Reloaded promo codes as of late June 2025. Eligible fans who haven't yet received their complimentary copy of Gears of War: Reloaded thus shouldn't be concerned that the company forgot about them—at least not yet.
The second remaster of the original Gears of War game was officially announced in early May 2025. At the time, Microsoft said that the owners of the first remaster— Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, first released in August 2015—would receive GoW: Reloaded free of charge. The company hence pledged to proactively distribute the upcoming game's promo codes to all eligible users, without them having to do anything. Based on prior social media reports from fans, the codes started arriving via Xbox messages around June 11.
What to Expect From Gears of War: Reloaded
Gears of War: Reloaded is the second remaster of the very first game in the franchise, but there's a bit more to this remaster than meets the eye.
Nearly three weeks later, the rollout is still ongoing. This was recently reported by Reddit user Ceiyne, who claimed they had only received their Gears of War: Reloaded promo code on June 27. After sharing the experience on the r/xbox subreddit, the post sparked a discussion in which several other users reported similar delays, stating they had also only received their Xbox Store codes within the past few days, at a point where they already thought Microsoft forgot about them. Several people chiming in on the matter have claimed they are still waiting to receive their complimentary remaster, despite supposedly being eligible for the free upgrade.
Why Gears of War: Reloaded's Slow Promo Code Rollout Is Somewhat Unusual
The prolonged nature of the Gears of War: Reloaded promo code rollout is somewhat unusual at first glance. Unlike the vast majority of publishers, Microsoft operates its own gaming platform. It also hosts it completely in-house, thus owning the entire delivery pipeline and all the data required for verifying ownership. Therefore, on the surface, there seems to be little reason for such delays, as Microsoft—in theory—should be able to generate and distribute promo codes to all eligible Gears of War: Ultimate Edition owners at once.
The reason this isn't happening may be related to the ownership verification process. While the initial announcement implied that only owners of the Xbox One version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition would be eligible for the free upgrade, some online reports indicate that PC players began receiving promo codes as of mid-June 2025 as well. Although it's also possible that Microsoft is issuing codes in batches to reduce backend strain, that explanation seems less likely, given the company’s vast infrastructure and the relatively limited number of eligible users that's believed to be in the low millions.
Gears of War: Reloaded is scheduled for release on August 26. Anyone who hasn't received their complimentary copy of the game by then but believes they are eligible to do so can inquire about the status of their promo code with Xbox customer support. Microsoft has so far held two Gears of War: Reloaded betas, but has yet to clarify whether any more are planned.
Gears of War: Reloaded
- Released
- August 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- The Coalition
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Third-Person Shooter, War & Military
