Introduction to Gears of War: Reloaded
Nearly two decades ago, Gears of War debuted on Xbox, launching a iconic action game franchise with numerous sequels, spin-offs, and remasters. Released on August 26, 2025, Gears of War: Reloaded offers a chance to reunite with Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad, not only on PC and Xbox but also, for the first time, on PlayStation. This marks the second remaster following Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (2015), boasting upgraded visuals, smooth performance, and cross-platform play (crossplay). But does Reloaded truly revive the legend, or is it just a partial upgrade? Let’s dive in.
Story and Pacing: Classic Gears Vibes
Gears of War: Reloaded retains the original storyline, immersing players in the war-torn world of Sera. You step into the boots of Marcus Fenix, a former prisoner pardoned to fight the Locust Horde—monstrous creatures emerging from the planet’s depths. The narrative is straightforward, prioritizing relentless action with a fast-paced rhythm. Through brief dialogue, the game paints a vivid picture of a brutal war and the characters’ losses.
The story’s strength lies in its tight pacing, avoiding lengthy exposition. You’re thrust into battle immediately, with intense firefights and heart-pounding action sequences. Compared to later entries in the series, Reloaded delivers a simple yet captivating experience, a quality many modern games struggle to replicate.
Supporting characters like Dom, Cole, and Baird remain highlights. Dom’s serious yet warm demeanor, Cole’s larger-than-life personality, and Baird’s relentless sarcasm create engaging, natural dialogue that never feels forced. These elements help Reloaded retain its charm nearly 20 years later.
Gameplay and Gunplay
The gameplay in Gears of War: Reloaded stays true to the original, delivering a third-person shooter experience with the revolutionary cover-shooter mechanics that defined the genre. You’ll wield iconic weapons like the Lancer with its chainsaw bayonet, sniper rifles, and grenades to battle the Locust. Actions like slicing enemies with the chainsaw, sealing enemy spawn points with grenades, or dodging Berserker charges remain exhilarating.
The cover system still shines, allowing seamless transitions between cover points to outmaneuver foes. While there are few gameplay innovations, the core mechanics remain engaging, especially for fans of action-packed shooters.
Graphics and Performance
Reloaded’s standout feature is its upgraded visuals. With 4K textures, enhanced lighting, and modern visual effects, the game offers a stunning experience. Gone is the original’s drab brown filter, replaced by vibrant yet moody colors that enhance the atmosphere. The ruined cities of Sera look more striking than ever.
Performance-wise, Reloaded excels on PC. Tested on a system with an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB, Ryzen 7 3700X, and 16GB of RAM, the game ran at 1440p with frame rates consistently above 100 FPS, even at max settings. Support for upscaling technologies like AMD FSR and Nvidia DLSS ensures smooth performance on older hardware. Notably, Reloaded is Steam Deck Verified, making it a great fit for portable gaming.
Technical Issues: A Frustrating Downside
Despite its strengths, Reloaded is plagued by technical issues. The most glaring problem is the NPC AI. Teammates like Dom frequently get stuck on terrain or random objects, forcing players to backtrack or restart from checkpoints. Enemy and boss AI suffer similar issues, which disrupts immersion.
Audio problems also arise, with occasional crackling during intense firefights and missing background music in certain boss battles. While not constant, these issues can break the flow of gameplay.
The most concerning issue is frequent crashing. Over roughly eight hours of play, the game crashed at least 10 times—during startup, benchmarks, cutscenes, and gameplay—without error codes. A pre-release patch addressed some bugs, but crashes persisted. PC players sensitive to stability issues may want to wait for further updates.
Multiplayer and Crossplay
Due to regional limitations and low player counts during the pre-release phase, this review couldn’t cover multiplayer. However, beta tests suggest the multiplayer mode retains the fast-paced, action-packed style of Gears of War. Crossplay support across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation is a major plus, making it easy to play with friends on different platforms.
Value and Appeal
Priced at $39.99, Gears of War: Reloaded is an attractive option, especially with the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day prequel on the horizon. Owners of Ultimate Edition get Reloaded as a free upgrade. The game is also available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass with cloud play, enhancing accessibility.
However, Reloaded only remasters the first game, while the rest of the original trilogy remains stuck on older platforms. Fans may be disappointed by Microsoft’s lack of plans to remaster the full trilogy, widely regarded as the series’ peak.
Conclusion
Gears of War: Reloaded is a nostalgic journey that brings back the thrilling action and haunting world of Sera. Upgraded visuals, stellar performance, and crossplay support are major highlights. However, crashes, outdated AI, and audio issues detract from the experience.
For longtime fans seeking nostalgia or newcomers curious about the series, Reloaded is worth a try, especially at its reasonable price. PC players, however, should brace for technical hiccups and consider waiting for patches for a smoother experience.
Score: 6.5/10
Pros:
- Classic Gears of War action-packed gameplay
- Impressive PC performance
- Sharp 4K visuals with enhanced lighting
- Crossplay support across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation
- Affordable $39.99 launch price
Cons:
- Outdated AI with frequent NPC pathfinding issues
- Audio crackling and missing music in some scenes
- Frequent crashes on PC
Additional Information
Gears of War: Reloaded launched on August 26, 2025, on PC (via Steam and Microsoft Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. Priced at $39.99, it’s also available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. This review was based on a pre-release PC version provided by Microsoft.
