Is Gears of War: Reloaded on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, when Gears of War: Reloaded launches later in August, it will be available to play on Xbox Game Pass. Specifically, it will be accessible through both Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, though you won’t be able to use Xbox Game Pass Core or Standard.
Gears of War: Reloaded is on Game Pass, but …
One of Microsoft’s largest and longest-running Xbox franchises is Gears of War — a brutal, bloody third-person shooter from Epic Games that emerged back in 2006, with Xbox Game Studios’ The Coalition taking stewardship of the series over in 2015 and developing new entries ever since.
The original game introduces players to humanity’s home world of Sera in the midst of a devastating war against a race of subterranean monsters known as the Locust Horde, putting you in the armored boots of soldiers Marcus Fenix and squadmate Dominic Santiago as they do everything they can to make the Locust fight for every inch of ground they take.
It was remastered once already for Xbox One and Windows PC in 2015 with the Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Now, a decade later and one year before Gears of War: E-Day is slated to drop, it’s getting a fresh coat of paint once again with Gears of War: Reloaded.
When it releases on August 26, this new version of the game will bring enhanced 4K visuals and resolution, 120 FPS multiplayer, HDR, support for spatial audio, Xbox Play Anywhere, and more to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam, with the game also coming to PS5 at launch — a first for the franchise, and a continuation of Microsoft’s recent multiplatform strategy with Xbox.
There’s plenty of interest in this new remaster, and so naturally, many are wondering if they’ll be able to play it through Microsoft’s buffet-style gaming service Xbox Game Pass. The good news? Since Gears of War: Reloaded is a first-party Xbox game, it will indeed be available to Game Pass members on day one (with Xbox Cloud Gaming playability available to Ultimate subscribers).
The bad news, however, is that it will only be accessible if you have a $19.99/month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Xbox, PC) membership or a $11.99/month one for PC Game Pass (PC only). People with basic Xbox Game Pass Core or the $14.99 console-specific Xbox Game Pass Standard tiers won’t be able to play through Game Pass, as these tiers don’t include day one game access.
Keep in mind, though, that you can get Ultimate subscription time for big discounts. For example, you can get a month of Ultimate for just $13.49 at CDKeys thanks to this excellent deal.
How else can you play Gears of War: Reloaded?
Gears of War: Reloaded being playable on Xbox Game Pass is great news for the millions and millions of players subscribed to the service, but not everyone wants to sign up. Luckily, you don’t have to, as there are a few other ways you can play the remaster that don’t involve Game Pass whatsoever.
Obviously, you have the option of buying it to own permanently on its Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5 platforms, with the game’s standard MSRP clocking in at $39.99. Something worth noting is that you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck by buying on Xbox if you can, as thanks to Xbox Play Anywhere, you’ll be able to play on both Xbox and the Xbox on PC app with cross-progression.
If you happen to have owned a digital Xbox copy of 2015’s Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before May 5, 2025, you won’t have to worry about buying a copy at all, as Microsoft and The Coalition are giving free codes for the game out to these select individuals. These have been/are being delivered through Xbox messages, so be sure to keep an eye on your inbox.
