$29.99Gears 5 Kait's story, heavy guns
Chase the truth behind the enemy through a story-driven cover shooter, then take on Horde, Escape and Versus with up to three friends.
Is Gears 5 worth it?
Gears 5 is worth it if…
- you want a loud, fast third-person shooter with a story that carries the whole ride
- you like playing a campaign on the couch with friends, split-screen and all
- you want modes to sink weeks into, from Horde survival to ranked Versus
- you enjoy brutal, gory combat where the shotgun is a personality trait
Screenshots
Kait's story, told like a film
This is Kait Diaz's story. War is closing in on Sera, but Kait walks away from the fight to find out what connects her to the Swarm, and what she finds makes her the danger nobody expected. The cutscenes are staged with real weight: strong performances, detailed facial animation, and a world that swings from frozen ruins to a red desert with obsidian trees. You play to find out what happens next, and the ending will stick with you, one way or another. New playthrough features let you carry your character and weapon skins forward, with bonus difficulties and modifiers if you want a reason to come back.
Cover, shotguns and heavy gunplay
The core loop is cover shooting, and it is tuned to a shine. You slam from cover to cover, pin enemies down, swing around the flank, then finish it up close where the shotgun does its ugly work. Every gun has real weight and feedback, and the fights are bloody: gore and dismemberment are part of the package, not a garnish. JACK, your flying companion, is upgradeable too, so you decide whether he heals, hacks or blows things up. The pace is quick and the arenas are built for it: clear a pocket of enemies, move, do it again, faster each time.
Bring two friends
The whole campaign works as three-player co-op, online or split-screen on one screen, which makes it a rare thing: a story this cinematic that you can play on the couch with friends. Watching a Swarm attack unfold while two people shout about who is reviving whom is half the fun. Beyond the campaign there is more to play together: pick a character and a class and hold the line in Horde, or push through Escape's gauntlet as a squad. Sessions are easy to set up, jump in a lobby, coordinate, and get going.
Questions you might have?
Can you play it solo?
Yes. The campaign is built as a singleplayer story with Kait at the centre, and AI squadmates fill the other seats. Horde and Escape are designed around teams, so solo play there is a tougher ask, but the story alone is a full game's worth of shooting, set pieces and one very personal mystery.
Is it good for someone new to the series?
It works as a starting point. The story picks up from earlier games, but the core of it, Kait's connection to the Swarm, is explained as you go, and the cover shooting needs no prior knowledge. If you have played the older games, expect a familiar formula with new wrinkles rather than a reinvention.
What is there to do after the campaign?
Plenty. Horde has you picking a class and defending against waves, Escape sends a squad pushing through a collapsing route, and Versus offers competitive modes for casual and ranked play alike. Character and weapon skins, bonus difficulties and modifiers give the campaign replay value too, if the story leaves you wanting another run.
