Gears of War: Reloaded Multiplayer Beta – Review

The multiplayer was super fun and, at the same time, nostalgic — reminiscent of simpler times…

Continuing the trend of revitalising our digital nostalgias, Microsoft is once again bringing a 2006 game to the forefront. This time it's Gears of War: Reloaded, specifically a remastered version of the original, set to be released this year on 26 August (free for those who already own the Ultimate Edition). I had the opportunity to participate in the multiplayer beta testing session, from which I was able to draw my initial conclusions, which I can't wait to share with you. So, let's see if this new version manages to do justice to the original created by Cliff Bleszinski and if the gameplay has stood the test of time.

Waiting in the Lobby

Gears of War: Reloaded gets an immediate thumbs up for keeping the lobby system between sessions. I've always appreciated games that feature this mechanic — a breathing space between matches where you can choose your character, vote for the next map, or simply socialise with others. The last game where I liked how this system was implemented was the online version of DOOM (2016).

I managed to find matches relatively easily and even kept the same lobby for several consecutive rounds, which allowed me to get used to the style and skill of my opponents. The connection was very good, with no noticeable latency issues. It seems they went with the classic peer hosting method, where the session is hosted by a random player — which gives that well-known “host advantage” (OGs will know). Despite this, I can say that there was no lag at all, and bullets hit their targets without delay or frustrating desynchronisations.

For those who haven't played Gears of War multiplayer before, you should know that the defining aspect of the gameplay lies in both the brutality of the confrontations and the series' specific movements — such as crouch sprint or cover control.

Maps are relatively small, and the CoG and Locust teams consist of four members each. All players start with the same weapons at spawn, and, similar to the Halo system, you have to move around the map to find more powerful weapons and defeat your enemies.

No Lancer on Raven

In the first beta testing session, only one game mode was available: Team Deathmatch, along with three classic maps — Gridlock, Raven Down, and Gold Rush. Team Deathmatch involves 10 respawns per team. Once these are exhausted, the team only has a chance with the remaining players alive. The first team to eliminate all enemy respawns and then take down the last survivors wins the round. Whoever wins two rounds takes the match.

The duration of a match varies between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the teams' skill level. It's a format that suits both short sessions and more serious multiplayer marathons.

The actual gameplay experience was simply outstanding: trash talk in chat, asymmetrical teams, the hunt for special weapons, wall bouncing, try-hards, and “janky” movement, all contributed to intense and enjoyable matches. Every round was well worth it. I felt like I had gone back in time, somewhere towards the end of the 2000s, to an era where you weren't coddled at all and had to either get better or endure the humiliation of a melee kill. I laughed, I swore, and I sweated — all perfectly normal reactions in a Team Deathmatch match.

To no one's surprise, I got repeatedly beaten black and blue, even though I was playing cross-play with Xbox users. I became so desperate that I tried playing with a controller, convinced that maybe others knew something I didn't. Of course, it was even worse — I couldn't find the right sensitivity, and my reflexes were far from what they needed to be when I had to quickly target an enemy. So I went back to mouse and keyboard and decided, simply and clearly: I need to git gud.

Feel the Pain

The second beta testing session added King of the Hill mode — an objective-based game mode where the goal is to control an area on the map for as long as possible. I enjoyed the matches in this mode more because I could add a tactical component to my playstyle. In addition to the maps from the first session, Canals, Courtyard, and War Machine were also introduced, being some of the most beloved maps by fans.

I felt a bit more prepared this time. Although I still got beaten in shameful ways, at least I felt like I had a real chance to win. I particularly liked Courtyard, a slightly larger, brighter, and more weapon-rich map than the others. Here I had some of the most spectacular battles: rounds won by just a few points and moments of frantic action, especially when trying to dominate the control point in the last seconds of the round.

The satisfaction was clearly positively influenced by the fluidity of the gameplay, thanks to the 60 frames per second — a welcome upgrade from the 30 fps of the old versions. Also, the chaotic camera movement during sprinting has been reduced (you can even disable it completely), a detail that will please some and probably annoy others. Otherwise, everything has remained faithful to the original: you can take down an enemy with a single well-placed Gnasher shot, the Torque Bow has the same satisfying sound when you launch a projectile, and chainsawing your opponents with the Lancer is still a pure Gears experience – which is to say, very cool.

The only major criticism I can make is the lack of clear feedback regarding enemy damage taken. There's no hit marker or any other visual indication to tell you if the opponent is one bullet away from death or still has half health. There were a few situations where I rushed into a 1v1 with too much confidence, convinced I would win easily — only to realise with astonishment that the opponent was much more resilient than I had assumed.

The result of one of these battles can be seen in the screenshots.

Cogs in a Machine

Making a separate digression from the beta testing, I must confess that I was surprised by the developers' decision to remaster only one game in the series, instead of including several — especially considering that Microsoft had released the Master Chief Collection a few years ago. It would have been incredibly cool to include, like Halo, the first four games plus the spin-off (Judgment) — or at least the initial trilogy. But no. The Coalition decided that, for 40 euros, just the first title is enough. A great shame, especially since Gears of War 2 has one of the best campaigns in the series, and Gears 3 undoubtedly offers the best multiplayer.

Moreover, the first Gears of War already had a remaster in 2015, in the form of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, which brought some gameplay and graphics changes. But, I suppose Microsoft looked over the fence, into Sony's yard, and said: “If Naughty Dog can release three versions of The Last of Us, then so can we.” It's probably a convenient way to prepare the ground for Gears of War: E-Day, which is due out next year. However, honestly, it seems more like they chose the easy way out, instead of investing seriously in a complete collection. Don't get me wrong — I appreciate that we have the opportunity to enjoy the glory of the first game at 60 frames per second. But it's hard not to think about what could have been.

Leaving that aside, the multiplayer was super fun and, at the same time, nostalgic — reminiscent of simpler times. I had a blast during the beta testing session and can say it's an excellent way to spend a Thursday evening, along with a slice of pizza and a cold beer.

Complementing the single-player campaign, the online variant completes the package and manages to offer an experience that really has the potential to keep you hooked for a long time.

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Played on: PC
Release date: 26 August 2025
Developer:  The Coalition
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios