Gears of War: Reloaded brings back the classic 2006 third-person shooter that helped redefine cover-based combat, fully remastered for modern fans and first-timers alike. Drawing on the content and structure of the original and the 2015 Ultimate Edition, Reloaded delivers a more finely tuned return to the battlefields of Sera. For nearly two decades, Gears of War has been one of Xbox’s most recognizable franchises. Its arrival on PlayStation is a turning point for the series, introducing it to a new audience.
At its heart, Gears of War is about a ragtag squad fighting a hopeless war, with the comradeship between Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago serving as the emotional anchor. The writing occasionally shows its age, with dialogue that leans heavily on macho one-liners. Yet the environmental storytelling, abandoned homes, shattered skylines, and crumbling infrastructure still convey the desperation of humanity on the brink. Beneath the stereotypical tough-guy dialogue lies a raw depiction of loyalty and friendship. The story isn’t deeply nuanced, but it’s carried by the bond between characters, making each mission feel like a struggle for survival rather than just another firefight.
The Ultimate Edition expanded upon the campaign with additional chapters cut from the original release. In most cases, these new sections added more context and variety, though some did disrupt the original game’s tighter pacing. Reloaded preserves this expanded structure, meaning PS5 players will experience the most complete version of the story.
Despite the minor pacing issues, the campaign rarely affords the player any downtime, with intense set-pieces such as the minecart escape, the creepy underground segments, and large-scale street battles delivering a sense of urgency that keeps the player on the edge of their seat. The balance between tense horror-tinged action sequences and chaotic firefights holds up remarkably well even today. Memorable sequences like the chaotic and tense encounters with Berserkers and the Kryll remain as impactful as before.
When Gears of War first arrived in 2006, it revolutionized third-person shooters with its stop-and-pop cover-based combat. The ability to snap in and out of cover, blind-fire, and execute brutal finishers made firefights more tactical than what most shooters offered at the time. The core loop of moving around, taking cover, flanking, shooting, and reloading remains the series’ greatest strength, and Reloaded refines it further by making these actions more fluid and responsive.
The combat still feels satisfying and weighty, with the Lancer rifle and Gnasher shotgun standing out as iconic weapons. That said, the arsenal remains limited compared to modern shooters, and AI squadmates, while functional, continue to be largely redundant.
Technical & Visual Improvements
One of Reloaded’s biggest improvements is its technical overhaul. Environments that once looked impressive in 2006 now shine once again with remastered texture work, better image quality, and improved shadows as well as reflections. The game runs at a largely stable frame rate of 60 fps in the campaign mode and 120 fps in the multiplayer mode. The addition of HDR and 3D spatial audio enhances the presentation to deliver a more cinematic and immersive experience. The game also eliminates loading screens, allowing for largely seamless transitions between campaign missions. On PS5 Pro, PlayStation Super Spectral Resolution (PSSR) delivers even crisper visuals, while boosting shadow and reflection quality even further.
The PS5’s DualSense controller is the real winner here, adding a new tactile dimension to Reloaded, from adaptive triggers that deliver feedback based on a weapon’s weight to haptics that capture the thud of grenades. The game soft-locks triggers on light pulls, making it quicker to aim and shoot. Audio cues from the controller speaker further add to the sense of immersion. It’s very satisfying to hear the Lancer chainsaw rev up on the controller’s built-in speaker and feel the intensity as it rips through an enemy. Given how well the controller’s unique features have been handled, the lack of gyro aim support comes as a sore point.
Multiplayer is an important part of Gears of War, and Reloaded faithfully carries over the improvements seen in the Ultimate Edition. Classic modes and maps return with smoother performance, making firefights faster and more responsive than ever, thanks to 120 fps support on PS5. The combination of cross-play and cross-progression ensures that the player base remains active across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, giving Reloaded the foundation for a lasting community.
Matches feel fluid and intense, though some of the long-standing issues persist. The shotgun-heavy metagame remains dominant, which may frustrate newcomers, and the skill curve is steep. Still, with a modern matchmaking system, dedicated servers, and a unified community, Reloaded delivers the most polished and accessible version of the Gears of War multiplayer experience.
Conclusion
Gears of War: Reloaded still holds up for the most part, almost twenty years after its original release. The narrative remains simple but impactful, the gameplay is as satisfying as before, and the improvements make it feel like a modern release. It does show some age with its dated dialogue and limited weapon variety, but these aspects don’t detract much from an otherwise great package that’s now also accessible on PS5 with standout DualSense features.
Gears of War: Reloaded Game Information
- Price: $39.99
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Developer: The Coalition
- Platform: PS5 (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
