Easy Guide to Play the Gears of War Series in Order – What to play first?

With Gears of War 6 rumored to release next year, now is the perfect time to catch up with the series. The Gears series has gained more and more fans throughout the years, making it a well-known series in the third-person shooter genre.

For those who have no experience with the Gears of War series, it might be a daunting task for them to decide which game to begin the series with. However, newcomers simply need to follow either the chronological or the release order to play through the series.

For a better understanding, we have put together a guide for all the new players looking to get into the Gears series as well as for returning players who want to replay the series.

1. The Chronological Order to Play the Gears of War Series:

Throughout the series, the Gears of War has got more complicated, often making it hard for players to keep up with the lore. The chronological order will help players to follow the lore of all the games in a chronological manner.

Take a look at the chronological order for all the Gears of War games:

• Gears of War: Judgement
• Gears Tactics
• RAAM’s Shadow (Gears of War 3 DLC)
• Gears of War/ Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3
• Aftermath (Bonus chapter in Gears of War: Judgement)
• Gears of War 4
• Gears of War 5
• Gears: Hivebusters (Gears of War 5 DLC)

2. The Release Order to Play the Gears of War Series:

The release order refers to the order of games according to the year they released in. The Gears of War series has spanned across several titles which went on for more than a decade.

Take a look at all the Gears of War games in their release order:

• Gears of War (2006, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition in 2015)
• Gears of War 2 (2008)
• Gears of War 3 (2011)
• Gears of War: Judgment (2013)
• Gears of War 4 (2016)
• Gears 5 (2019)
• Gears Tactics (2020)

3. Which Gears of War game should you play first?

Even though Gears of War: Judgement takes place before the rest of the mainline games, you should start your playthrough with the first Gears of War game and then follow the release order to complete the series. The first Gears of War is an incredible introduction to the Gears series as a whole.

Play the series in the order of their release which means that you should start your playthrough with the first Gears of War and then continue with Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, Judgement, Gears of War 4 and end the series with Gears of War 5.

4. Do you need to play the Gears of War series in order?

If you want to completely immerse yourself in the universe of Gears of War, then you should definitely play all of the games either in the chronological or the release order. However, if you want to begin with the latest entry which is Gears of War 5, make sure to at least play Gears of War 4 beforehand.

Gears of War 4 features important story elements which must be experienced before venturing into Gears of War 5. Playing the predecessor to the latest entry in the series is a must if you want to understand key plot points in Gears of War 5.

5. When will Gears of War 6 release?

Currently, Gears of War 6 hasn’t been officially announced by Coalition, developers for the Gears series, after they purchased the rights from the previous developers, Epic Games. There’s no official release date for Gears 6 although rumors suggest that the game could release in 2024 or 2025.

Rumors also suggest that the next Gears of War game will take the advantage of the latest Unreal Engine 5. The game will likely stick to the third-person action gameplay and cover shooter mechanics that have made the series famous.

6. About Gears 5

Gears 5 is a third-person shooting game that allows for both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. It is the sequel to Gears of War 4 and follows the story of Kait Diaz.

While playing as her, players are required to seek the reality of her family ancestry and reveal the origins of the Locusts.