Team Deathmatch
Each team has a pool of lives, and the side that runs out loses, so one player can still clutch it at the end. Respawn points move depending on where the fight is.
Versus · 4v4 PvP
Versus
Four modes, six maps, equal loadouts. What each mode asks of your team and what changed in movement and weapons.
The basics
- Every mode is 4v4.
- Everyone starts with the same loadout, and there are no weapon mods in Versus.
- Power weapons spawn on the map, and fights tend to form around them.
- Playlists are split into Ranked and Social.
The four launch modes
Conquest
Like King of the Hill, except a zone stays active until one team has spent enough time in it to score. Comebacks happen late.
Demolition
One neutral bomb, two enemy bomb sites. Once the bomb is armed, nobody respawns until it goes off or gets defused. First to three detonations wins.
Crucible
New. Carry the Power Core and hold it inside a zone that moves and shrinks as the round goes on. The core also stores a charge you can use against the other team.
Limited-time modes rotate in after launch, including a Trick or Treat mode for a Halloween event and older Gears modes brought back.
The six launch maps
| Map | Where | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Outpost | Abandoned army camp above downtown | Bunkers, hills and a raised bridge. Long sightlines and several routes. |
| Battleship | A warship being broken up at the docks | Open decks and contested crossings. Controlling the walkways sets the pace. |
| Park | A zoo by the coast | Open lanes meet at a central fountain, with winding side paths through the exhibits. |
| Precinct | Kalona's police headquarters | Tight interiors and broken walls. Lots of flanks and close fights. |
| Market | A seaside market | Long streets, balconies and packed interiors; fights happen on several levels. |
| Skyward | Rooftops | Jumps between buildings and narrow paths. The high ground is strong but exposed. |
There's an achievement on Battleship for a "workplace safety violation". We'll let you work that one out.
Ranked and Social
Ranked
Versus Ranked opens on October 13, one week after launch. (The Coalition, September 30 ↗)
Each mode has its own ranked playlist and ladder, with strict penalties for quitting. After placement matches you get two things:
- Skill Division: your matchmaking rating relative to everyone else. It can move even if you play the same, because other players improve too.
- Rank: your progress up the ladder. Rank Rating only goes up when you win and down when you lose. How much depends on your Skill Division.
Social
Quickplay, Player vs Bot playlists by bot difficulty, limited-time modes and events. After each match the lobby votes on what to play next, so groups can stay together.
Practice
Boot Camp is a short training course on the controls and new movement. Combat Training is a bigger practice space on a multiplayer map where you can try weapons and spawn small Locust fights, with up to four players in co-op.
Movement and weapon changes
If you played Gears 5 or Gears 4, these are the changes you'll notice first:
- Cover cancels only work within 1.5 meters of cover, so wallbouncing is slower and easier to read.
- Momentum: every action carries weight, and you can't reverse direction instantly.
- Slide from a sprint. You can shoot mid-slide, but you can't spam it.
- Jump, climb and mantle without entering cover first. Some maps have gaps you can jump for a flank.
- Gnasher: holds 6 shells instead of 8, but you can active-reload one or two rounds at a time.
- Breechshot: same round-by-round reload, and a headshot kills in one hit in PvP.
- Hammerburst: back to an accurate 6-round burst, and a perfect active reload raises its fire rate.
- Snub: fires as fast as you can pull the trigger, and it's quick to draw.
- Bullets travel, so you have to lead targets at range, and scopes sway.
- Smoke grenades use volumetric smoke that really blocks sightlines.