Gears 5 Has the Biggest Launch In Series History

Nothing can stop the momentum of Kait.

The Gears of War franchise has returned.

Hot on the heels of the game’s official release last week, Microsoft has announced that Gears 5 had the best launch of any of its first-party games this generation. That includes surpassing the likes of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Halo 5 and the previously released Gears of War 4.

The game managed to gain more than three million players across both the Xbox One and PC platforms since its release. These are double the numbers of what Gears of War 4 produced back in 2016.

Also, Microsoft noted that it’s “the most-played Xbox Game Studios title in its first week since 2012’s Halo 4.” That should be good news for both the publisher and the developers at The Coalition alike.

The game’s success could come from bundling it in the Xbox Game Pass program. All members of the program have full access to the game on their preferred platform. That could explain how it surpassed Gears of War 4 so quickly since it wasn’t around at that time.

Of course, the promotional add-ins help as well. A tie-in with Terminator: Dark Fate brings both the T-800 and Sarah Connor (with the voice of Linda Hamilton!) to the game’s multiplayer portion. And yesterday, former pro-wrestler-turned-actor Dave Bautista joined the party, as a free download to the game. Let’s not forget about the Halo Reach promo pack, either wrapping in two Spartan members.

Gears 5 is currently available for Xbox One and PC. Check it out if you’re a fan of the series, as it’s easily one of the best entries to date.