Gears of War (also called Gears) is a media series based on a group of video games made by Epic Games. The games were created and managed by The Coalition and are owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The series is best known for its third-person shooter games, which have been joined by other games, a comic book series, eight books, a board game, and different types of merchandise.

The first three games in the series tell the story of a war between humans and the Locust Horde, a group of underground reptilian creatures on the planet Sera. The first game, Gears of War, was released on November 7, 2006, for the Xbox 360. It follows Marcus Fenix, a soldier in the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) who leads a final effort to destroy the Locust Horde and save humans. The next two games, Gears of War 2 (2008) and Gears of War 3 (2011), show a battle between humans, the Locust Horde, and the Lambent, a mutated version of the Locusts. A spin-off game called Gears of War: Judgment, which is a prequel to the first game, was released in 2013. It focuses on Damon Baird, a teammate of Marcus Fenix. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows between August 2015 and March 2016. The fourth main game, Gears of War 4, takes place 25 years after Gears of War 3. It follows Marcus Fenix’s son, JD, and his friends as they fight against a strict COG government and the Swarm, a new version of the Locust Horde. Gears 5 (2019) continues the story of Gears of War 4 and follows Kait Diaz, JD’s friend, as she learns about her past and its connection to the Locust Horde.

Epic Games created the Gears of War games. Cliff Bleszinski, who worked on Epic’s Unreal Tournament games, was the lead game designer for the first three games. He was inspired by gameplay from Resident Evil 4, Kill Switch, and Bionic Commando. Rod Fergusson, who was the executive producer and director of development at Epic Games until 2012, helped guide the series. The first four games used a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3. In January 2014, Microsoft bought the rights to the franchise from Epic Games. The Coalition, a Canadian studio, developed Gears of War 4, which was released on October 11, 2016, for the Xbox One and Windows 10. A sequel, Gears 5, was released in September 2019. All six main games in the series include multiplayer modes where players can compete or team up to fight AI opponents on Xbox Live.

Gears of War became one of the most popular franchises for the Xbox 360. The games focus on cover-based combat, where players use objects to avoid enemy fire or attack safely. The Gears of War games are among the most played titles on Xbox Live.

Plot

The Gears of War series takes place on Sera, a fictional planet similar to Earth. Humans live on Sera and face a long war that nearly destroys their civilization. Leaders work to create peace, which leads to scientific progress and a time of cultural growth. The human population grows rapidly, and energy from fossil fuels, nuclear power, and renewable sources becomes insufficient. Scientists discover Imulsion, a liquid found underground in caverns called "the Hollow," which can be refined into a powerful energy source. Imulsion solves the energy crisis but causes economic inequality between nations with and without access to it, leading to financial problems.

Sera’s people split into two groups: the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR). A 79-year war, called the Pendulum Wars, causes millions of deaths as both sides remain evenly matched. The UIR creates the "Hammer of Dawn" (HoD), a satellite system that can launch powerful laser attacks from space. COG soldiers, led by Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, and Victor Hoffman, steal the HoD’s plans from a UIR stronghold in Aspho Fields. After the UIR sees the HoD destroy one of their ships, they surrender.

Six weeks after a peace agreement, a group of underground creatures called the Locust Horde emerges from Sera’s depths and attacks human cities. In the first 26 hours, the Locust kill 25% of the human population, an event known as "Emergence Day." The Locust overwhelm COG forces during the surprise attack, forcing them to retreat to the Jacinto Plateau, a rocky area the Locust cannot dig through. The COG uses the HoD to destroy their own cities to stop the Locust’s advance, causing widespread damage. The COG continues to operate from Ephyra, a city on the plateau, and other locations like Jacinto. People outside the plateau, called Stranded, survive in the ruins of Sera.

The Locust return and attack cities on the Jacinto Plateau to use them as bases. Ten years after Emergence Day, the Locust capture Ephyra. During the chaos, Marcus Fenix leads a secret mission to save his father, Professor Adam Fenix, from the Locust. A helicopter crashes during the mission, and Adam is presumed dead. Marcus is tried in a military court and sentenced to 40 years in prison. After losing Ephyra, the COG retreats to Jacinto City.

Gears of War takes place 14 years after the Locust emerged and four years into Marcus Fenix’s imprisonment. The COG plans to destroy the Locust by detonating the Lightmass Bomb in their tunnels. Marcus is released from prison to help the COG and joins Dominic Santiago in Delta Squad to map the Locust tunnels. Their unit is attacked, and Marcus is promoted to Sergeant. He leads Delta with Augustus Cole and Damon Baird. Though the Sonic Resonator fails, Delta finds tunnel maps created by Adam Fenix. Marcus retrieves the maps from his father’s lab and successfully deploys the Lightmass Bomb, killing many Locust. The Locust Queen, Myrrah, vows to continue the war.

After the Lightmass Bombing, humans suffer from a disease called Rustlung, caused by inhaling Imulsion vapor. The Locust return with a giant worm capable of destroying cities on the plateau. After Tollen and Montevado are destroyed, the COG fears the Locust will attack Jacinto. Chairman Richard Prescott plans Operation: Hollow Storm, sending soldiers into the Hollow to destroy the Locust’s stronghold.

Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the Lightmass Offensive. Delta Squad is sent into the Hollow to stop the Locust’s plan to sink Jacinto. The COG learns the Locust use a massive worm to destroy cities. After killing the worm, Delta retrieves intel from New Hope, a former research facility. Files there reveal the Locust were created through experiments on children with Rustlung. The COG attacks Mount Kadar, where the Locust’s capital, Nexus, is located. They discover the Locust are mutating into "Lambent," organisms infected with Imulsion. Myrrah plans to sink Jacinto to flood the Hollow and drown the Lambent. The COG sinks Jacinto before the Locust can escape, destroying their civilization. Adam Fenix is revealed to be alive via a radio message.

Survivors find an untouched island called Vectes. Stranded gangs threaten the COG, but both groups pause fighting when the Lambent overrun the island. Imulsion pollution from the flooded Hollow causes a pandemic turning life into Lambent. Chairman Prescott is suspected of hiding secrets about the Locust and Lambent, leading to loss of trust. Prescott abandons the COG, forcing it to disband and live as nomads.

Gears of War 3 takes place three years after Jacinto’s sinking. Prescott returns and tells Marcus that Adam Fenix is alive. Adam was rescued after the helicopter crash and has been working on an Imulsion countermeasure at a secret facility called Azura. The island was attacked by Myrrah’s forces. Adam knew about the Locust before Emergence Day and tried to help them but failed. Delta locates Azura, frees Adam, and releases his countermeasure. Adam dies from radiation exposure as the weapon destroys all Lambent. The Locust are crystallized, and Marcus kills Myrrah. Humanity begins rebuilding.

Gears of War: RAAM’s Shadow takes place nine years after Emergence Day, just before the Locust invade Ephyra. High General RAAM attacks Ilima City to use as a base for invading Ephyra. Zeta Squad is ordered to rescue civilians before RAAM’s forces take control. The occupation of Ilima is successful.

Gameplay

Gears of War is a third-person shooter game inspired by the "over the shoulder" view from Resident Evil 4, the cover system from Kill Switch, and the swinging movement from Bionic Commando. The series focuses on using cover to fight enemies tactically and avoid damage. While behind cover, players can fire without aiming, or peek around cover to aim carefully, though this exposes them to enemy fire. Players can slide along cover, move between nearby cover, or jump over cover to reach new positions. When health is low, a red symbol called the "Crimson Omen" appears on the screen. Players can regain health by staying out of danger for a short time. If too much damage is taken, the player becomes incapacitated and must be revived by a teammate. Depending on the game mode, players may recover on their own or die if not revived. If a player is down, enemies may attempt to kill them with brutal methods, such as a "curb stomp." Some damage, like from explosions, kills the player instantly with no chance of revival. The first two games have five levels called "acts," each divided into chapters.

Players can carry four weapons, except in the fourth game, which allows two primary weapon slots. These include assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, and an explosive bow. There is one grenade slot for up to four grenades (Fragmentation, Smoke, Ink, or Incendiary) and one pistol. Players can collect ammo or swap weapons by picking up items dropped by defeated enemies or found on maps. Most weapons have an "Active Reload" feature: after emptying a magazine or starting a reload, a meter appears. If the player stops the meter in a specific area, the reload finishes faster. Stopping it in a marked section also gives a temporary damage boost. Missing the area causes the weapon to jam, slowing the reload. The Lancer Assault Rifle is the game's signature weapon, featuring a chainsaw bayonet for close combat. The Gnasher Shotgun is popular in multiplayer, especially for close-range fighting, and can be used to bash enemies or attach grenades to opponents. In Gears of War 2 and 3, all grenade types can be placed on surfaces and detonated when enemies approach. If spotted, enemies can shoot the grenade to trigger it safely.

All Gears of War games include a campaign mode playable by two players as COG soldiers, Marcus Fenix and Dominic "Dom" Santiago, fighting the Locust. Gears of War 3 allows up to four players. The campaign has difficulty levels and offers choices in paths. If a second player is present, they take the alternate path. In Gears of War 3, the third and fourth players are split between the two paths. Players often work together, such as one providing cover fire while another activates switches.

The competitive multiplayer mode includes eight players in Gears of War and up to ten players in Gears of War 2, split between COG and Locust forces. Modes include "Warzone" and "Execution" (similar to deathmatch), "Annex" and "King of the Hill" (controlling a marked zone), and "Guardian" (only in Gears of War 2), where one team member is the leader. As long as the leader survives, teammates can respawn indefinitely. If the leader is killed, teammates can no longer respawn.

Games

Gears of War is a third-person shooter video game created by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Studios. It was first released for the Xbox 360 on November 7, 2006, in North America, and on November 17, 2006, in Europe. A version for Microsoft Windows was released on June 11, 2007. The game tells the story of Delta Squad as they work to place a Lightmass bomb deep inside Locust tunnels to eliminate the Locust threat.

A remastered version of the game called Gears of War: Ultimate Edition was made and released for the Xbox One and Microsoft Windows by The Coalition after Microsoft took over the rights to the Gears of War series from Epic Games in 2014. A second remaster, Gears of War: Reloaded, was developed by The Coalition with help from Sumo Digital and Disbelief. It was released in 2025 for Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 5.

Gears of War 2 is a third-person shooter video game published by Microsoft Studios. It is the sequel to Gears of War and was released worldwide on November 7, 2008. The game uses an improved version of the Unreal Engine 3. The story takes place six months after the first game, when the Locust are trying to sink Jacinto Plateau. The COG forces decide to launch a counterattack to stop them. In the end, the COG sinks Jacinto themselves to flood the Locust’s home, the Hollow, and drown them.

A version of the game for personal computers was planned but later canceled. Developers said this was because the original PC version sold poorly and there were concerns about piracy.

Gears of War 3 is the final game in the trilogy. It was originally planned for release on April 6, 2011, but the date was changed to September 20, 2011, to coincide with Microsoft Studios’ holiday game lineup for the Xbox 360.

The story of Gears of War 3 takes place 18 months after the end of Gears of War 2. Marcus, Dom, and the last group of humans must work together to survive against the Locust and Lambent while searching for Marcus’s father to end the war. In the end, a weapon created by Marcus’s father, Adam Fenix, is used to destroy the Locust and Lambent and end the war.

RAAM’s Shadow is an extra story included as downloadable content for Gears of War 3. It takes place several years before the first Gears of War game and follows Zeta-Six during the Evacuation of Ilima, a city shown in ruins in Gears of War 2. The story is told from the perspective of Locust General RAAM. Zeta-Six includes characters such as Lieutenant Minh Young Kim from Gears of War, Tai Kaliso from Gears of War 2, Michael Barrick from the comic books, and Alicia Valera. A character named Jace Stratton, who previously appeared in Gears of War 3 as part of Delta Squad, also appears in this story.

Gears of War 4 is a game for the Xbox One and Windows 10, developed by The Coalition. It was released on October 11, 2016. The story takes place 25 years after Gears of War 3 and follows JD Fenix, the son of Marcus Fenix. He teams up with his father and two new characters, Delmont “Del” Walker and Kait Diaz, to fight the “Swarm,” a new threat that comes from the remains of the Locust.

Gears 5 is a sequel to Gears of War 4. It was released for Windows and Xbox One on September 10, 2019. The game focuses on Kait Diaz as she tries to find a way to stop the Swarm and learns about the true origins of the Locust and their connection to her family.

Hivebusters is a downloadable content expansion for Gears 5. It takes place before the events of the Gears of War: Hivebusters comic book. The story follows Team Scorpio—Corporal Jeremiah Keegan, Lieutenant Lahni Kaliso, and Outsider Leslie “Mac” Macallister—as they investigate how to infiltrate and destroy the Swarm’s hives from the inside, similar to the “Escape” multiplayer mode in Gears 5.

Gears of War: E-Day is a new game that will be released as a prequel to the original Gears of War. It is set 14 years before the first game and was officially announced on June 9, 2024, during the Xbox Games Showcase at the Summer Game Fest.

Gears of War: Judgment is a spin-off or prequel game released on March 19, 2013. It features Baird, along with Augustus “Cole Train” Cole and two new characters, Garron Paduk and Sofia Hendrik, who form Kilo Squad. Kilo Squad is put on trial by a new character named Ezra Loomis.

Gears Pop! was a mobile game based on Funko’s POP! toy line. It was released on August 22, 2019, but was later discontinued on April 26, 2021.

Gears Tactics is a turn-based strategy game for Xbox One and Windows, developed by Splash Damage. It was released on April 28, 2020. The story takes place before the events of the first Gears of War game and follows a military unit led by Sgt. Gabriel Diaz, who later becomes Kait’s father.

Characters from the Gears of War series have appeared in other games. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago are playable characters in the Xbox 360 version of Lost Planet 2. General RAAM was announced as a playable character in Killer Instinct: Season Three during Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference on June 13, 2016, and was released after the event.

On August 3, 2015, Microsoft announced that the four Gears of War games originally released for the Xbox 360—Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, and Gears of War: Judgment—are compatible with the Xbox One through the backward compatibility program. In 2021, all of these games received support for 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X and Series S as part of the Xbox FPS Boost program.

Music

The music for the video game Gears of War was created by Kevin Riepl. He worked with Epic Games before on soundtracks for Unreal Tournament 2003, Unreal Tournament 2004, and Unreal Championship 2. The music for Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3 was created by Steve Jablonsky. The music for Gears of War 4 was composed by Ramin Djawadi. Ramin Djawadi continued to create the music for the next game in the series, Gears 5.

Adaptations

Gears of War: The Board Game was released in 2011 by Fantasy Flight Games. Designed by Corey Konieczka, it is a cooperative game for up to four players, including the option for solo play. Each player controls a COG (represented by a red miniature figure), fighting through randomly generated maps filled with Locust soldiers (represented by a light gray miniature figure). The Locust are controlled by an AI deck of cards. After each player’s turn, they draw a card from the AI deck and take actions for each Locust creature. Players use cards and roll dice to perform actions, resolve shooting, and defend. The game ends when the player team successfully completes the mission. There are seven different missions, each with unique objectives, enemies, and randomly generated map layouts. Since its release, the game has received one expansion called Mission Pack 1, which added more weapons, two new missions, and new enemies, including General RAAM.

A series of novels based on the Gears of War series was written by Karen Traviss. The books expand on the games and describe events that happen between the games. Gears of War: Aspho Fields (2008) was the first in a planned trilogy but later expanded to seven books. After the video game series grew, Jason M. Hough became the author of additional tie-in novels.

• Gears of War: Aspho Fields (2008), by Karen Traviss, tells the story of the Aspho Fields battle, which changed the Pendulum Wars and connects events between the first and second games. It also explains the relationship between Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, and Carlos, Dom’s brother.
• Gears of War: Jacinto’s Remnant (2009), by Karen Traviss, follows events after Gears of War 2, as survivors of Jacinto search for a new life while fighting the last Locust. It also describes events one year after E-Day, when the Hammer of Dawn was authorized for use.
• Gears of War: Anvil Gate (2010), by Karen Traviss, takes place between Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3. With the Locust defeated, humans face infighting. When the Lambent, a feared enemy, appear, humans must use old tactics to survive.
• Gears of War: Coalition’s End (2011), by Karen Traviss, shows humanity nearly wiped out, pushed to the island of Vectes. Humans and refugees unite to fight the Lambent. This book occurs about eighteen months after Gears of War 2 and leads into Gears of War 3.
• Gears of War: The Slab (2012), by Karen Traviss, details Marcus Fenix’s imprisonment in the Slab after he deserts to save his father. It explores the backstories of Marcus, Adam Fenix, and Victor Hoffman, and takes place before Gears of War.
• Gears of War: Ascendance (2019), by Jason M. Hough, connects Gears of War 4 and Gears of War 5.
• Gears of War: Bloodlines (2020), by Jason M. Hough, takes place during the four-month time skip in Gears of War 5. It includes a flashback about Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Diaz, Kait Diaz’s father, during the Pendulum Wars. The book hints at events in Gears Tactics, including Gabriel’s demotion and a mention of Ukkon, the main antagonist of Gears Tactics.
• Gears of War: Ephyra Rising (2021), by Michael A. Stackpole, reveals events immediately after Gears of War 3.

Gears of War: Hollow was the first comic book series based on the games, released in December 2008. Published by DC’s Wildstorm imprint, it was written by Joshua Ortega and illustrated by Liam Sharp. The story follows Jace Stratton, a Delta Squad recruit from Gears of War 3, and Michael Barrick, a lone Gear found by Delta. The series had six issues and ended in May 2009. Two standalone comics were later released:
– Issue 7, The Quickening, follows Tai Kaliso’s journey from the South Islands to a Locust torture den. It was released on June 9, 2009.
– Harper’s Story describes the fate of Sergeant Jonathan Harper, a Gears veteran captured by the Locust during Gears of War: Hollow. He survives, helps a family escape, and sacrifices his life to save them.

Issue 9 begins a new arc called Barren, which explores the harsh reality of humans facing extinction. It focuses on Alex Brand, a young woman declared barren and sent to Boot Camp to become a Gear. She joins Delta and Sigma Squads to investigate a mysterious beacon from her birthplace, thought to have been destroyed by the Locust.

Gears of War: The Rise of RAAM is a comic book prequel that follows General RAAM, a key Locust villain. The story includes Locust Queen Myrrah, Skorge from Gears of War 2, and Karn from Gears of War: Judgment. It introduces Locust High General Sraak, High Priest Vrol, and scientist Ukkon, who later appears in Gears Tactics.

Set years before Emergence Day, the Locust are losing a war against the Lambent in their home, the Hollow. RAAM, a Locust lieutenant, urges the Horde’s leadership to invade the surface, kill humans, and claim the world. Despite Skorge’s support, High General Sraak refuses to listen. Sraak attempts to assassinate RAAM with help from Ukkon but fails. RAAM then convinces High Priest Vrol and Karn to support his plan to invade the surface. He saves the Locust temple from the Lambent, persuading Vrol to help.

With support from Skorge, Vrol, and Karn, RAAM presents his plan to the Locust council. Queen Myrrah is surprised by RAAM’s reports, which differ from Sraak’s. RAAM’s plan involves invading the surface, taking control, and flooding the Hollow with seawater to destroy the Lambent. Myrrah agrees and promotes RAAM to High General while demoting Sraak. Myrrah reveals her secret alliance with Adam Fenix, who failed to solve the Lambent problem, and warns RAAM that she will protect her life if he betrays

Reception

All Gears of War games have received good reviews, and the first three games in the series are highly praised by critics. IGN ranked Gears of War 3 as the 22nd best game for the Xbox 360, out of 25 games. In 2010, Lasse Pulkkinen from Techno Buffalo said Gears of War 2 was the most visually impressive game on the Xbox 360. In 2011, readers of Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition voted Augustus Cole as the 46th-best video game character of all time.

Microsoft reported that the Gears of War series sold more than 22 million copies and earned more than US$1 billion in revenue by January 2014.

Legal issues

In January 2017, Lenwood Hamilton, a former American football player, filed a lawsuit against Epic Games, Microsoft, and voice actor Lester Speight. He claimed that the character Cole Train in a video game series used his likeness and voice without permission. The lawsuit said that Cole's character had traits that matched Hamilton, such as being African-American, having played in professional sports, and wearing clothing similar to Hamilton's. Voice analysis showed that Speight's way of speaking as Cole was very similar to Hamilton's. Hamilton mentioned that Speight had asked him about a video game in 1998, but Hamilton refused because the game included violent content. Hamilton did not win his case: the district court ruled in favor of the companies, stating that the First Amendment protected their right to create the Cole character, even if it resembled Hamilton. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the district court's decision. Hamilton later asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case, but the Supreme Court declined to do so in June 2021. This left the original court decision in place, meaning Epic Games and Microsoft were not held responsible.

Legacy

A former developer from Naughty Dog named Lucas Pope said the Uncharted game series was influenced by Gears of War. The first Uncharted game was delayed because the first Gears of War game was released first. This delay allowed developers to adjust important game features and technical aspects so they would be more similar to those in Gears of War.