Diving into Gears of War: Reloaded's chaotic multiplayer servers is like being wrapped in a warm blanket lined with sandpaper

The Gears of War: Reloaded multiplayer experience is a real nostalgia trip. The Coalition may have given the iconic shooter a fairly comprehensive coat of paint, offering up 4K visual assets and a significant performance boost of up-to 120 frames-per second, but at its heart this is the original Gears as you remember it. Which is to say, the multiplayer side of play remains a fairly chaotic dance of wall-bouncing and Gnasher blasts. The warm embrace of nostalgia colliding immediately with the friction generated by Gears' primitive multiplayer action.

While it's certainly true that Gears of War dominated the Xbox Live charts back in 2006, a regular fixture of online life until Halo 3 became a domineering presence little over a year later, it was never the most balanced experience. That was clear back in the day and is starkly obvious today. The Coalition was careful not to alter the skeleton of Gears when it undertook the Ultimate Edition remaster in 2015, and that dedication to preservation remains in place for Reloaded.

Ooh-rah

For any of you returning to the original Gears of War multiplayer experience, expect to encounter this weird sensation as muscle memory slowly kicks back into gear. The Gridlock, Gold Rush, and Raven Down maps are still a simple joy to traverse – a mess of waist-high cover being your only real protection from long, central sight-lines and claustrophobic combat arenas hidden off around the edges. Stranger still is grappling with the weight and unpredictability of the Gnasher – the shotgun is a powerhouse, turning bodies into blocks of meat with relative ease, although the way its bullets spread remains something of a mystery.

And if Gears of War: Reloaded marks your first encounter with the series – well, welcome to the killing fields. This is the first Gears of War to land on a PlayStation console, and the first to feature full cross-play multiplayer. The skill gap is wide and immediately obvious between those trying to pick up where they left off some 20 years ago and those coming in fresh. Weirdly enough, the experience summoned fond memories of a yearly rite of passage – jumping into Gears of War on Christmas Day to run riot as new players attempt to settle in; (toxic) class is back in session.

I say all this all half jokingly, because Gears of War multiplayer is famously brutal to any of those who are unable to settle into its uneven rhythms, but I also don't want to scare any new players off either. The campaign (whether you're playing it solo, split-screen, or in online co-op) should be considered essential, particularly before prequel Gears of War: E-Day lands in 2026. The multiplayer, on the other hand, is admittedly more of a live history exhibit, but it's fun to see where a series as important as this started out.

For any of you a little afraid of jumping into the fray, The Coalition's technical director, Kate Rayner, offers the following reminder: "It's okay, we do have skill-based matchmaking," she laughs. "We have social and ranked playlists too, and ranked is going to be a bit tighter skill-wise. In fact, our first beta weekend is going to be social, to get everyone warmed up. And then that second weekend will introduce rank to play, so hopefully that'll help keep all the different skill levels grouped together."

So here's what I'll say, Gears of War: Reloaded is looking like a really compelling prospect for both sides of the playerbase: those looking to take a walk down memory lane, and those who never experienced Gears the first time around – be it because they weren't old enough to play in 2006, or because they picked up a PS3 rather than an Xbox 360. Going back to the original Gears of War multiplayer experience may demonstrate just how far the series has come in 20 years, but there are some simple joys buried in here worth rediscovering.

The Lancer assault rifle may be functionally useless compared to the Gnasher, but successfully operating the Lancer Bayonet is exhilarating. The way heads pop with a well-placed bullet from the Longshot Sniper Rifle is exceptionally satisfying, so too is nailing some camper from across the way with a bolt from the Torque Bow. Grenade tagging is still S-Tier griefing. And the Curb Stomp is still one of the best ways to end an encounter with an opposing player. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The second Gears of War: Reloaded beta weekend kicks off on June 20 and runs through to June 22. The final game will launch on August 26, 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.