The latest showcase for Unreal Engine 5 gives us some idea of what a Gears of War 6 could look like.
Gears of War developer The Coalition contributed to the engine's big reveal today, and one of the key assets from the studio mirrors an earlier Unreal Engine 5 rendering test first shared in July 2021. The same character model was shown today, seemingly with identical armor and other details, but in new environments. Its original file name is notably "Xbox_TheCoalition_Cinetechtest", which lines up with the way the asset's been presented.
This character model was previously marked as a non-game asset, but while this exact character has seemingly only been used for art and engine tests, the recurring quality and style of the model suggests that The Coalition's upcoming games, which we know are being made with Unreal Engine 5, will boast graphics of this caliber and style. If those games include Gears of War 6, which some rumors claim is planned for 2024 to 2025, it would undoubtedly be the most stunning entry in the series, even after the impressive Gears of War 5 and Gears Tactics.
Gears of War 6 is one of those sequels that seems inevitable, but it remains unannounced. The Coalition has kept its production plans close to its chest for some time now, confirming in May 2021 that it has moved fully into new-gen development with UE5, and adding that it won't have a new game to show "for some time."
The studio's only broken its silence to dismiss rumors that it was working on a Star Wars project, but unconfirmed claims of a new Gears of War, reportedly in the works alongside a smaller project due next year, are still circulating. Signs also indicate that The Coalition is developing a brand-new IP, which could be the side project due next year, assuming current rumors are accurate.
Speaking of graphical advances: Nvidia reckons path tracing will surpass ray tracing as one of the "largest breakthroughs for real-time graphics in many years."
