Microsoft has relaunched Gears 5's multiplayer mode with a significant overhaul to mechanics and an injection of new content. Operation 5, nicknamed "Hollow Storm", brings new characters, extra maps, and quality-of-life updates to Gears 5's multiplayer.
What has Operation 5 brought to Gears 5?
This news comes via the official Xbox blog. Dana Sissons, communications director for developer The Coalition, says this is "the largest operation to date". Operation 5: Hollow Storm is themed around battles from fan-favorite games Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3, with classic characters, maps, and weapons returning from those games. You can check out the trailer for Operation 5 right here:
Here's a quick rundown of everything that's new in the Gears 5 Operation 5 multiplayer update:
- Five new maps: two new maps, Nexus and Regency, along with three classic returning maps in the form of Gridlock, Clocktower, and River
- Seven new characters: Dizzy Wallin, Tai Kaliso, Skorge, Anya Stroud, Lambent Drone, Lambent Grenadier, and Lambent Theron Guard
- Separate characters and classes in PvE: you can now play any class on any character, including characters not previously available in Horde or Escape
- Xbox Series X|S optimizations: support has been added for 120fps in Versus multiplayer on both Series X and Series S, with 4K graphics on Series X if you grab the Ultra-HD texture pack and apply the previously PC-exclusive Ultra-Spec graphics quality settings
In addition to these new features, you'll also find a host of ranked PvP updates which The Coalition says will "improve the overall player experience", as well as PvE balance changes to support the new class-character separation. A new cosmetic rarity class has been added in the form of Heroic, and a new set of daily and weekly challenges is available to check out.
Unlocking Gabe Diaz in Gears 5
Last but not least, you can unlock a new skin that introduces Gears Tactics protagonist Gabe Diaz to the world of Gears 5. The Armored Gabe skin can be unlocked if you complete the Gears Tactics tutorial. All you need to do is finish the tutorial, then log back into Gears 5 using the same account you used to play Tactics. The Coalition says that'll be the only way to unlock him "during the holiday period".
There's a bunch more stuff in Gears 5 as a result of Operation 5: Hollow Storm, so be sure to check out the full patch notes for a complete rundown of everything that's new. Naturally, there are also 13 new Achievements to get for a total of 80 Gamerscore. Gears 5 is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Will you be heading back into Gears 5 multiplayer to check out the new content?