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Gears Tactics on PC. Click to open it full size.
New in the series: Gears Tactics is set 12 years before the first Gears of War. Gears of War: E-Day goes back two more years, to the day the Locust first attacked, with a young Marcus and Dom. Our guide covers how to get it on PC.
Gears Tactics is a turn-based strategy game for PC from Splash Damage and The Coalition, available on Steam and the Xbox app. You command a small squad against the Locust Horde from a top-down view, moving soldiers between cover and planning every turn. It keeps the chainsaw executions and the gore of the shooters.
It is set 12 years before the first Gears of War. Executions give every soldier in your squad an extra action, so pushing forward pays off more than hiding. That one rule makes it faster than most tactics games.
It launched on April 28, 2020 on PC and came to Xbox later. It is single-player only, has full controller support, and is part of PC Game Pass. It runs on modest hardware.
Already playing? Tell us which class you would never leave behind. Got questions before buying? Reach out to us directly.
What You Need to Know
- On PC it is sold on Steam and in the Xbox app. It is not on the Epic Games Store.
- PC Game Pass includes it, so subscribers can play without buying it.
- It is single-player only. There is no co-op or online mode.
- Steam lists an Xbox profile as required, so you sign in with a Microsoft account.
- Finishing the tutorial unlocks an Armored Gabe character skin for Gears 5 multiplayer.
Quick Facts
How to Download Gears Tactics on Windows
You can buy it on Steam or in the Xbox app, or play it through PC Game Pass. These steps use Steam.
- Step 1. Install Steam. Download it from the Steam website and sign in.
- Step 2. Open the store page. Go to Gears Tactics on Steam.
- Step 3. Buy the game. There is one edition. Add it to your cart and finish checkout.
- Step 4. Install it. Find it in your Library and click Install. It needs 45 GB.
- Step 5. Launch it and sign in to your Microsoft account. Steam lists an Xbox profile as required.
💡 Your PC is too weak? Cloud gaming is an option. Try Boosteroid.
Have Game Pass? Open the Xbox app on your PC, search for Gears Tactics and click Install. You can also buy it on its Xbox store page.
Gears Tactics Price
There is one edition, and it is also part of PC Game Pass. It includes the full campaign and the free update that added Jack, with over 20 skills, new enemies and Supreme gear.
The price is the US list price on Steam, with regional prices elsewhere. There are no paid add-ons for Gears Tactics on Steam.
☁️ Your PC is too weak? Cloud gaming is an option.
Gears Tactics is on Boosteroid, which runs it on its own hardware and streams it to you. Boosteroid lists both the Steam and the Xbox version, so you launch whichever copy you own. A turn-based game is forgiving on a slower connection, since nothing depends on split-second timing.
What Is Gears Tactics?
Gears Tactics is set 12 years before the first Gears of War, as the Locust Horde overruns the cities of Sera. You play Gabe Diaz, a reluctant soldier sent to hunt down Ukkon, the Locust leader who breeds the monsters the Horde sends to the surface.
Gabe Diaz, Kait Diaz’s father, with the veteran Sid Redburn.
Battles play out from a top-down view. Each soldier gets three actions per turn to move, shoot, reload or use a skill. You fight from cover, set up overwatch (a soldier who fires at any enemy that moves into view), and push toward the Locust instead of waiting for them.
A battle from the top-down view.
Executions are the twist. When an enemy goes down, a soldier can walk up and finish them, and that gives every other soldier in your squad an extra action. Emergence holes keep spawning enemies until you seal them with a grenade.
Every soldier has three actions a turn.
Between missions you level up your soldiers across five classes, Vanguard, Support, Heavy, Sniper and Scout, and fit them with weapon parts and armor you pick up from cases during missions.
Weapon parts change your soldiers’ stats.
Boss fights against towering creatures change the scale of a battle and break the usual rules.
One of the boss fights.
Want to see where the war began? Gears of War: E-Day is set two years earlier, on Emergence Day itself, and Gears 5 follows Gabe’s daughter Kait.
Official Trailer
Watch the official launch trailer for Gears Tactics to see Gabe Diaz’s squad, the turn-based battles against the Locust and the monster-maker Ukkon.
Key Features
Three actions per soldier per turn, with no grid to slow you down.
Finishing a downed enemy gives every other soldier an extra action.
Vanguard, Support, Heavy, Sniper and Scout, each with its own skill tree.
Weapon parts and armor change both the look and the stats of each soldier.
Huge creatures that change the scale of a battle.
A free update added Jack with over 20 skills, plus new enemies and Supreme gear.
Is This Game for You?
Our Take
🎮 Our Take
Gears Tactics is a smart translation of Gears into turn-based strategy. Executions and the three-action system push you forward instead of rewarding endless overwatch, which makes battles quicker and more aggressive than most games in the genre. The boss fights are the highlights. The weak spot is the middle of the campaign, where required side missions repeat the same few objectives.
If you like tactics games, or you are a Gears fan curious about the genre, play it. Game Pass members can try it at no extra cost, and the Steam price is fair for a long campaign. If you want co-op or multiplayer, look at Gears 5 or Gears of War: E-Day instead.
System Requirements
These are the requirements published on Steam. They are low by today’s standards, so many older and budget gaming PCs can run it. The list names Windows 10; the game also installs on Windows 11.
Because it is turn-based, a lower frame rate hurts far less than in a shooter, so you can trade some speed for sharper settings. If you are thinking about an upgrade, our Best Gaming Desktops guide is a good place to start.
Tips for Beginners
Execute whenever you can
An execution gives every other soldier an extra action. Plan turns so the soldier closest to a downed enemy moves last.
Seal emergence holes fast
Holes keep spawning Locust until you throw a grenade in. Close them before you deal with anything else.
Keep someone on overwatch
End a turn with at least one soldier watching the likely path of the enemy. It stops rushes before they reach you.
Revive downed soldiers
A downed soldier bleeds out if nobody reaches them in time. Keep your squad close enough to help each other.
Balance your squad
Mix classes. A Support heals, a Heavy pins enemies down, and a Vanguard can charge in when an execution is close.
Best Gears Tactics Mods to Start With
Gears Tactics has no Steam Workshop. Mods come from Nexus Mods, and most change difficulty or weapons. Since the game is single-player only, there is no anti-cheat to worry about. These four are good ones to start with.
💡 These are fan-made mods, not official ones. Back up your save files before you install one, and expect a mod to need an update after a game patch. We left out the mods that only make your squad stronger, since they take the challenge away.
Gears Tactics Screenshots
Locust Drones, a Brumak, custom soldiers and a squad ambush. Click any image to open it full size.
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Gears Tactics FAQ
Does Gears Tactics have multiplayer?
Can I play Gears Tactics with a controller?
Do I need to know the Gears of War story to play Gears Tactics?
Do I need a Microsoft account to play Gears Tactics on Steam?
What are the Gears Tactics system requirements?
Support and Community
- Gears Tactics on the official Gears of War site, The Coalition’s own page for the game.
- Gears of War Support, for account and crash problems.
- r/GearsTactics on Reddit, the game’s own subreddit, for builds and help.
- Steam news for Gears Tactics, where updates are posted.
- Gears Tactics on Nexus Mods, for fan-made mods.
Explore more Windows games: Gears of War: E-Day for Windows · Gears 5 for Windows · Gears of War 4 for Windows · Best Strategy Games for Windows · Best Action Games for Windows
Need a PC upgrade to run these? See our Best Gaming Desktops guide.
Discover more from Windows Mode
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