Things are starting to heat up for the impending release of Gears 5, as developer The Coalition is slated to make its first ever multiplayer tech test available for pre-loading to all Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox, and those who have pre-ordered on July 17.
Gears 5 received quite the highlight on the Xbox E3 2019 stage, where The Coalition unveiled a brand-new way to fight the Swarm in a game mode called Escape. Fans of the series will not be disappointed, as this mode and several others will be made available to play and enjoy in weekend test sessions. If you’re interested in trying these out, here are some of the important things to remember about Gears 5’s upcoming multiplayer tech test.
What is a tech test?
The technical test for Gears 5 represents a partial slice of the game, often referring to the multiplayer offerings which will be available at launch. The tech test will be available to eligible players across two periods this July.
What can I expect from this tech test?
For this testing period, you will be able to access three distinct multiplayer game modes in Gears 5, all of which are available to play on two brand-new multiplayer maps.
- Arcade – a very approachable and frenetic Versus experience aimed at both newcomers and veterans.
- Escalation – the returning competitive objective game mode is fully updated for the Gears 5 experience.
- King of the Hill – another longtime fan favorite that is not just popular in Gears 5, but across other multiplayer shooters as well.
In addition to these game modes, two new features will also be introduced in the technical test for Gears 5.
- Bootcamp – a new and refined training mode where you can practice your skills and learn the new mechanics in Gears 5.
- Tour of Duty – a mode where you can experience a mini Tour of Duty, which allows you to complete Medal requirements and unlock exclusive Tester Weapon Skins to take into Gears 5. If you’re able to complete all three Medals during the testing period, you’ll also unlock the exclusive Tester Banner which you can then showcase in the main game once it releases.
When will this tech test for Gears 5 be available?
The tech tests for Gears 5 will be made available for pre-loading on July 17, Wednesday, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. Save up some space on your hard drive, because the tech test will come in at around 15GB of data. After pre-loading, the tech tests will then follow two scheduled sessions throughout July.
- The first technical test period will run from July 19, Friday, at 1:00 p.m. EDT until July 22, Monday, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
- The second technical test period will run from July 26, Friday, at 1:00 p.m. EDT until July 29, Monday, at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
Ultimately, the test periods’ goal is to test how the Gears 5’s servers handle the influx of players come launch day. It’s similar to what World of Warcraft Classic is going through right now with its network stress tests. That said, since the system in place is meant to effectively be under load, you should expect queue times in order to protect the overall stability of the servers. Also note that the tech test will be available for download in between sessions, but servers will still remain offline until the next tech test.
How do you participate in this tech test?
The tech test for Gears 5 will be made available for both players on Xbox One and PC, and will carry the same requirements. For both platforms, it will be made available to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, as well as subscribers of Xbox Game Pass for console or PC. On July 17, players on both platforms will be able to pre-load game to their library just like any other game to release on Game Pass. Check your account membership for more details.
If you are not subscribed to any Xbox Game Pass subscription, you can still get access by pre-purchasing Gears 5 on either the Xbox Store or the Windows Store. Alternatively, you can also pre-order a physical copy at any participating retailer and be given a participating code for it to be redeemed online. Here’s the list of participating retailers available for pre-ordering a copy of Gears 5, with the tech test code included:
United States
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Walmart
Mexico
- Amazon
- Best Buy
- Claners
- Game Planet
- Gamers
- Walmart
United Kingdom / Ireland
- Amazon
- GAME
- Gamestop
- Smyths Toys
Canada
- Amazon.ca
- Best Buy
- The Source
France
- FNAC
DACH
- Amazon
- Media Markt
- Saturn
Australia
- EB Games
- Harvey Norman
- JB Hi Fi
New Zealand
- EB Games
- JB Hi Fi
- Mighty Ape
Brazil
- Amazon
Benelux
- BOL
- Game Mania
- MSH NL
- Smortoys
Central and Eastern Europe
- Alza
- Euro
- Game Studio
- JRC
- Konzolvilag
- Mall Group
- Media Markt
- Mediaexpert
- MSH NL
- Neonet
- Programing
China
- Cool Game
- Game Time
- Mingren
Hong Kong
- Brightex
- Broadway
- Fortress
- Suning
Iberia
- Amazon
- CRF
- ECI
- Game
- Media Markt
- Worten
- Xtralife
Mediterranean
- Amazon
- GameStop
- Unieuro
Nordics
- CDON
- Media Markt
- Webhallen
Russia
- DNS
- Eldorado
- Mvideo
- Vidioigr.net
Singapore
- GameMartz
- Qisahn
South Korea
- 11st
- Gmarket
Taiwan
- Bahamut
- Play-E
- Wang-Chi
As this is an online multiplayer test, an Xbox Live Gold (or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) membership is required to play for Xbox One owners.
For PC players on Windows 10 PCs, you also need to be aware of the minimum and recommended spec requirements for the Gears 5 tech test, which you can view below.
Minimum Specs (AMD)
- Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- CPU: AMD FX-6000 Series
- GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280 or RX 560
- VRAM: 2GB
- RAM: 6GB
- HDD: 15GB
Minimum Specs (Nvidia)
- Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- CPU: Intel i3 Skylake
- GPU: Nvidia GTX 760 or GTX 1050
- VRAM: 2GB
- RAM: 6GB
- HDD: 15GB
Recommended Specs (AMD)
- Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 3
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 570 or RX 5700
- VRAM: 4GB
- RAM: 8GB
- HDD: 15GB
Recommended Specs (Nvidia)
- Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- Intel i5 Skylake
- Nvidia GTX 970 or GTX 1660 Ti
- VRAM: 4GB
- RAM: 8GB
- HDD: 15GB
Ideal Specs (AMD)
- Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- AMD Ryzen 7
- AMD Radeon VII
- VRAM: 8GB
- RAM: 16GB
- HDD: 15GB + SSD
Ideal Specs (Nvidia)
- Windows 10 May 2019 Update
- Intel i7 Skylake
- Nvidia GTX 2080
- VRAM: 8GB
- RAM: 16GB
- HDD: 15GB + SSD
To learn more about the upcoming tech test, you can check out the entire Gears 5 posting here, as well as the community post on the Xbox news feed.
Gears 5 will be released on September 10 for the Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and is included with an Xbox Game Pass subscription for either platform.
