The reviews are in for The Coalition’sGears of War 4, with praise aimed at the game’s multiplayer and Horde modes, but it doesn’t escape criticism entirely.
It’s no secret thatGears of War: Judgmentis generally considered a misstep for theGears of Warfranchise. Whereas the previous three games launched to critical adoration,Judgmentreceived middling praise at best, and was overshadowed by more well-received shooters that came out the same year.Gears of War 4stands as The Coalition’s chance to restore confidence in theGearsbrand name, and based on early critic reviews, it seems to do just that.
For the most part,Gears of War 4has received high marks from gaming publications, though it did receive a few lower scores from a handful of sources. Even so, the general consensus seems to be thatGears of War 4is a good game that is a step up fromJudgment, but may have some issues that hold it back from reaching the greatness of the original trilogy.
Reviewers dissectedGears of War 4’sco-op campaign mode, Horde 3.0, and its multiplayer component before offering their final opinions on the game. See what critics around the web have to say about The Coalition’s first original outing:
Game Rant(Riley Little)
“Gears 4is a painstakingly crafted love letter to those that have a meaty soft spot for the franchise. Aside from the costly cosmetic-focused transactions, this is the exact experience that fans have been waiting for.”
Score: 4.5/5
Destructoid(Brett Makedonski)
“The nature ofGears of War 4is that we won’t know its legacy until there are more games in the canon. That’s frustrating now but it’ll hopefully be exciting later. This was a fine first showing but it’d be nice to see The Coalition carve its own identity forGears of War. Using Epic’s foundation is understandable and expected, but it often feels like a crutch. Marcus' boy had grown up just like him.”
Score: 8/10
EGM(Ray Carsillo)
“Gears of War 4looked at the series’ core formula and figured that if it wasn’t broken, don’t fix it. Most of the additions The Coalition put onto that core simply helped enhance and refine something that was already great. A couple of missteps were made, but this is still a great overall entry in the franchise.”
Score: 9/10
Game Informer(Andrew Reiner)
“Even with a new studio leading the development charge,Gears of War 4is a return to form for the series, and is continual delight, even if it does unnecessarily cling for dear life to the past.”
Score: 9.25/10
GameSpot(Mike Mahardy)
“This is a shooter teetering on the edge of something greater, but despite the improvements it makes to the storied franchise, its missteps hold it back. There is inspiration here, and creativity in the wayGears of War 4rethinks its multiplayer modes. But the lackluster campaign and technical issues are blights on an otherwise exhilarating shooter. The result is a whole that doesn’t reflect the quality of its often stellar parts.”
Score: 7/10
It seems as though many reviewers came away fromGears of War 4impressed byHorde 3.0and the multiplayer, but not everyone was high on the campaign. GameSpot also noted some technical issues, but it doesn’t look like everyone ran into the same problem with their copy ofGears of War 4, or at least, weren’t quite as bothered by any oddities they encountered. Other publications took issue with the wayGears of War 4handlesmicrotransactions, and others still weren’t crazy about the class system in Horde 3.0.
A theme between all the reviews, though, seems to be that The Coalition didn’t do enough to makeGears of War 4feel like a unique experience. Numerous reviewers pointed out thatGears of War 4refines the formula from the past games, while not necessarily adding enough original ideas to make it truly stand out on its own. WithRod Fergusson at the helm, it’s no surprise thatGears of War 4is similar to the games that came before it, but perhaps The Coalition will take this criticism to heart and experiment a bit more when it comes to the inevitableGears of War 5.
Gears of War 4will be available on August 13, 2025 for PC and Xbox One.
