Gears of War 4

 PC
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. IGN
    Oct 11, 2016
    92
    An experience you’ll walk away from with a big smile on your face – in campaign, Versus, and Horde modes alike. It’s about as good of a franchise reawakening as I could’ve hoped for.
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 10, 2017
    90
    With The Coalition at the reins Gears is in safe hands, and we’re genuinely intrigued to see what happens next.
  3. games(TM)
    Dec 18, 2016
    90
    With The Coaltion at the reins Gears is in safe hands, and we're genuinely intrigued to see what happens next. [Issue#257, p.64]
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  5. GameGrin
    Nov 1, 2016
    90
    After having a blast with the campaign, The Coalition have taken the helms of the Gears of Wars franchise and have made it their own. There was little to dislike about the experience and the team have more than proved that a returning franchise can still be epic.
  6. Ragequit.gr
    Oct 28, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 is a worthy successor to the series and an enjoyable game overall, especially if you are fan of blistering and intense action games. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, it plays mainly into the "safe" net that was built by Epic Games, but for PC users who couldn't play any of the latest games of the franchise, GOW 4 is a great opportunity to find out about it.
  7. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 25, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 on PC is absolutely stunning, probably the best game to show what 4K gaming looks like. With plenty of options and a good optimization, everyone can find the right configuration. But the Windows 10 store is still a bad user experience.
  8. SpazioGames
    Oct 13, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 on PC is simply the best game on Windows Store and one of the best conversions in years.
  9. GameStar
    Oct 8, 2016
    90
    What a pleasant surprise. The Coalition was able to keep the proven and brutal gameplay feeling and still improve and develop it in a sensible way.
  10. Merlin'in Kazanı (Turkey)
    Oct 7, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 is the best possible sequel to Epic's trilogy. It's a whole new start and a breath of fresh air to the series. Its fantastic graphics turn the game into a top-notch visual feast.
  11. PCGamesN
    Oct 6, 2016
    90
    From giving PC players split-screen, to flawless frame-rates on mid-high-end rigs (Radeon R9 390X GPU, i7-4790k CPU, 16GB DDR3 RAM here) and bug-free performance, to a multiplayer mode that doesn't split its community with an insidious season pass, Gears of War 4 4 is progressive not only for its series, but for the entire industry.
  12. ZTGD
    Oct 6, 2016
    90
    Everything about Gears of War 4 is as polished and perfectly executed as I expected. The Coalition have done an outstanding job in continuing the series, and I am genuinely excited to see where the series goes from here. This new trilogy has opened up a brand new story that is sure to entertain for years to come, and now PC players can join in on the fun. The series is in good hands, and anyone who enjoys Gears is in for a treat when the game launches. [Tested on an Origin PC]
  13. The Escapist
    Oct 6, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 is the best Gears yet. Don't expect a revolution, but a refinement of all of the aspects that make Gears great, including an over-the-top, almost cartoonish campaign, and a kick-ass upgrade of Horde mode. It's also a flawless representative of Microsoft's new "Play Anywhere" and Universal Windows Platform initiatives.
  14. Meristation
    Oct 6, 2016
    90
    Gears of War 4 is one of the best Xbox and W10 games. The Coalition have made a frantic, solid and fun TPS with correct and original new features in all game modes. A must have.
  15. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 21, 2016
    89
    Most obvious are the efforts of artists and designers: Sera after two decades of peace looks much more vibrant, and every location – even local mines – is instantly recognizable. Gameplay, on the other hand, hasn’t changed in its core – but it’s much more polished now (which is especially noticeable if you compare it to recent remake of first Gears of War). [Issue#213, p.50]
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  16. Hooked Gamers
    Oct 17, 2016
    87
    With a good balance of a quality campaign, multiplayer, and cooperative modes, there’s something for just about everyone to enjoy.
  17. PC Games
    Oct 9, 2016
    81
    A serviceable campaign is augmented by a very robust multiplayer offering. Gears of War 4 offers spectacular graphics and great PC performance, but the story feels unfinished.
    All this publication's reviews
  18. PLAY! Zine
    Nov 8, 2016
    80
    Coalition did play it safe for their first game, but still delivered a fun, classic Gears of War experience that will, hopefully, provide an equally good sequel.
  19. Gameplanet
    Nov 5, 2016
    80
    Gears of War 4 is a confident offering across campaign and multiplayer from The Coalition. There's hours of fun to be had here, especially in the updated Horde mode.
  20. Giant Bomb
    Oct 17, 2016
    80
    It might not stick the landing, but Gears of War 4 puts the franchise back on the map in a big way, and large parts of it are a great time.
  21. PC Gamer
    Oct 13, 2016
    75
    Shotgunning AI baddies in a predictable story doesn't do much for me these days, but the tension of roadie running through a smoke grenade and dropping two human opponents at perfect range is a Gears thrill that still holds up.
  22. PCWorld
    Oct 6, 2016
    70
    Gears of War 4 struggles with pacing issues and a bland protagonist, but it works well as a passing-the-torch installment bridging the old and new trilogies.
  23. Kill Screen
    Oct 11, 2016
    68
    Gears 4 takes only half measures. It discards a lighthearted adventure premise for another fate-of-humanity monster invasion. It gives up on the anti-militarist bent of its early fight against the COG for another plot about soldiers trying to save humanity.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

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  1. Ars Technica
    Oct 6, 2016
    Gears 4, more than the other Xbox Play Anywhere games that have launched thus far, seems poised to scale across various Windows 10 rigs. This gives players real choice between higher frame rates and higher visual settings. A smooth 60fps refresh at Xbox One quality levels (or better) can easily be achieved with the right toggles on our test rigs. That may not prove out over every processor+GPU+RAM+HD combination in the wild, but so far, the game appears to be both highly optimized and infinitely customizable.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Oct 11, 2016
    “Satisfying” is a good word for Gears Of War 4 in general. Outside of the later stages of the campaign—where, once you’ve chainsawed your 500th drone soldier or robot commando in half, you’ve pretty much seen all that you’re going to see—the game feels overwhelmingly solid. Multiplayer is thoughtful, without losing its vital speed. And Horde is as well executed as it’s ever been, keeping the bar to entry low while rewarding players who want to dive in deep.

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PC Game of 2016
45
#45 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
65
#65 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 516 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 288 out of 516
  2. Mixed: 111 out of 516
  3. Negative: 117 out of 516
  1. ozorxoron
    Oct 16, 2016
    3
    The PC port is flawless, it runs great and looks great too, truly an amazing job as far as porting goes.

    The game itself however is    The PC port is flawless, it runs great and looks great too, truly an amazing job as far as porting goes.

    The game itself however is mediocre, a very forgettable story along with a very short campaign(beat it in co-op on hardcore in 5 hours) make for an incredibly forgettable experience. There is no real replay value since it's very linear and scripted meaning events will play out the same way every time. This has been the case for previous Gears games too, but this is 2016 and the series is in need of some refreshing ideas not just a retread of the same tired formula.

    Multiplayer is fine but is hurting already on PC due to a very low playerbase, cross-play does not work in versus multiplayer so as soon as the PC playerbase dies out this game will be worthless unless you're really into the 5 hour campaign.

    The game has insanely overpriced microtransactions too. The items inside are completely random and are most likely going to be worthless since they know idiots will keep paying money in hope they get a rare item. Microtransactions have no place in a full price triple A game.    … Full Review »
  2. dedecas
    Oct 11, 2016
    10
    Great game. Good optimization for PC. Split secren in local coop is a must to play with a friend. The horde mode is superb. Good jobGreat game. Good optimization for PC. Split secren in local coop is a must to play with a friend. The horde mode is superb. Good job Coalitio/Microsoft.… Full Review »
  3. Chapa9dj
    Nov 2, 2016
    4
    I praised this game too much in my main review but after hours of playing it gets repetitive and boring, the story is nothing to write homeI praised this game too much in my main review but after hours of playing it gets repetitive and boring, the story is nothing to write home about, the gameplay seems a bit clunky and dull and the ending is really one of the biggest slap in the face of the consumer i have ever seen. Just when you think things were starting to get more interesting, the game just ends.

    Then we have the multiplayer, there are so many game modes and all of them are literally dead, i assume because of the low playerbase, restricting a game to a single store, extremely overpriced in my region and the fact that the MP is full of P2W, it killed the MP on arrival. Had it been on Steam and Origin, the outcome on the MP would have been different.
    I wouldn't be surprised if it sold poorly.

    The horde mode is fun, but it gets tedious trying to complete 50 waves which it could take a few hours.

    All in all, a forgettable experience that is not worth it.
    So far, it has been a disappointment, but one thing though, this is an amazing port and it looks beautiful, but that's about it.    … Full Review »
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