Earlier this month, Xbox despatched me a code for Gears of Struggle: Reloaded on the PlayStation 5. That’s a bizarre sentence to put in writing. But it surely’s true. And regardless of understanding this port was coming and beforehand writing about it in addition to the top of the console wars on Kotaku, I nonetheless need to admit: It was actually weird to nail an energetic reload on a PlayStation gamepad.
Out immediately on Sport Go, Xbox Sequence X/S, PlayStation, and PC, Gears of Struggle: Reloaded is a remastered model of Gears of Struggle: Final Version, which is itself a remastered spin on the unique Xbox 360 Gears of Struggle recreation, full with improved textures and additional content material that was unique to the barely-talked-about PC port of the primary recreation. Wowza, what a lineage! Anyway, this newest remastering of the unique Gears recreation that began all of it sports activities some new enhancements, together with 4K/120FPS assist for multiplayer, improved shadows, and full crossplay and cross-progression throughout all platforms. And it appears nice, even when I encountered a number of quirks in my playthrough. However regardless of how a lot better it would look, Gears of Struggle on a PlayStation console continues to be unusual to this grizzled Gears vet.
Loading up Gears of Struggle: Reloaded on my PS5 was unusual sufficient to start with, however then I hopped into the sport and linked my Xbox account and noticed that my Xbox profile image appeared within the menu as a substitute of my PlayStation profile pic. Odd! Then I began enjoying, and Gears of Struggle prompted me to hit triangle to take a look at one thing as a substitute of the Y button. Peculiar! And as soon as I bought right into a firefight, I used to be advised to smash the R1 button to start a reload after which hit it once more on the proper time to reload my Lancer assault rifle sooner. I did as advised, however I believe I made a bizarre face whereas doing it. Even Sony acknowledged how odd this all is through a tweet of Marcus reloading with the remark: “Press R1 to Active Reload.”
Press R1 to Lively Reload 💥
Gears of Struggle: Reloaded is out immediately on PS5 pic.twitter.com/IIFIIsxkvB
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 26, 2025
Once I unlocked my first trophy in Gears of Struggle on PlayStation 5, one thing actually weird occurred: My cellphone buzzed to let me know that I had additionally simply earned an Xbox achievement. I’ve not performed every other Xbox video games on PlayStation but, so I’m unsure if that is simply regular or no matter, but it surely caught me off guard. Incomes Xbox achievements on a PlayStation? We really stay within the weirdest timeline.
As somebody who has solely performed via the whole Gears of Struggle franchise and racked up many hours chainsawing folks in multiplayer on Xbox consoles, it by no means stopped being eerie and uncanny to be enjoying the unique recreation once more, however this time on Sony’s house console. I believed that earlier than the credit rolled on Gears of Struggle: Reloaded, I’d have forgotten I used to be even enjoying on a PS5. Nope. It was bizarre from begin to end. However not in a foul approach! I’m not mad Gears is on PS5 in 2025. I simply assume it’s going to take a number of extra weeks or months, or longer, for me to get used to it.
