The announcement of Gears of War: Reloaded was pretty exciting in the moment, especially as we were coming down from the exceptional high of Oblivion Remastered shadow dropping out of nowhere. However, the more that I've thought about it, the more I'm not convinced it is a good idea, especially as practically every aspect of it is negative for the majority of fans. It is particularly bad for those who've long since been invested in the Gears of War franchise, which, naturally, includes me.

While Gears of War remasters were hugely anticipated, what we've gotten with Reloaded isn't particularly impressive, either from a technical standpoint or, perhaps more importantly, a consumer one. Fans may flock to the new remaster as it offers them another way to enjoy a classic, and newcomers, especially those on PlayStation, will see it as the perfect entry point. However, Reloaded potentially marks the start of something negative, especially for fans, and even for those who decide to get into it now.

Gears of War: Reloaded Means We Probably Won't Get A Trilogy Collection

They'll Probably Remaster Them Individually

Fans have long been anticipating some form of Gears of War remasters or remakes, especially for the second and third entries in the initial trilogy. The original Gears of War was actually already remastered back in 2015 under the Ultimate Edition moniker, which is what Reloaded is based on. That means you've already played Reloaded if you've tried even a second of the Ultimate Edition remaster on PC or Xbox. However, Gears of War: Reloaded's existence probably means that we won't be getting a trilogy remaster, at least how fans may prefer.

There have been rumors of a Gears of War trilogy collection circulating online for a while now, but it seemed like a sure thing. It seemingly made the most sense to release the first three in one go, considering their age and the fact that the Ultimate Edition already exists, meaning less work would need to be done to bring the whole trilogy to next-gen consoles. However, while fans may have preferred to pay one price for all three games, the fact that Xbox released the first game remastered individually means it likely will with the rest.

Xbox will - if it is indeed thinking of remastering all three - release an individual remaster for the second and third game and charge the same price, or potentially more, for each of them.

It wouldn't make much sense for Xbox to release the first Gears of War game as a remaster and then a trilogy as a separate purchase, as it would render the first game completely invalid. Instead, Xbox will - if it is indeed thinking of remastering all three - release an individual remaster for the second and third game and charge the same price, or potentially more, for each of them. Of course, that means that those wanting to play each remaster will need to be ready to spend quite a lot of money.

Gears of War Remasters Will Get Expensive

$40 Per Remaster Adds Up

Gears of War: Reloaded will cost $39.99, just like the Ultimate Edition did when it released back in 2015. That may seem fairly inexpensive, especially by today's ridiculous $80 price tag standards, but it isn't that cheap in the long run. If each game costs $40, providing that any potential remasters of the next two games don't add any additional content, or require more work that, in turn, boosts the price, then players are looking at spending $120 for the entire trilogy remastered, rather than even $80 for a trilogy collection.

While some diehard fans may be willing to pay $120 for a trilogy of games that released nearly two decades ago and look and run slightly better now than they did before, I find it hard to believe that the majority of consumers will fork out for all three games, especially if they've already played them on Xbox or even PC via Game . This isn't a particularly good value proposition for most people, as while the Gears of War games are all exceptional, they're competing with expensive modern titles that offer a lot more for what you pay.

In an economy where game prices keep rising and people's wages stay the same, everyone is having to carefully choose which games they want to buy and which they'll either never get to try or wait for a deep sale. Were all three games released as a complete collection, then spending a slightly higher markup may be more doable as you're getting tens of hours of content for your money. However, $120 for three games, no matter how good they may be, is just not affordable, at least in my eyes.

Gears of War: Reloaded Only Benefits PlayStation s

It Is Brand-New For Them

The only people who are winning here and may feel like it is worth spending $40 per game are PlayStation s who've never played the Gears of War series before. Frankly, PlayStation s are winning in all respects, as there may not even be a physical Xbox release for Reloaded, something that should be expected by this point. That's great, as everyone should have access to great games like Gears of War, but it does feel like somewhat of a slap in the face to the Xbox fans that have loved this series for so long.

Gears of War on PlayStation is a remarkable feat in 2025, and something that illustrates just how far we've come in regard to making all of gaming accessible to as many people as possible. It is also yet another nail in the console wars' coffin, something that I'm rather happy about. However, as great as it is that PlayStation fans, including myself, get to finally experience the majesty of Gears of War, I just wish there was some benefit for Xbox players beyond simply relying on Xbox Game and never truly owning anything.

Those who already own Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will get to Reloaded for free, which is a nice touch as it means Xbox and PC s won't have to shell out for a game they already own. However, I don't see that happening with a potential Gears of War 2 and 3 remaster, as there's no equivalent for Xbox s to upgrade from. Even if every Xbox owned Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and upgraded for free, they're still paying $80 for two remasters, which is, in my opinion, far too much.

I think it is difficult at the moment to be invested in gaming as a hobby and not feel the crushing financial burden it brings with it. Gaming shouldn't be so expensive, but it is, and that is a genuine shame. I had hoped that a Gears of War trilogy collection would have made that burden a little easier for the fans who've ed the series since the start, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I hope everyone enjoys Gears of War: Reloaded, but I also hope that the next two remasters are priced a little more reasonably.

Source: PlayStation/Twitter