The Coalition is very busy cultivating the Gears of War Franchise, and Reloaded is a stepping stone for many. However, many of you have played Gears of War 1 before, entitling you to a free upgrade, but the circumstances aren’t clear. Let us explain.
Gears of War is considered one of the most important franchises of the past 20 years. On release, its third-person, cover-based style was unique and meshed well with the game’s dark themes, extreme violence, and surprisingly deep storytelling. Altogether, you had a beast of a game, and it was honored years later with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition.
2025 welcomes Gears of War: Reloaded—letting PS5 players join the party at long last. You might not have to shell out more money if you’re on Xbox or PC, though.
Have I Got a Free Gears of War: Reloaded Upgrade?
If you previously purchased Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on Xbox or PC, you should check your Xbox messages to see if you’ve been given a free upgrade for Gears of War: Reloaded.
The details surrounding this promotion are understandably a bit hazy, so bear with us. From what we gather, if you’ve played Gears of War: Ultimate Edition before, you should get a code.
However, while it seems to be quite straightforward for digital owners, if you’ve bought a physical copy of the game, it’s not as easy. I’ve seen reports of players who’ve previously owned the Ultimate Edition (but don’t anymore) not getting the Xbox message.
Others have said they own it, but don’t have a Game Pass subscription, whereas other users have claimed that reinstalling the game has made the message appear. Another way to get the code is to wait: Codes haven’t been sent out at the same time.
There’s a good chance it’s still on its way. I’d recommend contacting Xbox support if you don’t get one and you feel you should be entitled to a free copy.
How to Claim Gears of War: Reloaded Free Upgrade
You should receive a free code from an Xbox message, and you need to use this code on Xbox’s redeem code site to claim your free version of Gears of War: Reloaded.
Enough talk, here’s the step-by-step process of what you need to do:
- Check your Xbox messages.
- See if you’ve been given “A free code for Gears of War: Reloaded.”
- Go to the Xbox code redeem page.
- Enter your code.
- If it’s correct and valid, you should be able to claim Gears of War: Reloaded for free.
- You can download the game close to (or on) its August 26 release date!
Let us know how you get on in your efforts for a free copy of Gears of War: Reloaded. If you’re a PlayStation fan, this promotion won’t apply to you, sadly. Everyone getting to play Gears of War together is cool, though, so share your thoughts through the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Gears content, check out the Gears of War: E-Day release period being revealed and news that Gears of War: Reloaded isn’t coming to PS5s in Japan.
Andy is Insider Gaming's Senior Evergreen Editor and has been in the games journalism sphere in one way or another for over 7 years. His video game taste is as…
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