Gears of War 4 Release Date Tips

Gears of War 4 isn’t just the biggest exclusive game launching during the month of October. It’s also one of the biggest games launching for the Xbox One ever. Microsoft’s Xbox team needs the game to convince yet more people to purchase an Xbox One this holiday. If the Gears of War 4 release date turns out to be a disaster, it could cripple Xbox for months.

Luckily for Microsoft, early Gears of War 4 reviews are in and they aren’t just not bad. In fact, reviews are exceptionally good. Citing great graphics and mechanics, Polygon gave it one of the highest scores its given any Xbox One exclusive game since this generation started. Game Informer gave the title high marks too, citing its graphics, story and replay value. High reviews scores are one sign that the Gears of War 4 release is going to be a huge affair, one that gamers would be wise to prepare for now.

Read: Gears of War 4 Xbox One Release: What You Need to Know

Here are some launch tips to get you through what could be a very hectic Gears of War 4 release date.

There are Two Gears of War 4 Release Dates

Your mind isn’t playing tricks on you. There really are two launches for Gears of War 4. On October 7th at midnight, those that purchased a copy of Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition can begin to play. October 11th is the second Gears of War 4 release date. On that day, anyone that purchased a standard edition version of the game can play.

Gears of War 4 Midnight Release Events

Best Buy is among the few stores that will open at midnight so that buyers can pick up their copy of Gears of War 4. It’ll begin letting users pick up their pre-ordered Ultimate Edition copies at midnight Eastern Standard time on October 7th. That’s 9PM Pacific Standard Time on October 6th. GameStop is doing the same thing; its stores will also begin letting users get their Ultimate Edition copies of the game at midnight.

Read: Best Gears of War 4 Deals

Make Room for the Game on Your Hard Drive

Gears of War 4 is a gorgeous game. The amount of space it’ll take up on your hard drive reflects that. Microsoft’s Windows Store tells users to expect a download size between 54GB and 80GB. The higher end of that score is for those installing Gears of War 4 for PC. It supports 4K resolution fully.

Expect the amount of storage you need for the game to grow over time if you purchased a season pass for Gears of War 4. Those that play the game before December get digital copies of previous games in the series for Xbox One. It’s probably a good idea to make room for those too, if you plan to play them.

Start Downloading Gears of War 4 As Soon as Possible

Game pre-downloads allow you to get going with a title the moment it’s ready. Gears of War 4 pre-downloads begun days ago. If you purchased Gears of War 4 digitally, it should have already downloaded to your Xbox console’s My Games and Apps area. Games that you purchase automatically download to whatever console you’ve assigned as your Home console. If it hasn’t, look through your list of ready to install games and do it manually.

Read: Xbox Play Anywhere – What You Need to Know

On Windows 10, you’ll need to manually download your copy of Gears of War 4. That’s because games don’t automatically download there when added to your collection.

Two Ways to Get Free Copies of Gears of War 4 for Windows PCs

Gears of War 4 is part of Xbox Play Anywhere, Microsoft’s dedicated program for encouraging users on PC to enjoy their exclusive games. When gamers purchase the Xbox One version of Gears of War 4 or they unlock the Windows 10 version for free.

Read: Gears of War 4 PC Release – Everything That You Need to Know

Microsoft has also partnered with hardware maker NVIDIA to make Gears of War 4 available for free to those that purchase a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 graphics card. A number of pre-made configurations also get a free copy of the game.

Buy an Xbox One Gears of War 4 Bundle If You Need One

Microsoft hopes that millions who already own an Xbox One will want to purchase Gears of War 4. It’s also important that the game attracts new fans to the fold. There are three Xbox One bundles that come with a copy of Gears of War 4.

Read: Xbox One S Bundles – Free Battlefield 1 and Minecraft

The $449 Xbox One Gears of War Special Edition bundle has red highlights, sounds and designs. It comes with Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition. Microsoft plans to begin selling a standard 1TB white Xbox One Gears of War 4 Bundle. It’ll cost $349.99, but doesn’t launch until October 11th. GameStop has its own Gears of War 4 Special Edition bundle that comes with a standard copy of the game. It’ll cost $299 and come in blue. It won’t launch until November 1st.

Good luck with the Gears of War 4 release.