Gears of War: Ultimate Edition is coming to PC late

I’m rather excited to get back to playing Gears of War, in its remastered, rejiggered Ultimate Edition. Though I have no real intention of playing through the campaign again (I’ve killed RAAM far, far too many times to count), it’s the multiplayer that has me counting down the minutes until Gears of War is back on shelves. Only, thanks to my lack of an Xbox One, I was planning on getting the game on PC. It looks like I’ll be counting for quite a bit longer.

Microsoft has confirmed, to the surprise of roughly nobody, that the PC version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will be coming quite some time after it hits the Xbox One in the face with a boomshot shell.

Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed as much via twitter, before a Microsoft representative fleshed it out to IGN.

@ArlessLewis @1stsaintinferno @KevPlaysGames @FameEnt2k Gears on Win10 is later than Xbox One version.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) July 22, 2015

The reasons were later clarified.

“The Windows 10 version of ‘Gears of War: Ultimate Edition’ will release at a later time, following the release of the Xbox One version on Aug. 25,” said Microsoft. “The team decided to prioritize polish and performance over street date – to make sure we deliver a great experience for PC gamers. The DX12 version will support 4K resolution, unlimited refresh rates and controller and mouse and keyboard controls, so there was a bit more for us to test, optimize and perfect.”

The very recent local Xbox One price cut puts a spanner in my plans. That R800 price reduction, and earlier access to Gears of War Ultimate Edition’s multiplayer means I may finally end up with an Xbox One. Hmmm.  Gears of War Ultimate Edition is coming to Xbox One on August 28 locally. There’s not date yet for the PC version, which runs using Unreal Engine 4 and requires Windows 10. The PC version will support stupid resolutions for people with too much money.

Here’s what else makes the Ultimate edition…ultimate.

• Remastered for Dolby 7.1 Surround
• 90 mins of new campaign content from the original PC game
• New Xbox Live achievements (1,250 Gamerscore)
• Concept art gallery and unlockable comics
• Modernized Multiplayer featuring:
  • 60 frames per second
  • Dedicated servers
  • Skill-based matchmaking
  • New game types – Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill (Gears of War 3 style), and new 2v2 Gnasher Execution
• Total of 19 maps, including all DLC and PC-exclusive maps
• 17 unlockable Gears of War 3 characters for Multiplayer progression
• More Match customization including Actives, Respawn Time, Self-revive and Weapon Respawn
• Modernized gameplay with smoother movement and updated controls:
  • Alternate Controls and all new Tournament Controls
  • All controls tuned for Xbox One
  • Adding the Gears of War 3 features you love: Enemy Spotting, Multiplayer Tac-Com, Improved sensitivity customization

Last Updated: July 23, 2015