Gears 5's Hollow Storm update launches today. In its biggest update yet, the Xbox-exclusive Gears 5 is getting new maps, new characters and more.
After only about a week since the release of the game's massive Xbox Series X update, Gears 5 is getting its biggest single batch of post-launch content ever. This marks developer The Coalition's fifth operation (aka expansion) since originally releasing the game in July 2019.
Hollow Storm brings five maps, seven characters, and several adjustments to classes in PvE modes. There are two new maps, Nexus and Regency, along with three returning ones. The highly-requested River from Gears of War 2 makes its return, along with the Gears 4 versions of Gridlock and Clocktower.
The new characters being added are a mix of old and new, but all are callbacks to the Locust War. Players can now select Dizzy, Tai, and the Locust Skourge from Gears of War 2, in addition to Gears of War 3 Anya and several Lambent Locust. As part of Hollow Storm's launch, Gabe Diaz will become available for those who complete the Gears Tactics tutorial. However, Gears Tactics beefy file size may discourage some players that otherwise don't have enough space.
The class changes made to modes like Horde and Escape have big implications. Since launch, Gears 5 classes have been attached to specific character models. In other words, players had to pick a specific character if they wanted to play a specific role. While this may seem like something fairly standard, Gears games have always allowed players to select any character. Now, from Hollow Storm onward, players can freely pair all characters along with any class.
The Gears of War franchise appears to be taking center-stage as Microsoft's console exclusive, with both Gears Tactics and Gears 5 available on Xbox Game Pass. This seems like a sensible stand-in for what was supposed to be Halo Infinite, which recently lost its second director in two years. With the Xbox Series X update, Hollow Storm update, and Game Pass availability, there's never been a better time for gamers to get into the series.
Operation 5: Hollow Storm won't be the last new content that players see. The Coalition recently confirmed long-rumored Gears 5 campaign DLC is coming soon, although it's unclear if it'll be free. The expansion, called "Hivebusters", will center around the story of a new squad. Despite it releasing next month, further details about the 3-to-4 hour single-player story remain scarce.
The Hollow Storm update for Gears 5 is available now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.