Gears Tactics Is Now Available To Pre-Load, Here's How

One of the next big Microsoft exclusives, the XCOM-style strategy game Gears Tactics, launches at the end of April. Ahead of that, pre-loading for the game is now available.

You can follow the links here to pre-load the game for Xbox Game Pass for PC, Windows 10, and Steam right now ahead of its April 28 release date. Also worth noting is that everyone who either pre-orders the game or subscribes to Xbox Game Pass for PC before May 4 will get the Thrashball Cole character pack. This includes the fan-favorite Gears character Augustus Cole--AKA Cole Train--dressed in his Thrashball gear to join your squad. Like the other characters in Gears Tactics, Thrashball Cole also has unique abilities.

An official canon entry in the Gears franchise, Gears Tactics takes place 12 years before the events of the original Gears of War game. You play as Gabe Diaz, the father of Gears 5 protagonist Kait Diaz, and the story is said to delve into some of the mysteries about the Diaz family tree.

For more on Gears Tactics, check out the launch trailer here that spotlights some of the new game mechanics and more. The franchise is sure to live on after this game, and narrative designer Bonnie Jean Mah recently discussed some of the possibilities.

Gears Tactics will release on Xbox One later this year--free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers--but an official release date has not been announced as of yet.