UPDATE: The Coalition has announced the Gears 5 Tech Test will be opened up to all Xbox Live Gold members from July 26, 10am PDT to July 29, 10am PDT.
The Coalition announced today that Gears 5 would begin its Versus Tech Test starting today and ending Monday, July 22, with an emphasis placed on demoing brand-new game modes. Gears 5 multiplayer has been a hot button topic ever since The Coalition revealed a much more intricate and tactical variation of the experience many fans had grown accustomed to over the franchise's history, with many deep changes coming to double down on strategic thinking in-game.
Gears 5 multiplayer will feature weapon loadouts that can be customized as well as deployment options for those weapons in the field. There will also be an emphasis placed on player positioning in Gears 5 multiplayer modes, with front-line soldiers getting options that help them in up-close skirmishes while back-line allies will have grenade options and other longer range attachments available to them. Gears 5 appears to be a deliberate attempt from The Coalition to create a multiplayer experience that will keep players hooked for far longer than the usual seasonal periods many multiplayer FPS games enjoy, looking more like Rainbow Six: Siege than Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 as a point of comparison.
Today, The Coalition announced that fans would finally get to test out the new Gears 5 multiplayer options in what's being called the Versus Tech Test. The Versus Tech test will start at 10am PDT today, July 19, and run until Monday, July 22 at the same time. The Tech Test will feature looks at exciting new game modes, like the brand-new Boot Camp training mode that is meant to acclimatize newer players to Gears 5 Versus. There will also be an Arcade game mode that is simplified and teaches players the basic mechanics they'll need to execute on the fly to have success in Gears 5 multiplayer, meaning there will be plenty of options available to those who want to give the game a shot but feel jumping right in would be too overwhelming.
The Gears 5 Tech Test is available to players who have an Xbox Game Pass membership or have already pre-orders Gears 5. Eligible players will be able to download the Tech Test and jump in as soon as it begins. The Tech Test will also have King of the HIll, Escalation, and a look at the all-new Tour of Duty challenges on top of testing out the new Gears 5 multiplayer options.
Gears 5 is one of Xbox's biggest exclusives left standing. With the gaming world already looking ahead to 2020 and the launch of Xbox Scarlett and PS5, garnering some good will from fans with a major exclusive release ahead of time would be a huge boon to Xbox. Fans will have a better idea if that will be a reality later today when Gears 5 multiplayer takes center stage during the Versus Tech Test.