The story takes place eighteen months after the events of Gears of War 2 and the loss of the human stronghold of Jacinto. Marcus, Baird, Dom and company continue their fight to save human civilization, as they battle the Locust and face new threats from within the planet throughout the campaign mode.

Improvements

• A spectator mode option has been added to private versus matches for broadcasting by gaming leagues.
  • One player on each team will be able to choose spectator mode during match set up.
  • The matches will be 4v4 with two spectators
• The Leader and Vengeful medals are now easier to acquire.
• The mutators Roadie Comet and Regen Enemies are now easier to acquire.
• Added an option to disable the HUD during multiplayer games for machinima and video creators
• Added a visual indicator of the next ring’s location during the last 10 ring points in KOTH.

Exploit Fixes

• The Onyx Field Engineer medal can no longer be prestiged.
• In Capture the Leader, the overhead Beams on DryDock are no longer accessible.
• While affected by the Smoke Grenade stun, players will no longer be able to take hostages, pick up weapons or revive teammates.

General Fixes

• If there is a host migration during Horde, the match will resume at the same wave.
• Also during Horde, the Combat Engineer ribbon can now be achieved once per wave instead of once per game.
• The Ranked Disconnect stat will no longer increase when quitting a standard Horde or Beast game.
• The cringe from the Mortar will no longer cause players to drop their primary weapon.
• The Hail Mary ribbon is now correctly awarded for long distance Boomshot headshots.
• Maps will no longer be immediately repeated when choosing random map selection.
• If the host pauses during a private versus match the game will continue for other players.
  • The game will still pause in the Campaign, Beast and Horde.
• Potential fix for the rare lost progress issue.
• Potential fix for the rare profile freezing issue.
• Beast leaderboard screen no longer refreshes while sending challenges

Key Features:

• An enthralling cinematic story that captivates players in an intimately intense action game
• Five-on-five multiplayer experience as well as four player campaign co-op experience
• New multiplayer game modes including "Beast Mode" – offering a new twist to the game where you take on the role of the locust horde and their assorted variations!
• New maps including: Trenches which features an impressive sand storm that reduces your visibility, as well as Overpass, Mercy, Checkout, and Thrashball
• New weapons including: The Bayonet Charge, The Retro Lancer, The Sawed-off Shotgun, The OneShot – a heavy sniper rifle that shoots through shields or cover for a surprise one shot kill, The Incendiary Grenade, The Digger Launcher and a few subtle tweaks to old favorites Hammerburst and The Classic Lancer. Don't forget that each weapon now has its own execution move!
  Stay tuned for more updates, and keep your eyes peeled for more news on the Official Multiplayer Public Beta coming soon!