Set on the fictional planet of Sera, the “Gears of War” series charts the story of humanity’s struggle against fearsome and brutal adversaries through a captivating tale of hope, comradery and survival.

After narrowly escaping an attack on their village, JD Fenix and his friends, Kait and Del, must rescue the ones they love and discover the source of a monstrous new enemy. “Gears of War 4” returns the franchise to the dark tone and intensity of the original and includes split-screen and online co-op, the next generation of five-player favorite, Horde Mode, 60 frames-per-second Versus multiplayer, and stunning visuals powered by Unreal Engine 4.

Here’s a rundown of the August Update:

New Maps

Forge Blitz

Forge Blitz is a tighter, faster pace evolution of the map Forge that builds upon the spirit of the original to create a map filled with new combat experiences. All of this action takes place in a sand-swept factory damaged over time by a Windflare, underneath a blazing hot desert sun.

If the original Forge was chess-like, Forge Blitz is chess on a high-speed moving train. We’ve looked at every key fight on the map and found new ways to make them faster, more tactical and more intense than ever before.

Gone are the secondary entrances to the Control Room as well as the elbow behind the Incinerator, forcing combat into more focused areas with more direct fronts. Both exits from either spawn have also been tightened up to provide less open space and more opportunities to be aggressive.

The Control Room combat is now also more intense than ever with more angles and cover options to push your opponents hard. The defining Incinerator still dominates the horizon, but now you’ll need to look out for the telltale flames inside to know if it’s armed and ready. One button press from an enemy or ally, and you could be toast! These new changes were influenced by Forge’s time as a Gears Esports Pro Circuit map, and we can’t wait to see teams take on this map at the highest level this August.

Canals

You never forget your first run to the Longshot on Canals – and that tense 1v1 showdown that follows. Canals returns in Gears of War 4, bringing back the classic triple bridge combat over a shallow canal that was a defining part of the original Gears of War Versus experience. Set in the city of Timgad in the dark of the night lit only by moonlight and street lamps, Canals oozes with that classic Gears of War ominous atmosphere.

Snipers have a massive impact on the flow of the fight with long sightlines and plenty of places to hide, but prepared to pull out your Gnasher at a moment’s notice for an intense close quarters fight on the narrow bridges.

Both maps are available now for Season Pass Holders in the Double XP and 20% Bonus Credit ‘Developer Playlist’! Everyone can dive into both Forge Blitz and Canals beginning on August 8th when they are added to Public Matchmaking.

Summer of Gears

• We’re celebrating summer in “Gears of War 4” Versus with an increase to the First Win of the Day Credit Bonus. Every day in August, your first win of the day is worth 500 Credits (an increase from the standard 100 Credits).
• In addition, the second season of the Gears Pro Circuit is on the way – and we’re preparing with Escalation Ring placement improvements to Diner, Impact, Lift and The Slab. These improvements were crafted with our Pro Players at a recent studio playtest, so jump in and check them out for yourself beginning today.

New Events

• First up, this month’s Craftable Character is a blast from the past: Classic Commando Dom.
• Our monthly Versus and Horde events continue this month with a new Horde variant on August 18th and Classic One Shot One Kill on Canals on August 25th.
• If you’re a Horde fan, our latest Horde variant “Anything Goes” challenges is still active – and now, as of this update, you can play it whenever you want on any map in Private Match.

Key Features:

• New Story, Heroes and a Nightmare Reborn: The first chapter of an all-new “Gears” saga thrusts players into an epic and perilous journey through the wilds of Sera. Fight as JD Fenix – son of the legendary hero Marcus Fenix – as he embarks on a desperate mission with his friends Kait and Del to find their missing loved ones and confront a fearsome new threat.
• Never Fight Alone: Rev up your Lancer and fight your way through the Campaign with a friend over Xbox Live or via local split screen co-op, with the option to play as JD, Kait or Del. Cross Play lets Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers play together in cooperative modes like Campaign, Horde and Co-Op Versus.
• Shared Progression and Achievements with Xbox Play Anywhere across Xbox One and Windows 10: Cloud saves enable you to switch seamlessly between both versions of game, giving you the freedom to play where you choose. Both versions are included with a single purchase.
• Fight through a Dynamic and Deadly Environment: Brace yourself against ferocious windflares that blow away cover, bend your shots and drastically alter the battlefield, forcing you to employ new tactics. As the windflare intensity increases, each enemy confrontation evolves into a brutal fight for survival in this tale of Man vs. Monster.
• New Arsenal of Weapons and Combat Tactics: Pummel your enemies from cover with new close-cover combat moves like yank, vault kick and a bloody new combat-knife execution. Make use of dangerous new weapons, like the Buzzkill and Dropshot, to shoot around and over cover, raining destruction from all angles.
•  The Best “Gears” Multiplayer Experience Yet: Whether you enjoy powering through the co-op Campaign, fending for survival in Horde mode or testing your skills in frenetic Versus Multiplayer matches running in 60 FPS on dedicated servers, “Gears of War 4” is the ultimate game to play with friends.
  • Explosive Versus Multiplayer Action: Compete in intense multiplayer gametypes that reward social, competitive and professional players alike, including new modes like Dodgeball and the premier new competitive “Gears” multiplayer mode, Escalation. Track your progress with the new visible ranking system that drives online matchmaking and lets you stand out for your abilities.  
  • The Next Generation of Horde: Team up with up to four other players and weather the onslaught using class-based skills and dynamic fortifications. For the first time, you can build and deploy defensive weapons and fortifications anywhere on the map.
  • Play with Friends Against AI Foes: Fine-tune your skills in Co-Op Versus, where your match-made team of five squares off against increasingly punishing AI teams.
• The Complete “Gears of War” Collection: For a limited time, “Gears of War 4” (both digital and retail versions) will include the entire Xbox 360 “Gears of War” collection. Play through the original “Gears of War” trilogy and “Gears of War: Judgment” on Xbox One via backwards compatibility, amounting to over 50 hours of “Gears of War” gameplay.