5 Best Gears of War Games, Ranked

Gears of War has been floating about for the best part of two decades now, with new chapters still being put under the hammer for the foreseeable future. And it's because of this comfortably long tenure, that we can't help but gloss over the timeline as a whole. From its 2006 debut on Xbox 360 to the long-awaited sixth instalment which should be cruising our way in the near future, we want to praise the stories that defined the franchise, and syphon out the castaways that spoilt our immersion with the iconic Delta squad altogether.

While Gears 6 could very well be a way off yet, we still want to sink into the action-packed narrative and its mind-boggling bullet storms. Ranking from the top-down, and, of course, taking into account all the nooks and crannies from each tale, we want to put our spin on the COG and their war-torn dramatics. So, without further ado, here are the best Gears of War entries, from worst to best — excluding the spin-off, Judgement.

5. Gears of War 4

Following Gears of War: Judgement and its fairly lukewarm reception with Baird stealing the reigns, Epic had quite the challenge on their hands, and one that would either resurrect the original charm that engulfed the world — or make a mockery of a once-renowned series. And the result of that was, of course, Gears of War 4, which ultimately closed the book on old faces and rebuilt a brand new anthology. And, to be fair, even after five years away from the board, it still managed to compile some pretty well-rounded chapters.

However, with the whole fan base still living in the days of Fenix and Santiago, Gears 4 did struggle to adapt to the new world, with almost every fine detail being plucked and compared with a fine-tooth comb. And sadly, that's what led to the fourth major instalment dwelling in the shadows of the stronger, and let's face it, more appealing siblings in the timeline. Of course, Gears 4 did introduce a lot the fold, though the comradery between new faces just didn't gel as well as the original Delta squad. But with Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird being such a powerful collective, it was never going to be an easy trade, to be honest.

4. Gears 5

Luckily, Epic made a serious comeback with Gears 5, with almost every ingredient being tweaked to perfect the shooter experience and amplify the true nature of the series. The gameplay was built on and bolstered by heavy settings and even bigger challenges. The roster developed into a collection of genuinely likeable characters with even more intriguing backstories. And, above all, the original essence that was once assumed lost, was finally resurrected for one final blowout chapter.

Gears 5 did a lot of things. For one, it bridged the gaps that the previous entry left unhinged, with new pathways being carved that would eventually leave the intrigue hanging after the curtain rolled. Secondly, it tweaked the world to feature more exploration segments, as opposed to its usual point A to B formula. However, even with the expanded territories and open-world portions, Epic did fail to embellish it with enough features to keep players unearthing its few wonders. And so, for that, we can't help but wonder whether or not the leap to the new format was a good move, or a little too ambitious for a Gears game.

3. Gears of War

It all had to start somewhere, right? Gears of War had to set the benchmark in one way or another, and with the launch of the Xbox 360 back in 2005, Epic finally had the means to go bigger than ever. Plus, after settling for Call of Duty rehash titles for the first year since the hardware rolled out, players were beginning to itch for something fresh — and thankfully, Gears of War was finally able to lay roots, quickly becoming the breath of fresh air everybody needed. The new contender, although emerging from unknown waters, was officially on the block. And it was there to stay.

Gears of War, even fifteen years down the line, still holds a strong place as one of the most prominent third-person shooters in video game history.  The relationships between soldiers, the memorable encounters and diverse settings — it was all there. And, lest we forget the phenomenal split-screen co-op mode, which also went on to fortify its place as one of the greatest games on the market.

2. Gears of War 2

Shortly after Gears of War captured the world with its 2006 debut, The Coalition looked to strike the iron with a second blow, furthering its place as an untamed force not to be reckoned with. However, rather than looking to completely reinvent the wheel, Epic only wished to make minor tweaks, hesitant of tearing away from the award-winning formula that enveloped the first chapter.

Gears of War 2, despite not changing a great deal in terms of gameplay, was still a vast improvement to the original story. Location-wise, Delta sunk into a lot more than box standard suburban districts and rehashed cityscapes. The Riftworm, being just one of the new locations, was a major turn in the right direction for the series. And then, of course, we had new and improved plotlines, with a more in-depth feel to the relationships between Delta, mainly with Dom and Maria. But all in all, Gears 2 was a real step up for the franchise, and, a stepping stone that would eventually pave the way to the greatest chapter in the series to date.

1. Gears of War 3

After shovelling through endless waves of Locust and Krill, splicing through the darkest depths of the Riftworm, and engaging in more enemy frontlines than Delta could shake a stick at, it all came down to one concluding crossroad, with the termination teetering between the survival of the human race, or the downfall of the species. But finally, after everything the team had faced, the war was ultimately on the brink of closure, with only a few obstacles left to wade through.

From the moment we sunk back into the iconic Delta squad, Gears 3 opened up to some truly remarkable settings. Like a well-oiled machine, the cogs whirled and the gameplay fluidly trickled over as we resumed our conquest over the Locust and Lambent forces. And then, of course, there was the band of brothers which we had grown so familiar with over the trilogy — all of which received appropriate send-offs throughout the journey. All in all, Gears 3 closed the book in such a flawless way — and Epic, as good as they are at moulding stories — just won't be able to recreate that beauty ever again, no matter how many original cameos they hurl into the latest chapters.

Do you agree with our list? What were your favourite Gears of War chapters? Let us know over on our social handle here.

Looking for more? You could always take a look at one of these lists:

25 Most Powerful Video Game Quotes of All Time