How to play the Gears of War: Reloaded beta, plus full beta schedule

The Gears of War: Reloaded beta is the first real taste of Gears on PlayStation 5 before Reloaded’s release late this summer. The beta will be on other platforms too, but, y’know, Gears on PlayStation is a pretty big deal!

Across two weekends, the Gears of War: Reloaded beta allows players to test out some parts of the game’s competitive multiplayer, though sadly, nothing to do with the series’ famous horde mode. The first weekend starts with a limited selection (just one mode and three maps), though more playable content will become available on the second weekend. Both weekends also fully support crossplay.

Here’s how to play the Gears of War: Reloaded beta, plus details about the schedule (including dates, times, and available modes) for both weekends.

How to play the Gears of War: Reloaded beta

There are three ways to get access to the Gears of War: Reloaded beta:

• Preorder Gears of War: Reloaded for either PS5, Windows PC, or Xbox Series X
• Own a digital copy of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, first released in 2015 for Xbox One, though note that your copy of the game must have been purchased before May 5, 2025 (when Reloaded was officially announced)
• Subscribe to Xbox Game Pass at either the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass tiers.

Preordering Gears of War: Reloaded or playing it via Game Pass will give you access to the Adam Fenix and Anya Stroud skins (left and right respectively in the image above) in multiplayer.

Gears of War: Reloaded beta weekend #1 schedule

During the first beta weekend for Gears of War: Reloaded, you’ll be able to play Team Deathmatch on three maps: Gridlock (above), Raven Down, and Gold Rush.

The first weekend runs from 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 13, to 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 15 . Here’s when that is in your time zone:

• 12 p.m. PDT for the West Coast of North America
• 3 p.m. EDT for the East Coast of North America
• 8 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 9 p.m. CEST for Western Europe/Paris
• 4 a.m. JST for Japan

Gears of War: Reloaded beta weekend #2 schedule

During the second beta weekend for Gears of War: Reloaded, you’ll be able to play Team Deathmatch on five maps: Gridlock, Raven Down, and Gold Rush. You’ll also be able to play King of the Hill, though just on one map: Canals.

The second weekend runs from 3 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 20, to 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 22. Here’s when that is in your time zone:

• 12 p.m. PDT for the West Coast of North America
• 3 p.m. EDT for the East Coast of North America
• 8 p.m. BST for the U.K.
• 9 p.m. CEST for Western Europe/Paris
• 4 a.m. JST for Japan