Gears 5 Had The 'Biggest Launch' Of Any First-Party Xbox One Game

Gears 5 arrived on Oct. 5 for some and Oct. 10 for others. It came rather quietly, without the marketing blitz we're used to seeing from other major AAA franchises. But when the smoke cleared, all of that mattered not. Gears 5's launch was, for the Xbox One and Xbox Game Studios, record-breaking.

According to Microsoft, Gears 5 performed exceedingly well over the course of its opening weekend, bringing in over three million players. The game doubled up on the launch performance turned in by Gears of War 4, and not only that, also managed to become Microsoft's most-played first-party title since 2012's Halo 4.

All of that is incredibly impressive.

Of course, Microsoft also had to throw in some puffed up figures that sound great but aren't all that special. Saying Gears 5 is "the biggest-ever launch for Xbox Game Pass for PC" omits the fact that Game Pass is only three months old on PC. And touting Gears 5 as having the "best-ever debut on Steam" for a first-party title begs the question: compared to what?

Up until now, Microsoft has been notoriously bad about putting games on Steam. Most Xbox Game Studios games have come months or even years after showing up on the Microsoft Store. Gears 5 launched on Steam day and date with other platforms, so if anything, Gears 5 proves that Microsoft was leaving a lot of money on the table by not releasing on Steam. And that is less a cause for celebration and more an admission of a self-own.

But hey, hats off to The Coalition for doing work and putting out the best Xbox Game Studios title in years. Gears 5 reviewed well across the board, won praise for its accessibility features, and even got a Digital Foundry nod for its PC port. It put Xbox Game Studios — the outfit that exists today — on the map. And that only has us looking forward to what else XGS puts out in the future.

Gears 5 is available now on PC and Xbox One.