Don't miss your chance to play the Gears 5 tech test this month

Playable with Xbox Game Pass on PC and Xbox One

You won't have to wait until launch in September to try out Gears 5. The Coalition is running two technical tests in July with access to Versus modes like Arcade, Escalation, and King of the Hill.

While you can pre-order the full game for an invite on Xbox One and PC (through the Windows Store), Microsoft is also extending the Gears 5 beta to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Here are the dates:

• Pre-loading for the 15GB tech test begins July 17 at 10:00am Pacific.

• The first Gears 5 technical test period runs from July 19 at 10:00am Pacific until July 22 at 10:00am Pacific.

• The second test runs from July 26 at 10:00am Pacific until July 29 at 10:00am Pacific.

Aside from the aforementioned Versus modes, the Gears 5 tech test will also have a Bootcamp training mode and a "mini Tour of Duty, where you'll complete Medals to unlock exclusive Tester Weapon Skins."

The Coalition notes that it's using an "access queue system" to keep the servers stable during these test runs, so there's probably going to be some match queuing during peak hours.

Lastly, for those of you considering Gears 5 on PC, the developers have outlined the system specs. As a quick aside, while the final game will release on Steam, the tech test is on the Windows Store.

Minimum Spec (AMD)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: AMD FX-6000 Series
• GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280 or RX 560
• VRAM: 2GB
• RAM: 6GB
• HDD: 15GB

Minimum Spec (Nvidia)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: Intel i3 Skylake
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 760 or GTX 1050
• VRAM: 2GB
• RAM: 6GB
• HDD: 15GB

Recommended Spec (AMD)

• Min OS: Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3
• GPU: AMD Radeon RX 570 or RX 5700
• VRAM: 4GB
• RAM: 8GB
• HDD: 15GB

Recommended Spec (Nvidia)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• Intel i5 Skylake
• Nvidia GTX 970 or GTX 1660 Ti
• VRAM: 4GB
• RAM: 8GB
• HDD: 15GB

Ideal Spec (AMD)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• AMD Ryzen 7
• AMD Radeon VII
• VRAM: 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• HDD: 15GB + SSD

Ideal Spec (Nvidia)

• Windows 10 May 2019 Update
• Intel i7 Skylake
• Nvidia GTX 2080
• VRAM: 8GB
• RAM: 16GB
• HDD: 15GB + SSD

I haven't been good at Gears of War Versus since the original game, and despite finding the basic experience tense and stressful as hell, I'm still in. As much as Horde is my main attraction, I glossed over Gears of War 4, so that time away from the series has me paying extra attention to Gears 5.

Versus Tech Test FAQ [Gears of War]