Gears of War 4 FAQ

When you purchase an Xbox Play Anywhere title digitally, it’s yours to play on both Xbox and Windows 10. You only need to purchase the game once via Microsoft Store on your Xbox or Windows 10 device, and it’ll appear in your game library wherever you sign in.

If you've purchased the game on Xbox and you want to play on your Windows 10 device, sign in on your device. If the game is already installed on your device, it‘ll appear in your list of apps. Otherwise, you can install it by opening the Store and selecting My library.

If you’ve purchased the game on Windows 10 and you want to play on your Xbox console, sign in on your console and go to My games & apps. If the game is already installed, it’ll appear in your game list. Otherwise, you can find it in the Ready to install section.

To learn more about Xbox Play Anywhere, and to see which games are supported, visit the Xbox Play Anywhere website. You can also go to Troubleshoot problems with Xbox Play Anywhere games if you're having problems finding Gears of War 4 or content on your Xbox One or Windows 10 device.

Gears of War 4 also supports cross play between Xbox One and Windows 10 with the following game modes:

• Campaign (co-op mode)
• Horde 3.0
• Versus (private and LAN)

See Cross play on Windows 10 and Xbox One for more info.

To download and install Gears of War 4 on Windows 10, you need a device running version 1607, with OS Build 14393.222 or later.

Additionally, your device must be running a 64-bit version of Windows 10. If you have a 32-bit version, you won't be able to play Gears of War 4.

To check if you're running an appropriate version of Windows on your device, see How to find out if a game will work on your Windows device

Yes, you need to have DirectX 12 with feature level 11 or later installed to play Gears of War 4. To check which version of DirectX is installed on your device, see How to find out if a game will work on your Windows device.

If you have an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card, you'll also need to update your drivers before you can play Gears of War 4. This can be done automatically by opening the AMD Gaming Evolved app if you have an AMD graphics card, or the GeForce Experience app if you have an NVIDIA graphics card. You can also download the drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website:

• For AMD, see Download AMD Radeon Software (driver 16.9.2 or later)
• For NVIDIA, see NVIDIA Driver Downloads (driver 372.89 or later)

The hardware requirements for Gears of War 4 will vary depending on whether you’re playing on Xbox or Windows 10. See the product detail page for each platform to determine the size of the game, the system requirements (particularly for Windows 10 devices), as well as any additional info about the game.

Note Since Gears of War 4 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, you can purchase it digitally on Xbox or Windows 10 and you will own both versions of the game. The product detail pages are called out separately for each platform for information only—you don't need to purchase the game twice.

Xbox

To view the installation requirements for Xbox, see the Microsoft Store.

To check if your Xbox has enough available disk space, see How to find out if a game will work on your Windows 10 device.

Windows 10

To view the system requirements for Windows 10, see the Microsoft Store. The “Additional info” section will give you the approximate download size, indicating how large the game is.

To check if your Windows 10 device has enough available disk space, find out which graphics card is installed, and view other important details about your device, see How to find out if a game will work on your Windows 10 device.

We recommend you check the device specifications first to make sure your device meets the minimum requirements. For more info, see How to find out if a game will work on your Windows 10 device.

For a full list of tips and tricks to improve your in-game performance, see Get the best out of Gears of War 4 on Windows 10.

The download time can vary depending on the speed of your Internet connection. On average, it takes about 6 hours to download 60 GB over a 20-Mbps connection.

The table below represents estimated download times based on current download speed.

Note This information is intended as a guide only, not an actual representation of download time. Bandwidth will be constrained and download time will increase during activities such as streaming content, playing games, or game streaming from your Xbox One to a Windows 10 PC.

Example

If you're installing a 40-GB file and it's 25 percent downloaded (30 GB remaining) and your connection speed is 10 Mb/s, it should take about 4.4 hours for the download to complete. (This assumes that the download speed stays the same.)

While you're downloading the game, do not cancel the download or shut down your computer. The Gears of War 4 icon will appear in the listed Installed apps section of the Start menu on Xbox, and in My Library on your Windows 10 device.

Note You may be subject to additional Internet fees while you download the game.

If you believe you’re experiencing a slow download of the game, see Troubleshoot slow game or app downloads on Xbox One or Fix network connection issues in Windows 10 for additional troubleshooting steps.

See Get the best out of Gears of War 4 on Windows 10 for tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your Windows 10 device.

You can use a mouse and keyboard or a game controller (Xbox One or Xbox 360 controller is recommended). If you use an Xbox One controller, you'll need either a USB cable to connect it to your device or an Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows.

You can also connect an Xbox One S or an Xbox Design Lab controller to your device using Bluetooth. For more details, see Using Xbox One Wireless Controllers on a PC.

Other USB game controllers supported by Windows may also work.

Yes, you'll need a Microsoft account to play Gears of War 4. If you already play games on Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can use the same account you use for those games to also play on Windows 10. For more details, see the Microsoft account FAQ page.

If you’re planning to be in an area with no online coverage, such as a long-distance flight or a sailing excursion, you can prepare your Windows 10 device to allow you to play Gears of War 4 offline.

For details on how to configure your Windows 10 device for offline play, visit Play games offline on Windows 10 using Offline mode.

The following in-game modes are supported while playing offline:

• Campaign Solo
• Local Versus

The following in-game modes require an online connection:

• Campaign Co-Op
• Multiplayer Versus
• Horde

If you play offline, some features, such as the ability to purchase additional items from Microsoft Store, will not be available. Additionally, any leaderboards will be unavailable while you're offline.

If you earn any achievements while playing offline, they will sync to your account the next time you sign in to Xbox Live on your device. Your game save progress will also sync when you sign in to Xbox Live.

You also won't be able to use the benefits of Xbox Live while offline. See Why should I sign in to Xbox Live with a Microsoft account? below for details.

On Xbox, you can install Gears of War 4 and play offline on your home console, as well as install and play on your friends’ consoles if you sign in to Xbox Live before playing.

On Windows 10, you can install Gears of War 4 and play offline on your main device (usually the first device you install the game on), and install on multiple devices if you sign in to Xbox Live before playing.

You can only be signed in one place at a time while playing Gears of War 4, or any other title that supports Xbox Play Anywhere.

When you connect Gears of War 4 to the Xbox Live service, you get the following benefits while you play on your Windows 10 device.

Note You must connect to Xbox Live through the Xbox app to launch Gears of War 4. See Do I need to be online or connected to the Internet to play Gears of War 4? above.

• Stay connected to the Xbox Live community, view achievements, watch game clips, and more.
• Store your saved games in the cloud and continue playing on a different PC right from where you left off.
• Play with your Xbox Wireless Controller on Windows 10 using the Xbox Wireless Adapter.
• Easily record, narrate, and share your most epic gaming moments with built-in Game DVR:
  • To launch Game DVR while playing, press Windows logo key+ G.
  • To manage your Game DVR settings, launch the Xbox app, go to Settings > Game DVR.
  • Any game clips you capture while playing Gears of War 4 can be accessed via the Xbox app. See Benefits of running the Xbox app while playing a game on Windows 10 for more information.