Gears 5 can be played for free until this Sunday

There’s a growing list of video game titles that have seen discounts or have gone completely free to play during the COVID-19 outbreak. Having this much free time on your hands might mean you’ve burned through that pile of backlog games that’s been crowding your hard drive. If that’s the case, Microsoft has offered up one of its flagship titles, Gears 5, to enjoy for free until Sunday, April 8, 2020.

Three cheers for Gears!

Generally, when a game goes free to play for a certain time period, those freebies are exclusive to one digital storefront or another. In the case of Gears 5, the promotion applies to both Steam and the Microsoft Store.

PC Gamer notes that free access is part of Microsoft’s Xbox Free Play Days. Most of the time, these promotions are available to those who have Game Pass Ultimate, a subscription service through Microsoft that allows you to access games for free each month instead of paying full price. You can play the games as long as you continue your subscription or purchase the title. During this time, Gears 5 will also see a discount, dropping it down to $29.99.

Play anywhere

Gears 5 is one of the few Xbox titles that are supported by the Xbox Play Anywhere feature. That means you can play Gears 5 on your Xbox One and then pick up progress on your PC and vice versa. If you’re like me and find yourself moving from room to room during your staycation, then it might be wise to take advantage of the offer. Other Play Anywhere titles include Gears of War 4, ReCore, and Forza Horizon 3.

If you’re curious about Gears 5, check out our continued coverage of the game. Back in December, the game saw a new free update with another recently dropping on March 31 called Gridiron. It reintroduced longtime fan favorite Augustus “Cole Train” Cole back into the fight, as well as brought a new mode, Gridiron.