Gears of War 4 takes place 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3. Like previous entries in the series, the story campaign can be played through co-operatively with a second player in a local or online co-operative mode. The game features 4 categories of weather: from heavy breeze (trees, leaves, dust kicking up) and can grow into violent category 3 windstorms that can affect combat and weapon usage. Players can also perform a short distance shoulder charge, knocking enemies off balance and enemies can also pull players out of cover and perform their own takedowns. Many gameplay elements from the previous games are reintroduced, along with new elements such as the Dropshot weapon that fires explosive drills and the Buzzkill that fires ricocheting sawblades at enemies. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the game's combat, visuals and set pieces, while criticism was directed towards the campaign and writing.
The sequel, Gears 5, is under development. The game was released worldwide on October 11, 2016. It is the fifth main installment in the Gears of War series, and the first mainline entry not to be developed by Epic Games. Gears of War 4 is a third-person shooter video game developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios for Microsoft Windows and Xbox One.