Gears Tactics now available on PC via Steam, Xbox Game Pass

What you need to know

• Gears Tactics is available on PC, offering a turn-based strategy spin on the hit shooter.
• The game is up for purchase via Steam and Windows 10's integrated Microsoft Store.
• Xbox Game Pass also grants access, providing over 100 games, starting at just $1.

Microsoft's Gears Tactics is now live on PC, available for purchase via Steam, Windows 10's integrated Microsoft Store, and its Xbox Game Pass PC subscription. The latest spinoff in the Gears of War series extends beyond its shooter origins, with a new turn-based strategy experience, comparable to XCOM. With critical acclaim among reviewers, and already climbing the Steam bestsellers, it is a welcomed new perspective for the Xbox shooter.

Gears Tactics offers gameplay tailored to fans of the turn-based strategy genre, as well as those acquainted with the shooter series, now five entries deep. Existing staples like robust, cover-based combat and its rich world elegantly translate into a top-down package, promising challenging large-scale battles across a 12- to 25-hour campaign.

"Gears Tactics evolves the turn-based XCOM formula in some truly awesome ways, with awesome cinematic treatment that Gears of War fans have come to expect from The Coalition," stated Jez Corden, Windows Central games editor, in our Gears Tactics review. "Some of the game's flaws stop it from taking XCOM's TBS crown, but it's a solid first effort that could easily evolve into a pillar franchise for Xbox Game Studios with a little more love."

Gears Tactics costs $60 at launch, available for purchase both via Steam and the Microsoft Store. The title also joins Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service, its Netflix-style subscription surface currently featuring over 100 PC games to download. While usually priced at $5 per month, ongoing promotions also provide an opportunity to snag access for just $1.

Related: Read our Gears Tactics full review!