The disc in Gears of War: Reloaded's physical PlayStation 5 edition does not contain the entire game, one leaker has claimed. As the gaming industry has moved towards a digital-only future, physical releases have become a big deal for some gamers, but not all hard copies are what they seem. Like other big titles before it, Gears of War: Reloaded may still require a download for its disc version.
The PS5 version of the upcoming remaster is noteworthy for several reasons. On top of bringing one of Xbox's biggest once-exclusive franchises to Sony systems, Gears of War: Reloaded is only getting a physical release on PS5, at least at launch, as neither Xbox Game Studios nor The Coalition has announced a disc version for Xbox or PC. While that's good news for PlayStation fans, it may come with an asterisk.
Leaker Claims Gears of War: Reloaded's PS5 Disc Does Not Have the Whole Game
According to a supposed insider cited by PPE.pl, the PS5 disc for Gears of War: Reloaded contains the game's story mode but not much else. Pictures of the box seem to back up that claim, with a note next to the game's rating saying "requires content download." It wouldn't be the first time a major physical release still required a download to experience all a game has to offer. Some Xbox owners reported that Doom: The Dark Ages had just 328 MB of data on its disc, while the PS5 hard copy stored as little as 85 MB. If Gears of War's entire campaign is on the PS5 disc, it won't be quite as extreme a case as Doom, but it still continues the trend of physical versions not being entirely physical.
The news may come as a disappointment for PS5 users, especially for any who may have ordered the PlayStation version to avoid a download or the ownership concerns that arise with digital media. Still, a hard copy is not the only PS5-exclusive feature to look forward to. The Sony version of Gears of War: Reloaded also features full DualSense support, including adaptive trigger functionality and haptic feedback. It also has unique enhancements for the PS5 Pro.
Regardless of a potential controversy over the physical version, the remaster represents a big moment in console gaming history. On August 26, Gears of War: Reloaded comes to PS5 the same day Helldivers 2 comes to Xbox, marking a notable shift in the console wars that have persisted for years. With both Microsoft and Sony bringing their major franchises to competitors' systems, the industry seems to be moving away from exclusivity.
