Gears 5 Dethrones Fortnite As Xbox's Most Played Game

For more than a year, Fortnite was the most played game on Microsoft's Xbox One. The 12-month reign for Fortnite has ended, now. Gears 5, the sixth installment of the Gears of War franchise, is officially the most played game on Xbox One.

The free-to-play juggernaut known as Fortnite became a phenomenon last year, being played and talked about by gamers everywhere with celebrities calling attention to it, as well. Athletes, musicians,. and actors hopped on the already-packed bandwagon. However, Marcus Fenix and his Coalition of Gears cohorts managed to take the popular title down, which is something the likes of NBA 2K20 and other titles tried and failed at. Gears 5 was, for a while, showing as the most played game on Microsoft's site.

The credit for Gears 5 topping the most-played charts is being given to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate which bundles Xbox Live and Game Pass together at a lesser price than if subscribed to separately. The bundle is only $15 a month and offers Gears 5: Ultimate Edition to subscribers completely free of additional charges.

The exact number of players on thee sticks for Gears 5 has not been revealed but it must be a monstrous number given that Fortnite is such a widly popular title around the world. To top the free game, Gaars 5 must have pulled gamers out of every corner. The franchise has built a legacy more than a decade old now, which might have influenced some fans of the original few games to come out of retirement.

Microsoft is expected to revealed more specific details about the numbers of players on Gears 5 within the next week.

"On the surface, Gears 5 is stunning," ComicBook.com's Eric Garrett wrote in a 5-star review for Gears 5. "Its vast environments draw you in and make you want to explore while also providing something beautiful to look at. Whether it is a town torn to shreds, a red desert with lightning and fire tornadoes, or snow and ice-covered mountainous terrain, the environments presented in the game are a sight to behold and may often lead to casually stopping and taking it all in. That is, of course, when you're not being swarmed by enemies or too busy trying to find the 90 collectibles that are scattered around."

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Gears 5 is available now.