The second Gears 5 online multiplayer tech test starts today

The second Gears of War 5 tech test kicks off today, July 26th, and we’ve got all the details of what’s going on and how you can join in.

This tech test will be available to both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC players.

While the last tech test was only open to anyone who either had Xbox Game Pass or had pre-ordered Gears 5, this test is open to anyone with an Xbox Live Gold membership.

The test will run from July 26th at 10AM PDT until July 29th at 10AM PDT.

As with the last test, there’ll be three distinct modes across two brand new multiplayer maps:

• Arcade: A new approachable, frenetic Versus experience
• Escalation: The pinnacle objective mode of Gears is back and better than ever
• King of the Hill: Capture the hill, enjoy the carnage

Those who participate in the tech test will also get to try out two new game features:

• Bootcamp: Practice your skills and learn new mechanics in the new training mode
• Tour Of Duty: Experience a mini Tour of Duty, where you’ll complete Medals to unlock exclusive Tester Weapon Skins to take into Gears 5. Complete all 3 Medals to unlock the exclusive Tester Banner to showcase in Gears 5.

If you’re a PC user who’s not too sure if your PC can handle it, you can find a chart of both minimum and recommended Gears 5 tech test specs below:

If you’re interested in joining the tech test and checking out the online multiplayer for yourself, you can download the test client from the Microsoft Store by searching for ‘Gears 5 tech test’.

Just be aware that, as before, you might run into some fairly long queue times when the servers come online.