Gears Tactics M (For Mature) ESRB Rating Detailed

The Gears of War series continued last year with Gears 5, the latest main installment that released for the Xbox One and PC to solid reviews. While it remains to be seen when the next main installment will launch, in the meantime we’re getting a strategy-focused spin-off called Gears Tactics.

While we’re still a few months away from the game’s launch, the Electronic Software Rating Board (ESRB) has just released their official rating for the game. Similar to the other games in this long-running series, Gears Tactics ended up getting an M (for Mature) rating. The main content descriptors provided are Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language. As always, a more in-depth Rating Summary was also provided, which is the following:

“This is a strategy game in which players lead a squad of soldiers to stop aliens from destroying humanity. From a 3/4-top-down perspective, players use pistols, assault rifles, shotguns and grenades to kill enemy creatures in turn-based tactical combat. Battles are accompanied by realistic gunfire and screams of pain; combat intermittently depicts close-up camera angles—soldiers killing creatures, resulting in decapitation, dismemberment, and large blood-splatter effects. Soldiers can also perform finishing attacks (e.g., chainsaw kills, head stomps, neck snaps) on weakened enemies, highlighted by zoomed-in views. Cutscenes depict additional acts of intense violence: creatures shot in the head at close range; a creature impaled through the chest by a bayonet. The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” are heard in the game.”

Gears Tactics is co-developed by Splash Damage and The Coalition, with Xbox Game Studios being the publisher. It will release on April 28th for Xbox One and PC.