„Console war armistice” Helldivers 2 arrives on Xbox the same day Gears of War: Reloaded arrives on PS5
Helldivers 2 is coming to Xbox. Gears of War is coming to PS5. The console wars are long over, but it's still surreal for fans to see how much has changed.
Today, in a rare coincidence, two previously exclusive games are arriving on rival consoles on the same day. On August 26th, 2025, Helldivers 2 will arrive on Xbox Series X/S, and Gears of War: Reloaded will arrive on PlayStation 5. If the console wars were still raging, surely this would be the final nail in the coffin. On the subreddit r/gaming, one user referred to it as an “armistice of the console war,” which seems fitting. Moving games to other platforms has largely felt like a one-sided deal lately, but we shouldn’t expect this to be a common pattern from PlayStation.
Fans react to Helldivers 2 and Gears of War arriving on rival consoles the same day
Over the last year, Xbox has found success in porting its games to other platforms, largely eliminating exclusivity on its console. Games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Forza Horizon 5 topped charts on the PlayStation store recently, making Xbox the number one publisher on its rival’s storefront. This, unfortunately, hasn’t stopped Microsoft from laying off developers, shutting down studios, and canceling games like Perfect Dark and Everwild. Xbox appears to be largely shifting its focus away from the hardware business, instead concentrating on a broader gaming experience and ensuring its games are accessible everywhere.
PlayStation, on the other hand, has largely maintained its exclusivity deals. Death Stranding 2 has been a significant release of the last few weeks and remains entirely exclusive for the PlayStation 5 console; it’s not even available on PC. Games like the Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy also remained exclusive for years, until they recently announced that they would finally come to Xbox this winter.
One key difference between Helldivers 2 and Gears of War: Reloaded is that Gears of War is launching simultaneously across platforms. Helldivers 2 has been available on Steam and PlayStation 5 for over a year. While it certainly is an armistice, it doesn’t exactly feel like an equal exchange. Gears of War: Reloaded is a remake of an older game, though, so it’s really apples and oranges.
Fans have reacted to the news on Reddit with a range of opinions. One user wrote: “The enemy was corporate ownership all along…” Another likened the exchange to a long-awaited “bromance” between the two rival consoles. This type of humor does feel like it would fit right in with Helldiver’s satirical take on Democracy. Generally, the news has been received positively, with one user summing it up nicely: “This is fantastic news… more players = longer-term support, hopefully…”
While Gears of War: Reloaded isn’t a “live service” title, Helldivers 2 will undoubtedly benefit from an increase in its player base. The studio will have more money coming in, and the ranks of the Helldivers will increase to better defend Super Earth. On the Gears of War side, hopefully, the renewed interest in the series and larger player base will encourage further entries in the series after Gears of War: E-Day. Overall, this is a win for everyone.
