Is Gears of War 5 cross-play compatible?

As Gears of War 5’s release date approaches, fans are wondering whether the third-person shooter will support cross-play between Xbox and PC.

Gears multiplayer design director Ryan Cleven confirmed that Microsoft’s shooter will have cross-play enabled by default, giving Xbox players the option of disabling it for ranked matches.

Xbox players that believe the ol’ mouse and keyboard provide an unfair advantage over controllers can opt out of the cross-play feature for ranked mode. Cleven also explained in an interview with Gamespot that cross-play will extend across all Gears modes.

“We are happy to confirm that Gears 5 will feature cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC for Versus Multiplayer,” he said. “Cross-platform play also extends across the other Gears 5 modes to provide a great over-the-top three-player experience in Escape, an epic five-player Horde session or three-player Campaign co-op.”

The sixth installment of the series follows frontwoman Kait Diaz, an Outsider turned Gear, in her mission to uncover the origins of her family. JD Fenix, along with his father Marcus, accompany Diaz with their return to the franchise.

Gears fans eager to play the game as soon as possible can pre-order the Ultimate edition for early access starting tomorrow, Sept. 6. Every one else can start chainsawing Locust hordes on Sept. 10.