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[STEAM] Gears of War: Reloaded Skips PS5 Release in Japan Due to 'Platform Policies'

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This is the hidden content, please
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has announced via
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that the remaster of the first Gears of War game,
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, will not get a Japanese PS5 release. However, the title will still come to Xbox Series X and S, Xbox PC, Game Pass, and PC via Steam in Japan this August.

According to
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, Gears of War: Reloaded, due out August 26, 2025, will not be sold for PS5 in the country due to “regional rating restrictions” and “platform policies.” The “regional rating restrictions” explanation refers to the classification standards laid out by CERO, Japan’s game rating board. Although it has not been officially announced exactly what aspect of Gears of War: Reloaded failed to pass the board, it is highly likely that violence and gore was the issue.

The Gears of War series features chainsaw weapons that allow you to bloodily slice your way through enemies. “Mutilation/body-cutting” is one of the categories of violent expression highlighted on
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. The ratings board has historically had a strict approach towards depictions of limb severance — The Callisto Protocol and the 2023 Dead Space remake are two examples of games that were banned on consoles in Japan due to this.

So why is Gears of War: Reloaded coming to other platforms in Japan, but not PS5? If a game is refused CERO classification, developers can either make suggested cuts and apply for re-rating from CERO, or they can try to obtain a classification from the
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(International Age Rating Coalition) instead. However, all games with 18+ content in Japan must pass CERO’s board in order to be sold on the PlayStation Store (source:
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) — this is likely the “platform policies” that the announcement refers to. The
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for Gears of War: Reloaded shows an IARC 18+ rating, with no CERO certificate listed. This suggests that
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decided to go with IARC after the title failed to obtain a CERO Z (18+) classification.

The original Xbox 360 version of Gears of War had its
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, with the severed limbs being blacked out. At the time of writing, it is not known whether Gears of War: Reloaded will be censored in Japan or not.

A new trailer for Gears of War: Reloaded was shown during
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's Xbox Games Showcase in June 2025. Prequel
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, however, although Xbox boss Phil Spencer confirmed it's due out in 2026. For more, check out
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.

Verity Townsend is a Japan-based freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for the game news site Automaton West. She has also written about Japanese culture and movies for various publications.

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