Though the trilogy starring Epic Games' gritty Delta Squad is over, the popular squad-based series lives on in the prequel Gears of War: Judgment. The action takes place shortly after Emergence Day, an assault by the Locust Horde that left the planet Sera devastated, and Judgment puts players in control of Kilo Squad, led by Damon Baird and Augustus Cole, as they try to prevent the city of Halvo Bay from being demolished. The story is told through a series of flashbacks during a treason trial, and enemies have been designed to reflect the horror of their sudden appearance.

Multiplayer action has always been key to the Gears of War franchise, and Judgment continues that tradition with classic modes, four-player co-op action, and the new OverRun and Free-For-All modes. Free-For-All is a classic every-man-for-himself mode, while OverRun is a class-based mode in which five different teams take turns as Locust and Coalition of Ordered Governments soldiers, with the COG always trying to protect two sealed Emergence Holes and a Hammer of Dawn beacon, and the Locust attempting to uncover the holes. All game modes make use of the new Smart Spawn System, which ensures enemies, locations, and attacks change whenever gamers replay a section.