Gears 5: Hivebusters Expansion lands next week Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

The Gears 5: Hivebusters Expansion will be made available on December 15 with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on Console, PC, and Android devices the same day as the global release.

If you don't have Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, the Gears 5: Hivebusters Expansion will run you $19.99 or the regional equivalent.

In the new expansion, you will play as Lahni, Keegan and Mac from Escape mode. This is their first mission as part of the Hivebuster program, the goal with this "suicide mission" is to destroy a Swarm hive which may hold the key to saving Seraand "their own redemption."

Here's what you can expect:

• A new, 3-hour campaign set on the volcanic Galangi islands. The island lava flows and sandy beaches are crawling with Swarm and a deadly new predator.
• Use and upgrade Ultimate Abilities in a campaign story setting for the first time.
• Up to 3-player co-op, split-screen or online.
• The expansion supports Gears 5 Xbox Series X|S optimizations, including reduced load times, quick resume, variable refresh rates and 4K HDR Ultra visuals on Series X.

The expansion also adds 16 new Achievements for a total of 210 available Gamerscore.

Also available next week is the Gears 5: Game of the Year Edition, which includes the Hivebusters campaign expansion, Halo: Reach Character Pack, plus 30 days of boost, and is available as a digital exclusive from the Microsoft digital store for $59.99, or included on day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.