More than 20,000 games retailers globally will open at midnight for the Gears of War 3 launch next week, including 69 Irish stores.
Developed by Epic Games, the third instalment of the hit third-person shooter will be released globally on 20 September.
It will conclude the current story, set 18 months after the events of Gears of War 2, where players once again take on the role of Marcus Fenix, leader of the Delta Squad, in the war against the Locust.
The game has already become the fastest-ever pre-selling Xbox exclusive title.
“This is by far the biggest, most polished, and most ambitious game we’ve ever made,” said Epic Games’ design director Cliff Bleszinski.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work on some big games throughout my career, but Gears of War 3 represents a crowning achievement for our team, and we can’t wait to share it with fans next Tuesday.”
Microsoft, in partnership with the US Air Force, will also be running Gears of War 3 Golden Wings Week on the first week after its launch.
If a player takes part in any match on Xbox LIVE from 20-26 September, they’ll unlock the Golden Lancer and Golden Hammerburst multiplayer weapon skins.
They can also access new ‘Insider Moves’ videos and can take part in a series of Game with Developer events.
The standard edition Gears of Wars 3 will cost €69.99, Limited Edition will cost €84.99 and Epic Edition will cost €129.99.
