Gears 5's map builder makes creating murder rooms look easy

Gears 5's map builder will let you take a break from filling monsters will bullets to try your hand at crafting your very own Escape mode dungeon. A new video gives us a quick look at the editor, which seems pretty flexible, but also mercifully straightforward.

Maps are made from room tiles, slotted together to create a toxic labyrinth. They're prefabricated, but you still get control over the shape and size of your murderous maze, as well as where you place the exit. What's in the rooms is also up to you, to an extent.

Enemies in different combinations and numbers, along with weapons and ammo, can be dumped where you want, so you're able to help and hinder prospective players. You can tweak the pace, too, by playing around with the strength of the venom filling the map. The faster it spreads, the quicker players will need to be.

Maps you create can be played locally and online, and you can share them with everyone via the Escape lobby browser. Before you can unleash your creation on the world, however, you'll need to prove it's not an insurmountable challenge by playing through it from start to finish.

It looks a bit like Doom's SnapMap editor, which lamentably won't be returning in Doom Eternal, and while it's not a full map editor, it seems like a good fit for a mode that's all about rushing to the exit. You don't want to be fiddling with tiny environmental details and lighting and personal touches when your mates are going to just charge past it.

Gears 5 is due out on September 10.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.