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Gears of War 3 on Azura

An unofficial native port for macOS, Linux and Windows. Download the Azura launcher, point it at your copy of the game and it builds Gears of War 3 for your computer. With your Alboria account, you play online with your friends.

Download the launcher How to play online

Free, from GitHub. Each version has each system's installer and a .zip with all three. After that it updates itself.

What you need

💿

Your own copy of Gears of War 3 for Xbox 360, as a folder or a disc image. The international and the Spanish editions work. Neither Azura nor Alboria includes the game.

💻
  • macOS 13.3 or later, on a Mac with Apple Silicon.
  • Linux x86-64 with glibc 2.35 or newer, such as Ubuntu 22.04.
  • Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, with a Vulkan graphics driver.

First steps

  1. Open the launcher and pick your game

    Point it at your copy's folder or disc image. The launcher recognises the edition.

  2. Let it build the game

    Azura does not emulate the console: it translates the game's code into native code for your computer. The first time takes a few minutes; updates, much less.

  3. Create your Alboria account

    When you start, the launcher offers to create an account or sign in to yours: you choose a gamertag and confirm your email with a 6-digit code. If you prefer, carry on with a local account and play offline.

  4. Play

    Press Play. The launcher keeps itself up to date, and the game too.

The first time, on your system

  • macOS. The launcher is not signed with an Apple Developer ID: the first time, open it from System Settings › Privacy & Security.
  • Windows. The installer is not signed, so SmartScreen warns the first time: More info, then Run anyway. If LLVM's compiler or Visual Studio's Build Tools are missing, the launcher installs them with winget.
  • Linux. The launcher is an AppImage: make it executable and open it.

Play online with your friends

Everything happens inside the game, with the usual System Link: Alboria acts as a local network between your homes.

  1. The host opens the party options and chooses whether anyone with the code can join or only those invited. Alboria creates a room with a code, such as K7QM-2XPA.

  2. In the manage and invite screen, LB shows or hides the code. It is hidden each time the screen opens.

  3. Give the code to your friends. Each of them, in that same screen, presses RB (join by code) and types it.

  4. If your connections allow it, you play directly; if not, through our relay. No ports to open. The room closes when the host leaves.

🔍

Code in the open

The code of Azura, the port and its launcher, is public on GitHub: anyone can read what it does on your computer. Its licence, PolyForm Strict, lets you read it but not change or redistribute it, so it is not open source in the strict sense.

See the code

Frequently asked questions

Does it cost anything?

No. Not the launcher, not the account, not playing online, and it never will. In Gears of War 3 there is nothing to buy, of any kind.

Is it an emulator?

No. Azura translates the Xbox 360 game's code ahead of time and compiles it as a normal program for your computer.

Why do I need my own copy?

Because neither Azura nor Alboria distributes the game or its content. The game is built on your computer from your copy.

Which edition of the game works?

The international and the Spanish Xbox 360 editions. The launcher recognises yours when you pick it.

Can I play without an account?

Yes. With a local account you play the campaign, Local and System Link on your own network. An Alboria account is only needed to play over the internet.

Can I find a game with strangers?

Not for now. Alboria is made for playing with people you trust: you join a room with the code its host gives you.

What data do you keep?

Your email, your gamertag with its tag and your devices, only so that your account works. From Account, in the launcher, you can download your data or delete your account. Privacy notice →

Is it open source?

Azura's code is public on GitHub, under the PolyForm Strict licence: you can read it and check what it does, but the licence does not allow changing or redistributing it, so it is not open source in the strict sense. Alboria's server is not public; what the game sends it is documented in that repository.