Weapons can be customized with different skins that are unlocked as follows.
Flame Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Complete one match during the week of April 25 |
| Hammerburst | Complete one match during the week of April 18 |
| Gnasher | Complete one match during the week of May 9 |
| Sawed-Off | Complete one match during the week of May 2 |
| Retro Lancer | Complete one match during the week of Sept 20 |
Crimson Omen Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Code included with 12-Month Xbox Live Membership Card |
| Hammerburst | Unlocks if you earn Gears 3 “Welcome to Beast” achievement |
| Retro Lancer | Unlocks if you earn Gears 3 “Welcome to Horde” achievement |
| Gnasher | Unlocks if you earn Gears 3 “Welcome to Versus” achievement |
| Sawed-Off | Unlocks if you earn Gears 3 “Welcome to Arcade” achievement |
Gold Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Unlocks if you play Gears of War 3 the first week the game is out |
| Hammerburst | Unlocks if you play Gears of War 3 the first week the game is out |
| Retro Lancer | Complete 90 matches in any Beta gametype to unlock it, and score 100 kills |
| Gnasher | Unlocks if you earn the Gears 2 “Veteran Gear” achievement |
| Sawed-Off | Unlocks if you earn the Gears 1 “Commando” achievement |
Gold Omen Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Unlocks if you earn level 100 in Gears of War 3 |
| Hammerburst | Unlocks if you earn level 100 in Gears of War 3 |
| Retro Lancer | Unlocks if you earn level 100 in Gears of War 3 |
| Gnasher | Unlocks if you earn level 100 in Gears of War 3 |
| Sawed-Off | Unlocks if you earn level 100 in Gears of War 3 |
Chrome Weapons (to reward legacy players)
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Earn “Don’t Hate the Player” achievement from the original Gears of War |
| Hammerburst | Earn “Dirty, Dirty Horde” achievement from Gears of War 2 |
| Retro Lancer | Unlocks if you earn the “Domination” achievement from the original Gears of War |
| Gnasher | Unlocks if you earn the “Mercernary” achievement from the original Gears of War, the “Tourist of Duty” achievement from Gears of War 2, and the “Ready for More” achievement from Gears of War 3 |
| Sawed-Off | Unlocks if you earn any Gears of War PC achievement |
Onyx Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Earn the Onyx Medal for Lancer kills |
| Hammerburst | Earn the Onyx Medal for Hammerburst kills |
| Retro Lancer | Earn the Onyx Medal for Retro kills |
| Gnasher | Earn the Onyx Medal for Shotgun kills |
| Sawed-Off | Earn the Onyx Medal for Sawed-Off kills |
Team Insignia Weapons
| Weapon | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Lancer | Earn the “Veteran” Silver Medal |
| Hammerburst | Earn the “Veteran” Gold Medal |
| Retro Lancer | Earn the “Veteran” Bronze Medal |
| Gnasher | Earn the “Veteran” Onyx Medal |
| Sawed-Off | Earn the “Veteran” Onyx Medal |
Xbox Live Marketplace
Here are the weapon sets that are available for purchase via Xbox Live Marketplace.
• Arctic Camo Weapon Set
• Blood Weapon Set
• Child’s Play Weapon Set
• Deadly Cute Weapon Set
• Desert Camo Weapon Set
• Desert Digital Weapon Set
• Electric Weapon Set
• Flower Weapon Set
• Garish Weapon Set
• Haze Weapon Set
• Imulsion Weapon Set
• Jungle Digital Weapon Set
• Ocean Weapon Set
• Oil Slick Weapon Set
• Rainbow Weapon Set
• Team Distress Weapon Set
• Team Metal Weapon Set
• Team Pulse Weapon Set
• Thunderstorm Weapon Set
• Tiger Stripe Weapon Set
• Tribal Weapon Set
• Urban Digital Weapon Set