Gears of War 4 will launch in the holiday season 2016, publisher Microsoft says.

The E3 2015 gameplay reveal demonstrates that the Gears formula is largely unchanged, with big guns, beefy soldiers, beefier monsters, and brutal chainsawing all making an appearance.

It shows a pair of Gears – one male, one female – investigating some ruins and fighting off bizarre monsters.

The latest instalment in Microsoft's second-biggest franchise – actually the series' fifth game – is the first since the publisher acquired the franchise from Epic Games last year.

It is being developed by The Coalition (formerly Black Tusk), the Microsoft-owned studio set up specifically to develop Gears of War titles.

Predictably, the game will be an Xbox One exclusive.