10 Best Multiplayer Maps From The Gears Of War Trilogy

9. Raven Down (Gears Of War)

Back when DLC was still a relatively new idea, Raven Down was a DLC map for the first Gears game. It was easily the smallest map in the game and still remains that way. The entire map is set around a crashed King Raven helicopter and battle comes swiftly. A set of frags sit in the back of trucks at both spawn points, meaning players are guaranteed to come into battle heavily armed.

Matches on Raven Down don't tend to last very long in comparison to a number of other maps. It's not uncommon to see careless teams wiped out in seconds after spawning as they turn the first corner, only to be met with the full force of the enemy. The map is straight-forward in its ruthlessness - it's a do or die map, with little room for escape.

Raven Down came back in Gears of War 3 and, yes, can make Guardian matches a trifle difficult, with both leaders immediately exposed with practically nowhere to hide. However, that just means both your leader and their defense have to be on the ball. Featuring no additional power weapons aside from the frags, this truly is a gimmick-free environment, lending itself to brutal, close-quarters firefights.