The Global Cosmic-ray Observatory (GCOS) is a proposed large-scale observatory for studying ultra-high-energy cosmic particles, including ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs), photons, and neutrinos. Its primary goal is to characterise the properties of the highest-energy particles in Nature with unprecedented accuracy, and to identify their elusive sources. With an aperture at least a ten-fold larger than existing observatories, this next-generation facility should start operating after 2030, when present-day detectors will gradually cease their activities. Here we briefly review the scientific case motivating GCOS. We present the status of the project, preliminary ideas for its design, and some estimates of its capabilities.