
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel of the series, focusing on the titular Emergence Day taking place 14 years before Gears 1. We play as younger Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, observing how their relationship started and dealing with the Locust threat using various weapons, including the iconic MK 1 Lancer rifle equipped with a bayonet.
Gears of War: E-Day is the sixth main installment of the Gears of War series, and also its prequel. The game was created by The Coalition studio, formerly known as Black Tusk Studios, which took over the series from Epic Games in 2014. The Polish team People Can Fly, who developed Gears of War: Judgment from 2013 and the PC conversion of the first installment of the series, helped with this project.
The action of Gears of War: E-Day begins 14 years before the events depicted in the first installment of the series. The subtitle of the game refers to the so-called Emergence Day, the moment when hordes of creatures known as the Locust Horde, previously living underground, crawled to the surface of the planet Sera, bringing its human inhabitants to the brink of extinction.
The main characters of this game, well known to the series' fans, are Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. Although the protagonists are already experienced soldiers, having participated in the so-called Pendulum Wars, they are facing such a terrifying enemy for the first time.
It is worth noting that the game also allows us to see the birth of a fraternal bond between these two characters, which is one of the pillars of the plot in earlier installments of the series.
In Gears of War: E-Day the action is viewed from a third-person perspective (TPP). Over the course of subsequent missions, we carry out the tasks assigned to us and participate in fierce battles with hordes of enemies. Apart from regular adversaries (the creators made an effort to ensure they were not just "cannon fodder", but a terrifying and deadly threat), from time to time we have to face much more powerful bosses.
The game makes use of the cover system, which is a hallmark of the series, and also allows us to use various weapons, led by the MK 1 Lancer rifle. Although the bloody adventure begins at a moment when that weapon has not yet received the iconic modification connecting it with a chainsaw, the place of the latter is taken by a removable bayonet, allowing for the elimination of adversaries from a close distance.
Gears of War: E-Day can be played alone or in cooperative mode over the Internet.
Gears of War: E-Day runs on Unreal Engine 5. Developers claim that the use of this technology has allowed them to achieve a hundred times greater detail of environmental elements and character models than was the case in Gears 5. Additionally, the engine change was reflected in improved lighting and reflections, which utilize ray tracing, object destruction, particle effects, as well as significantly improved animations.
The creators emphasize that Gears of War: E-Day is not a spin-off, but a full-fledged installment of the series. They do not distance themselves from the story that began in Gears of War 4 and was continued in Gears 5, however, after the premiere of the latter, they concluded that it was high time to show players how the fight for the future of the planet Sera began.
Platforms:
PC Windows
Xbox Series X/S
Early Access:October 1, 2026
Developer: The Coalition / Black Tusk Studios / People Can Fly (PC) / People Can Fly (XSX)
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios / Microsoft Studios
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12GAMES
A series of TPP shooters set in the universe of science fiction. The series Gears of War was created by Epic Games, but in 2014 Microsoft took over the rights to it, and handed over custody of its development to The Coalition team. In the meantime, such development studios as Poland's People Can Fly, Mediatonic and Splash Damage also marked their presence in the history of the series.
Gears of War: Reloaded, a new remastered version of the original, will be the first in the long-running Xbox exclusive series to arrive on the PlayStation 5.
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Matt Buckley
May 5, 2025
At Xbox Games Showcase 2024, Microsoft and The Coalition studio pompously revealed a new installment in the Gears of War series.
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Adrian Werner
June 9, 2024
According to unofficial reports, as a result of layoffs at Microsoft, the studio currently reportedly working on Gears 6, The Coalition, has also shrunk. This has reportedly caused the developer to cancel two unannounced games.
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Hubert Sledziewski
February 3, 2023
It seems that The Coalition, currently owned by Microsoft, is seeking reinforcements. According to a job ad posted on the Internet, the company is looking for specialists in motion capture technology.
video games
Kamil Kleszyk
May 24, 2022
System Requirements for Gears of War: E-Day Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
(1080p, 60 fps, upscaling) Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, 12 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce RTX 2060 / 8 GB Radeon RX 6600, 115 GB SSD, Windows 10 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
(1440p, 60+ fps, upscaling) Intel Core i5-11600K / AMD Ryzen 5 5600, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce RTX 3060 Ti / 12 GB Radeon RX 6700 XT, 115 GB SSD, Windows 11 64-bit.
Ultra System Requirements:
(4K, 60+ fps, upscaling) Intel Core i7-14700K / AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 16 GB GeForce RTX 5070 Ti / 20 GB Radeon RX 7900 XT, 115 GB SSD, Windows 11 64-bit.
Game Ratings for Gears of War: E-Day Video Game.
Tom's Guide: 4.5 / 5 by Tony Polanco
Gears of War: E-Day brings the series back to its literal roots, delivering all the blood-soaked action and characters that made it a hit. Filled with expansive maps, tons of thrilling enemy encounters, a slew of weapon modifications, and a truly gripping action-movie narrative, it's the must-own Xbox exclusive of 2026.
CBR: 9 / 10 by Mark O'Callaghan
Playing Gears of War: E-Day felt like playing the original trilogy on the Xbox 360, not in a technical sense, but in the feeling of being back in this world. Getting a new adventure with Marcus and Dom is a real treat, and the story surrounding them is incredible.
Gaming Instincts: 8 / 10 by Leonid Melikhov
Ultimately, Gears of War: E-Day is an enjoyable campaign wrapped inside an exceptionally impressive technical package. It is a pleasure to look at, the combat remains satisfying, and the return of Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago is exactly what many longtime fans wanted. Unfortunately, the forced DEI character writing, unnecessary social commentary, excessive dialogue, questionable level-design decisions, technical stuttering, and underwhelming ending prevent E-Day from becoming the definitive Gears experience I was hoping for after such a long wait when it comes to it's single player campaign portion.