Gears of War: E-Day Wiki
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel third-person shooter from The Coalition, published by Xbox Game Studios, set for full release October 6, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and Xbox app), with day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. No PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2 release is planned. It's the first mainline Gears game built entirely on Unreal Engine 5 without reusing any old assets or animations -- characters, enemies, weapons, sound, and the world itself were rebuilt from scratch, including Epic's new MegaLights lighting system to lean into a darker, more horror-adjacent atmosphere.
A Genuine Prequel: Emergence Day Itself
Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, E-Day drops players directly into Emergence Day -- the moment the Locust Horde first erupts from underground to assault the surface of Sera. A younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic "Dom" Santiago, fresh home from the Pendulum Wars, are attending an armistice memorial in the city of Kalona when the ground opens beneath them, throwing them into the earliest days of the Locust War alongside new Bravo Squad members Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. The story unfolds over three chaotic days as Kalona is torn apart.
Modernized Movement, a New Weapon, and Real Destruction
For the first time in series history, players can jump and slide in addition to vaulting -- adding real verticality and speed to the classic cover-based combat, alongside modernized controls that keep Gears' signature feel while letting you flank with intent. A new weapon, the Gut Puncher (a grenade launcher with player-controlled detonation timing), joins returning franchise favorites like the Gnasher and Longshot. The destruction system has also been overhauled with granular chip damage, letting cover objects degrade in genuinely unpredictable, realistic patterns rather than scripted stages.
Horde Siege: A New 12-Player PvE Mode
Horde Siege reimagines Gears' iconic co-op wave-survival mode for larger maps and bigger battles: three 4-player squads (12 players total) defend the city together, choosing from 4 confirmed classes -- Assault, Marksman, Medic, or Breacher -- and coordinating on shared objectives, including confirmed world boss encounters. Alongside Horde Siege, a refined 4v4 Versus mode returns with both Ranked and more relaxed Social playlists.
A Real, Direct Developer Commitment: No Battle Passes
The Coalition has been explicit that E-Day deliberately avoids battle passes and the franchise's familiar seasonal "Tour of Duty" grind, instead rewarding players directly through gameplay while continuing to expand the experience post-launch with new maps, characters, modes, and Horde Siege content.
Editions and Pricing
On Steam, the Standard Edition is $69.99 and the Premium Edition $99.99 (including 5 days of early access starting October 1, the Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, 5 seasonal customization packs, 1,000 Iron in-game currency, and additional cosmetics). A $299.99 Collector's Edition adds a 15-inch diorama statue, metal replica COG tags, and a SteelBook case. Pre-ordering any edition unlocks the Exfil Dom Character Skin and Exfil Weapon Skin Set at launch.
The Open Beta: A Real, Currently-Active Two-Weekend Program
Ahead of the October 6 launch, The Coalition is running a genuine two-weekend beta, not a persistent early-access release -- both weekends share identical content (Horde Siege and Versus). The first weekend, Early Access (August 6-10), is restricted to pre-order customers and Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass subscribers. The second weekend, the true Open Beta (August 13-17), is open to all players on all eligible platforms with no pre-order required. Confirmed rewards for participating carry into the full game at launch: the Open Beta Medal and "First in the Fight" title (just for playing), the "Crush the Bug" reward set (5 Prototype Lancer Chainsaw executions), a Rare Crush the Bug Weapon Skin Set (extract from Horde Siege 8 times on Infantry difficulty or higher), and an Epic Blast Damage Mags Character Skin (reach Player Level 20). General player levels, class progression, and unfinished medal progress reset at full launch, though progress does carry from the first beta weekend into the second.