Gears of War: E-Day is a third-person cover shooter developed by The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios, set for release on October 6, 2026. It is a prequel to the original Gears of War (2006), taking place fourteen years earlier on Emergence Day, the moment the Locust Horde first erupted from below the surface of the planet Sera and began their war against humanity.
The game is set entirely within the fictional city of Kalona over three days as the invasion unfolds. Players control Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, both recently returned veterans from the now-ended Pendulum Wars, alongside two new playable characters: Mags Carter, a former Gear working at Kalona's Imulsion Refinery, and Lucas Reyes, a young cadet and communications officer. The four form Bravo Squad and the full campaign is playable in any combination, with four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen on console.
Built from scratch in Unreal Engine 5, E-Day carries no assets or code from previous Gears titles. The combat system has been substantially revised: cover transitions work across a wider range of surfaces, players can now slide and jump for the first time in the series, and encounters are designed around larger, more open city districts rather than the linear corridors of earlier games. New weapons include the Gut Puncher, a player-detonated grenade launcher, and the Incinerator, an Imulsion-fueled shotgun. The Chainsaw Lancer receives an in-game origin story.
Multiplayer includes a new 12-player PvE mode called Horde Siege and a revised 4v4 Versus mode. An open beta begins August 6, 2026, with early access for pre-orders and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.
E-Day is an Xbox console exclusive, available on Xbox Series X|S, PC via Xbox and Steam, and through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on day one. It is not a timed exclusive.
