Fourteen years before the original Gears of War, join Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in the origin story of the Locust War, rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5. In early access now; full launch October 6. Gameplay deep-dives, multiplayer database and guides, all in one place.
Wiki fact-checked and updated: October 3, 2026 · launch-week pass

Early access is live since October 1. Full launch October 6, 2026: a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War.
| Fact | Confirmed |
|---|---|
| Status | Premium early access live (from October 1) · full launch October 6, 2026 |
| Reviews | OpenCritic Top Critic Average ~87, 90% recommend (Oct 3, tallying) |
| Platforms | Xbox Series X|S · PC (Steam & Xbox app) · Cloud · Xbox Play Anywhere, no PS5 |
| Game Pass | Day one (October 6) with Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass |
| Developer | The Coalition, with co-developer People Can Fly |
Full release timeline → · All platforms & system requirements →
Hardware ray tracing is mandatory: an RTX 2060-class GPU is the floor. 130 GB on SSD.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit 22H2 | Windows 11 64-bit (25H2) |
| CPU | Ryzen 5 2600X / i5-10400 | Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-11600K |
| RAM | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | RTX 5050 / RTX 2060 / RX 6600 (ray tracing required) | RTX 5060 / RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT |
| Storage | 130 GB SSD | 130 GB SSD |
The essentials before Emergence Day hits.
The weight of classic Gears gunplay, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5: cover is a puzzle, and the Locust solve it better than ever.
The flagship PvE mode: a 12-player evolution of the wave-survival formula Gears 2 invented in 2008.
Premium early access is live since October 1, 2026. The full launch, including Game Pass day one, is October 6, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and the Xbox app).
No. Xbox confirmed it is an Xbox console exclusive at the June 2026 Showcase, despite a PEGI rating briefly appearing for PS5.
Yes, day one on October 6 with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, including cloud gaming. Early access before October 6 requires a Premium or Collector's Edition purchase; subscribers had Open Beta access in August.
Strongly. As of October 3 the OpenCritic Top Critic Average sits around 87 with 90% of critics recommending it (Metacritic ~87-88); scores are still tallying ahead of the October 6 launch.
Around 14 hours, the longest in the series, spanning three days of Emergence Day in the city of Kalona, playable solo, in 2-player split-screen, or 4-player online co-op.
Horde Siege (12 players, three squads, four classes) and 4v4 Versus with Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition and the new Crucible mode.
No, E-Day is designed as the series' best entry point. Playing Gears 1 and 2 first adds emotional resonance, but nothing is required knowledge.
28 pages of fact-checked coverage: release, gameplay, multiplayer and lore. Never fight alone.
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