Xbox Games Studios · The Coalition · October 6, 2026

Gears of War E-Day Wiki

Experience the horror and brutality of Emergence Day

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. Release date, gameplay deep-dives, multiplayer database and guides, all in one place.

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Gears of War: E-Day key art
Release Date
October 6, 2026
Platforms
Xbox Series X|S + PC
Genre
Cover-Based TPS
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios

Watch the Trailers

Announce Trailer (2024)June 9, 2024

Explore the E-Day Wiki

📅
Release Date
Timeline, unlock times tracker
🎯
Beginner Guide
Start here before launch
🏃
Movement & Cover
The new controls, explained
🔫
Weapons
Lancer origin & the arsenal
👹
Enemies
The Locust bestiary & Vraahk
🛡️
Horde Siege
12-player PvE mode
🎖️
Classes
Assault, Breacher, Marksman, Medic
❓
Full FAQ
Every launch question

Release & Platforms

Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026 — a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War.

FactConfirmed
Release dateOctober 6, 2026 (Premium Edition early access from October 1)
PlatformsXbox Series X|S · PC (Steam & Xbox app) · Cloud · Xbox Play Anywhere — no PS5
Game PassDay one with Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass
DeveloperThe Coalition, with co-developer People Can Fly

Full release timeline → · All platforms & system requirements →

PC Requirements

Hardware ray tracing is mandatory — an RTX 2060-class GPU is the floor. 130 GB on SSD.

SpecMinimumRecommended
OSWindows 10 64-bit 22H2Windows 11 64-bit (25H2)
CPURyzen 5 2600X / i5-10400Ryzen 5 5600 / i5-11600K
RAM12 GB16 GB
GPURTX 5050 / RTX 2060 / RX 6600 (ray tracing required)RTX 5060 / RTX 3060 Ti / RX 6700 XT
Storage130 GB SSD130 GB SSD

Complete system requirements & PC features →

Getting Started

The essentials before Emergence Day hits.

🎯
Beginner Guide
Movement, combat and campaign basics
🛡️
Horde Siege
12-player PvE — modes and maps
🎖️
Four Classes
Assault · Breacher · Marksman · Medic
❓
Full FAQ
Every launch question, answered

Combat, Rebuilt

The weight of classic Gears gunplay, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 — cover is a puzzle, and the Locust solve it better than ever.

Cover, reworkedSmoother transitions, more heights and shapes, plus new low-ground cover that lets a Gear drop prone behind debris.
Simulated ballisticsEvery projectile has travel time — long sightlines play like real shooting, not hit-scan. Active Reload returns.
Smarter, scarier LocustEnemies climb vehicles to outflank you, drop smoke and walk through it to close the distance.
Destruction that bitesMicro-destruction erodes the cover you hide behind; sinkholes swallow vehicles and collapsible E-Holes reshape the fight.

Full combat system breakdown → · New movement & cover →

Horde Siege

The flagship PvE mode: a 12-player evolution of the wave-survival formula Gears 2 invented in 2008.

Three squads, one map12 players in three squads of four, each with their own missions on the biggest multiplayer maps in series history.
A persistent battlefieldFortifications and equipment left behind by an extracted squad can become the next squad's lifeline.
Invasion eventsA Brumak or Corpser can arrive without warning — all three squads must converge, then return to their objectives.
Extraction finaleEvery match ends with survivors holding one position until evac. Playlists from ~15-minute Blitz to classic 10-wave Horde.

Horde Siege deep-dive → · The four classes →

E-Day FAQ

When does Gears of War: E-Day release?

October 6, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam and the Xbox app). Premium and Collector's Edition buyers play from October 1 via 5-day early access.

Is E-Day coming to PS5?

No. Xbox confirmed it is an Xbox console exclusive at the June 2026 Showcase, despite a PEGI rating briefly appearing for PS5.

Is it on Game Pass?

Yes — day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, including cloud gaming. Subscribers also had Open Beta access in August.

How long is the campaign?

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.

What multiplayer modes are included?

Horde Siege (12 players, three squads, four classes) and 4v4 Versus with Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition and the new Crucible mode.

Do I need to play the older Gears games first?

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.

Never Fight Alone

26 pages of fact-checked coverage — release, gameplay, multiplayer and lore. Never fight alone.

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