E-Day is, first and foremost, a Gears game: over-the-shoulder, cover-based third-person shooting rebuilt around what The Coalition calls the goal of making it "feel like Gears but play like new." Everything — characters, enemies, weapons, animation, the city — was rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.
The Core Loop
- Advance through Kalona's streets — from tight linear corridors into wider combat arenas
- Take cover and read the "combat puzzle": enemy mix, weapon choice, positioning
- Execute — active reloads, Gnasher finishes, Lancer chainsaws, brutal executions
- Push on as the city visibly deteriorates around the squad across three in-game days
Campaign Structure
- Three days of Emergence Day, told entirely from the perspective of Bravo Squad — the camera never leaves them. Creative director Matt Searcy likens the tone to Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan.
- ~14 hours long — the longest campaign The Coalition has ever designed, per its own estimate.
- Four playable characters from the start: Marcus Fenix, Dom Santiago, Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes. Whoever you pick, the story follows the squad.
- Co-op: solo, two-player split-screen on console, or up to four players online.
- Not open world: "a very linear game" with sections that "open up into a wide linear couple of blocks" (Searcy). Kalona itself is fully modeled — vistas you see early become ruins you fight through later.
- Day one plays like a monster movie; by day three the squad realizes the Locust are an army with structure. The emotional arc runs confusion → regrouping → despair.
What's New vs Classic Gears
- Movement overhaul: sprint-to-slide, jumping, mantling, low-ground cover — see /gameplay/movement-cover.html
- Enemy AI: Locust flank by climbing vehicles, walk through their own smoke, and punish static play — see /gameplay/combat-system.html
- A rebuilt arsenal including the origin of the Chainsaw Lancer — see /gameplay/weapons.html
- Reimagined horror: the first Gears where the Locust are genuinely unknown — see /gameplay/enemies.html
- On top of the campaign sits a full multiplayer suite: Horde Siege and 4v4 Versus — see /multiplayer/horde-siege.html
Questions
Is Gears of War: E-Day open world?
No. It is a linear, story-driven campaign with some wider combat districts. Kalona is fully modeled in UE5 but the game pulls you through a structured adventure.
How long is the campaign?
Around 14 hours — the longest in the series, per The Coalition.
How many players can play the campaign?
One to four: solo, two-player split-screen on console, or four-player online co-op.
Can you play as Dom?
Yes — all four Bravo Squad members (Marcus, Dom, Mags Carter, Lucas Reyes) are playable from the start of the campaign.