Scope note: this wiki is dedicated to E-Day. This page is the one place we zoom out — use it to decide what (if anything) to play first, then get back to Emergence Day.
The Timeline (B.E. / A.E.)
The series measures time Before Emergence (B.E.) and After Emergence (A.E.):
| Game | Story time | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Gears of War: E-Day | 0 B.E. – 0 A.E. | October 6, 2026 |
| Gears of War: Judgment | 0 A.E. (weeks after) | 2013 |
| Gears Tactics | 1 A.E. | 2020 |
| Gears of War | 14 A.E. | 2006 |
| Gears of War 2 | 14 A.E. | 2008 |
| Gears of War 3 | 17 A.E. | 2011 |
| Gears of War 4 | 42 A.E. | 2016 |
| Gears 5 | 42 A.E. | 2019 |
Context before E-Day: the ~80-year Pendulum Wars (COG vs. UIR) end with an armistice forced by the stolen Hammer of Dawn. Peace lasts weeks. Then the Locust kill roughly a quarter of humanity in the first 26 hours — and two-thirds eventually — as Emergence Day begins.
What Each Era Is
- The original trilogy (2006–2011) — Marcus and Dom vs. the Locust and the Lambent; the arc E-Day deliberately bookends
- Judgment (2013) — Baird and Cole, weeks after E-Day; a court-martial framed prequel
- Gears 4 / Gears 5 (2016–2019) — a generation later: JD Fenix, Kait Diaz, the Swarm
- Gears Tactics (2020) — turn-based spin-off, one year after E-Day; features Locust scientist Ukkon (whom E-Day lore also references)
- Reloaded (2025) — remaster of the 2006 original; also the only Gears title on PS5
Play Order: The Honest Answer
Do you need the older games? No. The Coalition built E-Day as the best entry point into the universe — the squad learns what the Locust are while you do.
Does release order make it better? Yes. As CheckpointDB argues, E-Day is "a prequel in chronology and a later work in dramatic construction" — seeing the chainsaw Lancer invented lands harder when you know what it becomes.
| You have... | Play |
|---|---|
| One game | Gears of War (or Reloaded) — the tone, the duo, the war |
| A weekend or two | + Gears of War 2 — the Marcus/Dom relationship gets room |
| Real commitment | Gears 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5, then E-Day |
| Nothing | Start with E-Day — it's designed for exactly that |
Questions
How many Gears of War games are there?
Seven mainline entries including E-Day (2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2026), plus the Gears Tactics spin-off and the Reloaded remaster.
Is E-Day a sequel or a prequel?
A prequel — 14 years before the 2006 original, and the earliest mainline story on the timeline.
Should I play Gears 5 before E-Day?
Not necessary — Gears 5's cast and situation are generations later. Play order recommendations above.