We Love It's Guide to…
Join Marcus and Dom as the Locust erupt on Emergence Day, fighting through a cover-shooter campaign and team modes.
Released 06 Oct 2026
Explore a Collapsing City
Choose a Horde Class
Coordinate Siege Squads
Experience Emergence Day – the brutal origin story of one of gaming’s most acclaimed third-person shooter franchises.
Developed by The Coalition · Published by Xbox Game Studios
Set fourteen years before the original Gears of War, the campaign follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde emerges and their city descends into crisis. Play alone or with up to four players online.
Fight from cover with firearms and close-range attacks, using updated movement that includes jumping, vaulting and sliding. Campaign areas mix linear missions with optional city exploration, side objectives and collectibles that can include weapon modifications.
Multiplayer offers Horde Siege, a cooperative survival mode where class-based squads tackle shared objectives and bosses, earn rewards and develop their loadouts. Versus pits teams against each other in 4v4 modes, with ranked and social playlists.
Players who enjoy the game most often praise its weighty cover-based shooting, updated movement, and the visuals and atmosphere of the Locust invasion and the city’s collapse. Some also like Horde Siege and its squad-based cooperation. Opinions on the campaign’s writing and character focus are sharply divided, while technical stability and missing familiar mechanics are recurring criticisms.
Experience the horror and brutality of Emergence Day. Fourteen years before the original Gears of War, join Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in a gripping origin-story campaign as the Locust Horde first erupt from below, igniting a desperate fight for survival. Rally your squad and fight on in multiplayer with a reimagination of Gears’ iconic PvE mode, Horde Siege, or go head-to-head with a refined Versus PvP.* Built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers the most immersive Gears yet.
Fight through the chaos of Emergence Day in a gripping origin story campaign.
Battle alone or rally up to four players online across Campaign, Horde Siege, and Versus.*
Survive a city under siege in an evolved take on Gears’ iconic co-op wave survival mode built for larger maps, more players, and bigger battles.
Choose your class - Assault, Marksman, Medic, or Breacher - then drop in as a 4-player squad to fight back the Locust.
Team up with multiple squads to conquer shared objectives and take down world bosses. Survive to earn rewards, unlock customization and improve your loadout for the next match.
Battle across all-new maps and refined fan-favorite 4v4 modes.
Choose your level of competition. Lock in and climb the ranks in Ranked or jump into Social playlists for a more relaxed match.
Modernized controls and movement make combat feel more fluid while retaining Gears’ signature cover-based feel. Jump, vault, slide, and flank with intent.
A darker, grittier tone and reimagined enemies restore fear and dread to the series.
Atmosphere and detail are pushed further than ever. The world feels more grounded, believable, and dangerous.
Familiar enemies are more threatening, joined by all-new creatures and villains that reestablish a true sense of horror.
Iconic cover‑based combat returns, enhanced with modernized movement and traversal that add freedom and verticality.
Fan‑favorite weapons return and are reimagined, alongside all‑new weapons built for brutal, close‑quarters combat.
A new technical foundation for Gears. Built for modern performance with 4K resolution and up to 60FPS across Campaign and Multiplayer.*
Enjoy a great experience on any setup with smooth performance across a wide range of hardware, with borderless/exclusive/windowed display modes, uncapped frame rates on capable hardware, ultrawide support (21:9 and 32:9) for gameplay and menus, and KBM/controller remapping.*
Play in crisp 4K Ultra HD with HDR10 and hardware ray-traced lighting, reflections, and shadows.
Push performance further with PC features including NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR “Redstone,” optional Frame Generation and Multi Frame Generation on supported hardware, Variable Rate Shading, and a built-in benchmark mode.
Fully optimized for handheld play on Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X, and Xbox Ally devices.
Optional account linking lets you carry progress with roaming saves, connect with friends, and send cross-platform invites – then squad up in 2-4 player online co-op or jump into competitive multiplayer for up to 8 players across supported platforms.
Pre-Order Offer: valid with pre-orders made before October 6, 2026 (7:59 am PT) except early access to the Open Beta requires pre-order before the end of the Open Beta early access period (expected to be from August 6-10, 2026; dates may vary by platform and subscription). At participating retailers while supplies last. Pre-order benefits may require redemption of a single-use code. Consult your retailer for details. Limit: 1 offer per person/account.
4K, Ultrawide, HDR, Uncapped, 60FPS & Advanced Graphics: requires compatible, capable hardware and display.
Game requires initial download. May require future updates (additional storage may be required). All downloads and updates require significant storage and broadband internet connection (ISP fees apply). You must accept the Microsoft Services Agreement. May require additional hardware and subscriptions. Content, features, services, online play (if applicable), and support not available in all regions and may vary, change, or terminate. Microsoft Account required.
WARNING: Some people may experience a seizure when exposed to flashing lights or patterns in video games.
| Platforms | Windows |
|---|---|
| Achievements | 55 |
| Age ratings |
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| Controller support | PlayStation, Xbox |
| Controller required | No |
| DLC / extras | 2 listed on Steam |
| DRM / EULA |
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| Content notices |
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