Gears of War: E-Day Review

This review is labeled Researched. We have not played the game ourselves. It is built from critic reviews and aggregator scores published since early access opened on October 1, hands-on previews from August, official announcements, and technical reports, and we say where the sources disagree. Gears of War: E-Day launches on October 6, 2026, so scores will move as more outlets publish. See How We Review for what that distinction means.

The short answer

If you were wondering whether Gears of War: E-Day is any good, the early verdict is a confident yes, with two asterisks. The first is that this is a game that returns to what made the series great, not one that reinvents it. The second is that the people who liked it most liked the shooting, and the people who liked it least pointed at the story and the open areas between the fights.

The numbers back up the mood. Metacritic sits at 88 to 89 depending on the day and platform (88 on Xbox Series X and 84 on PC at one snapshot), OpenCritic’s average is about 87, and at the start of October roughly 90% of critics on OpenCritic recommended it. TheGamer’s review round-up calls it the franchise’s strongest critical reception in a decade, reversing a decline that began after the original game’s Metacritic score of 94. That context matters: most Gears games since 2006 have been well reviewed but not loved. This one is being loved.

What the game actually is

E-Day is a prequel. It is set 14 years before the first Gears of War, on Emergence Day itself, the day the Locust Horde came up out of the ground. You play a younger Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, along with two newcomers, Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes, as Bravo Squad. The story unfolds over three days in the industrial city of Kalona.

A prequel is a tricky thing to write. Fans already know the world falls and that some of these characters will be marked by what is coming. Creative director Matt Searcy has said the team wanted to recapture the atmosphere and emotional tone of the original game. According to reviews, they largely managed it: Eurogamer says it evolves the best bits of the 2006 to 2011 trilogy while dropping the cringiest parts, and IGN, which scored it 9 out of 10, calls it a heartfelt prequel with strong characters.

Developed jointly by The Coalition and People Can Fly (the Polish studio behind Outriders and Bulletstorm), the game is built from scratch on Unreal Engine 5.

The combat: familiar, but faster

Combat is where the reviews are warmest, and it is the reason to play. Three changes stand out.

Movement. Marcus can now slide, vault, jump across gaps and flank, which a series known for glued-to-cover shooting simply did not do before. In the August hands-on preview, writers described sliding into cover as satisfying and noted that cover is adaptive: nearly anything can serve as cover, including shin-high rubble you can dive behind and shoot from lying on your back. Fans of old-school wall-bouncing will be glad to hear it was rebalanced, not removed, to be slower and more readable.

Weapons. The iconic Lancer returns with its Perfect Reload mechanic, where a well-timed press speeds up the reload and a mistimed one jams the gun. Supply caches around the city let you refill ammo and change your loadout, and weapon mods add damage buffs and even chainsaw-kill reloads. A prototype Chainsaw Lancer is part of the squad’s arsenal. IGN’s reviewer says the combat stands toe-to-toe with any of the previous games.

Enemies. Locust Drones use smoke bombs and flank, Wretches swarm, and Boomers are hulking tanks with heavy artillery. Enemies also take cover and fall back when pressured. That makes fights feel like they involve decisions, not just aiming.

The consensus sentence appears across several reviews in slightly different words: this is classic Gears, refined. VGC (4 out of 5) says the campaign lacks emotion but more than makes up for it in commotion.

Where critics are less happy

A good review should tell you where the game stumbles, and the reviews are consistent on two points.

The story. The praise for characters is real, but several critics say the emotional payoff is lighter than the action. VGC’s reviewer noted the campaign lacks emotion, and another reviewer called the story disappointing despite having a good time with the game. Windows Central’s round-up headline captures the mix: critics are loving the return to form despite some odd elements. If you care about narrative above all, that is worth knowing.

The open areas. The campaign is made of five acts and 26 chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue. Several acts contain light open-world areas where you can explore, search for collectibles and help civilians. Equipment upgrades give you a practical reason to wander. But critics call those open areas fairly dull, and PC Gamer’s early review-in-progress headline, “Good shooting, but the campaign’s a slog”, points at the same issue: the pacing sags between the set pieces. If you would rather be in a firefight than a quiet street, expect some stretches you will want to speed through.

Length. The Coalition has described the campaign as more than 14 hours, the longest in the series, with more collectibles than any previous game. Players who stick to the main objective report finishing in about 10 hours, so your mileage depends on how much you explore.

Co-op is a real strength

This is one of the most co-op-friendly Gears games. The campaign can be played solo, in two-player split-screen on Xbox consoles, or with up to four players online on both Xbox and PC. All four Bravo Squad members are playable from the start, and the studio has described E-Day as its most co-op-centric entry yet. PC does not support local split-screen.

Beyond the campaign, there is Horde Siege, a 12-player cooperative mode in which three squads of four share a large map and survive waves of enemies, with boss-level invasion events and extraction finales. Versus is a rebuilt 4v4 mode with Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition and Crucible, with six launch maps reported. There is also cross-play between Xbox and PC. The Coalition has said there is no battle pass and no pay-to-win items, with seasonal customisation packs instead, though that comes from a fan-run wiki’s summary of the studio’s statements, so check the official store page.

Performance and PC requirements

On Xbox Series S, the August beta showed the game running at 60 FPS, though the image is noticeably blurrier than on the Series X because of the lower native resolution. On PC, a hardware ray-tracing-capable GPU is required, and the game supports DLSS 4.5, FSR 4 and XeSS 3.0, HDR, ultrawide monitors and a built-in benchmark mode.

The published PC targets are:

• 1080p at 60 FPS (Medium): an RTX 2060 or RX 6600 class GPU, a Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i5-10400, 12GB of RAM and 6GB of VRAM.
• 1440p at 60+ FPS (High): an RTX 3060 Ti or RX 6700 XT, a Ryzen 5 5600 or Core i5-11600K, 16GB of RAM and 8GB of VRAM.
• 4K at 60+ FPS (Ultra): an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 7900 XT, a Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Core i7-14700K, 16GB of RAM and 12GB of VRAM.

The game needs an SSD. Sources quote either 115GB or about 130GB of free space, so plan for the larger figure. Wccftech noted that 4K at 60 FPS needs an RTX 5070 Ti, not a flagship GPU, which is a pleasant surprise for an Unreal Engine 5 game.

Price, editions and Game Pass

This is where the value conversation gets interesting. The Standard Edition is $69.99 and the Premium Edition is $99.99, with a $30 upgrade from Standard. Premium adds five days of early access beginning October 1, a Bravo Squad signature weapon pack, 1,000 Iron and five seasonal customisation packs. There is a physical edition for Xbox Series X (standard and collector’s), while PC is digital only.

But the game is also included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one. If you are a subscriber, you can play it at no extra cost, which changes the “should I buy it” question completely. If you are not, the full price for a roughly 10 to 14-hour campaign with co-op and multiplayer is in line with big releases, but not a bargain. It is an Xbox Series X|S and Windows game only, and it is not coming to PS5.

Do you need to play the older games?

No. Because this is a prequel designed as an entry point, newcomers can jump in. Veterans will pick up extra layers, such as the significance of certain events and terms, but nothing here requires homework.

Who should play it

Play it if you have Game Pass, enjoy third-person cover shooters, or want a polished co-op campaign to play with a friend. Even critics who found the story thin say the shooting is excellent, and the movement changes keep it from feeling stale.

Wait for a sale if you would be paying full price and care more about story than action. The open areas and emotional beats are the weak spots, and a few weeks will bring more reviews and patches.

Skip it if you only have a PlayStation, because there is no version for you. Our scores reflect the research: gameplay is the highlight, the story is the weakest part, and the value is excellent for subscribers.

More games to read about

If you are choosing what to play next, our Pragmata review and 007 First Light review cover two recent single-player games, our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 preview covers the other big shooter arriving this month, and our Fable preview covers the next big Xbox-published release, due in February 2027.

FAQ

Is Gears of War: E-Day worth it? For most Gears fans, yes. Critics rate it the series’ best in about a decade, with Metacritic at 88 to 89 and about 90% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. If you have Game Pass it costs nothing extra. At $69.99, it is worth it mainly if you love cover shooters or want co-op, because reviewers say the story and the open areas are weaker than the combat.

Is Gears of War: E-Day on PS5? No. It is an Xbox Series X|S and Windows game, and it has been confirmed as an Xbox exclusive that will not come to PlayStation 5 later.

Is Gears of War: E-Day on Game Pass? Yes. It is available on day one, October 6, on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium Edition buyers get up to five days of early access starting October 1.

How long is Gears of War: E-Day? The Coalition has said the campaign is more than 14 hours. Players who focus on the main objectives report about 10 hours, and exploring the semi-open areas and collecting items pushes it to 14 hours or more. The campaign has five acts and 26 chapters, plus a prologue and epilogue.

Does Gears of War: E-Day have co-op? Yes. You can play the campaign solo, with up to four players online on Xbox and PC, or with two players in split-screen on Xbox consoles. PC has no local split-screen. All four Bravo Squad members are playable from the start.

Do I need to play the older Gears of War games first? No. E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the first game and was designed as a starting point. Longtime fans will recognise more of the references, but newcomers can follow the story.

What are the PC system requirements for Gears of War: E-Day? The medium target for 1080p at 60 FPS is an RTX 2060 or RX 6600 class GPU, a Ryzen 5 2600X or Core i5-10400 and 12GB of RAM. A hardware ray-tracing-capable GPU is required, and you need an SSD with about 115GB to 130GB of free space.

Does Gears of War: E-Day run well on Xbox Series S? In the August beta it ran at 60 FPS on Series S, though the image is blurrier than on Series X because of the lower native resolution.

What multiplayer modes does Gears of War: E-Day have? Horde Siege, a 12-player cooperative wave-survival mode, and 4v4 Versus modes including Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition and Crucible. Cross-play works between Xbox and PC.

Sources: Xbox — Gears of War: E-Day, Wikipedia — Gears of War: E-Day, TheGamer — Gears of War: E-Day review round-up, Windows Central — Gears of War: E-Day reviews round-up, OpenCritic — Gears of War: E-Day, Gamerfuzion — E-Day reviews, 88 on Metacritic, PC Gamer — E-Day review in progress, Xbox Wire — E-Day campaign hands-on, The PC Enthusiast — E-Day campaign length, acts and chapters, Gears of War E-Day FAQ wiki, Screen Rant — E-Day co-op interview, Wccftech — E-Day PC requirements, PC Gamer — E-Day system requirements, iXBT — E-Day on Xbox Series S