Gears of War: E-Day Is Out Today — Everything That Matters
Fourteen years before the first game, Emergence Day begins. Out now on Xbox and PC, day one on Game Pass.
It's Emergence Day, and it's not a drill: Gears of War: E-Day launches today, October 6, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S and PC. The Coalition's prequel takes us back fourteen years before the original game, following a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde first erupts from beneath Sera.
Platforms are simple and a little spicy: this is an Xbox console exclusive. Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC only — no PlayStation 5, despite a PEGI rating that briefly listed one before the official announcement. It's also day one on Xbox Game Pass (Ultimate and PC Game Pass tiers), with Play Anywhere cross-progression.
Built on Unreal Engine 5, E-Day brings back the cover-based combat you know, with modernized movement, new traversal, reimagined classics, and new weapons built for close-quarters brutality. Competitive Versus returns across new maps and refined 4v4 modes.
Editions: Standard runs $69.99. The $99.99 Premium Edition adds up to five days of early access (live since October 1), the Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, five seasonal customization packs, and 1,000 Iron, the in-game currency. The $299.99 Collector's Edition piles on a 15-inch Marcus and Dom diorama statue, a 1:1 replica of COG tags, a steelbook case, an art print, and a thank-you note from The Coalition. Pre-ordering unlocked the Exfil Dom character skin and Exfil Weapon Skin Set.
Early verdicts are strong: 87 on Metacritic for Xbox Series X|S, 83 on PC, with 92% of critics recommending it on OpenCritic. We'll have full crew impressions on this week's episode.