Gears of War: E-Day Launches on Xbox and PC — 88 on Metacritic and the Return of Marcus Fenix

Microsoft and The Coalition have released Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel to the famous shooter series set 14 years before the first Gears of War. The game is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Xbox and Steam, and Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers got it on release day.

The story centers on Emergence Day — the start of the Locust Horde’s invasion of the planet Sera. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago are the protagonists once again, but this time players see them much younger — before the events of the original trilogy.

They are joined by new members of Bravo squad — Lucas Reyes and Megs Carter. The main campaign unfolds over three days and nights in the city of Kalona. Xbox describes E-Day as the story of the first hours of the catastrophe, when humanity understands neither the nature of the Locust nor the scale of the war that has begun.

The linear campaign is noticeably more open

E-Day is built on Unreal Engine 5 and keeps the foundation of classic Gears: cover-based firefights, heavy weapons, melee combat and a sequential story campaign.

At the same time, The Coalition has made the levels more spacious. Certain districts of Kalona now have alternate routes, vertical sections and small side activities that reward additional upgrades, including weapon modifications. Still, the game is not a full open world — the developers continued to build it as a story-driven action game.

Beyond the single-player campaign, there is co-op, competitive Versus and the PvE mode Horde Siege. Xbox also supports local split-screen co-op.

*Heart rate intensifies* 📈📈📈 ALERT THE SQUAD! GEARS OF WAR: E-DAY IS FINALLY HERE. https://t.co/qAvo0RE0oe

— XBOX | Emergence Begins (@XBOX) October 6, 2026

Critics received E-Day better than recent entries in the series

At release, Gears of War: E-Day scored around 88 on Metacritic and 87 on OpenCritic. Reviewers particularly praise the atmosphere of the early games, the more pronounced horror elements, the presentation and the combat system.

According to GamesRadar, this is the highest-rated Gears release made by The Coalition.

Player reviews are a bit more reserved so far. On Steam, the share of positive reviews after the first few thousand is around 77%. The main complaints concern technical issues and certain design decisions, while players more often praise the graphics, atmosphere and shooting.

Gears of War: E-Day launched on October 6, 2026. Premium Edition owners got early access on October 1.