Gears of War: E-Day Gameplay, Preload Times, Install Size, And Launch Dates

Free space now, preload on the 29th, and you can drop into Emergence Day the moment your window opens.

Gears of War: E-Day is a third-person cover shooter prequel from The Coalition. Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, it follows a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde first erupts from underground on Emergence Day. The campaign drops you into the opening hours of that invasion, with squad-based firefights, chainsaw melee, and the series' signature cover combat rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5.

Outside the story, the game includes Horde Siege, a larger-scale co-op wave mode, and Versus player-versus-player matches. Campaign supports 4-player online co-op and 2-player splitscreen. Multiplayer targets higher frame rates than the campaign. The game launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC (Xbox app and Steam) on October 6, 2026, with day-one access on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Premium and Collector's Edition buyers get five days of early access starting October 1.

Install size

Official PC specs list a 115 GB SSD requirement. Xbox Series X|S installs are expected to land in a similar range, so plan on at least 100 GB free. An SSD is mandatory on PC. Gears 5 launched at about 80 GB in 2019, so this is a clear jump.

Preload times (September 29)

Pre-install opens September 29 at 8:00 AM Pacific / 15:00 UTC on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam. That covers pre-orders and Game Pass. Regional times: