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:
- 11 AM ET
- 10 AM CT
- 9 AM MT
- 4 PM BST
- 5 PM CEST
- 3 PM UTC
- 5 PM SAST
- 1 AM AEST on September 30
Start the download early. 115 GB takes time on slower connections.
Early access (October 1)
Premium and Collector's editions unlock play on October 1 at the same 8:00 AM Pacific / 15:00 UTC window:
- 11 AM ET
- 10 AM CT
- 9 AM MT
- 4 PM BST
- 5 PM CEST
- 3 PM UTC
- 5 PM SAST
- 1 AM AEST on October 2
Worldwide launch (October 6)
Standard edition and Game Pass unlock at 8:00 AM Pacific / 15:00 UTC on October 6. Same regional offsets as above.