Gears of War: E-Day FAQ — Xbox Game Pass, story, and everything you need to know

One of the most iconic Xbox franchises is headed back to its start. 

Gears of War has a long history on Xbox, with the original trilogy and a spinoff being developed for the Xbox 360 by Epic Games and People Can Fly, respectively. In 2014, Microsoft acquired the rights to the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, with first-party studio The Coalition taking up the mantle of the series, developing a new slate of games in the franchise for the Xbox One generation. 

After launching Gears 5 DLC and an Xbox Series X|S upgrade in 2020, The Coalition opted to go quiet, focusing on learning and understanding Unreal Engine 5 instead of trying to quickly get a game out. Now, after years investing in a new tech pipeline, The Coalition's next game is known. Revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, the next game in the series is called Gears of War: E-Day. I've gathered up everything you need to know about it.

What is Gears of War: E-Day?

Gears of War: E-Day | Official Announce Trailer (In-Engine) - Xbox Games Showcase 2024 - YouTube

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After Microsoft acquired Gears of War in 2014, The Coalition (formerly known as Black Tusk Studios) got to work on the series, remastering the original Xbox 360 title for Xbox One and Windows PC with Gears of War: Ultimate Edition in 2015. The following year, the studio shipped Gears of War 4, which continued the story from 2011's Gears of War 3 with a new generation of protagonists. 

In 2019, The Coalition launched Gears 5, a game that introduced open world elements to the narrative structure. 2020 saw the launch of Gears 5: Hivebusters, a DLC focused on a different group of characters, as well as an Xbox Series X|S upgrade for Gears 5. The team also assisted Splash Damage to launch Gears Tactics, an XCOM-esque prequel adventure. 

Following the completion of that packed slate, The Coalition took some time off, focusing on studying Unreal Engine 5 and learning exactly what the engine was capable of. During this time, the studio also began to work as a support team, providing assistance to other Xbox first-party studios, particularly other teams working in Unreal Engine 5 such as Undead Labs with State of Decay 3 and The Initiative with Perfect Dark.

Finally, during Xbox Games Showcase 2024, the team revealed its next project, which would be a new Gears of War game. Unexpectedly, it was not Gears 6, but instead, Gears of War: E-Day. This game is taking full advantage of Unreal Engine 5, pushing the level of what's possible in graphical fidelity. 

“Our ambition is to, once again, set a new standard in technical excellence,” says The Coalition's studio technical director Kate Rayner, via Xbox Wire. “We have fully modernized Gears from the ground up, infusing the DNA of Gears with the full capabilities of modern gaming technology. Every character, environment, and animation in ‘Gears of War: E-Day‘ has been completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, allowing us to portray the Gears universe with unprecedented detail and fidelity.” 

Is Gears of War: E-Day a prequel?

The two previous games developed by The Coalition, Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, began a new story for the franchise, taking place decades after Gears of War 3 while introducing characters like JD Fenix and Kait Diaz. The most recent game in the series, Gears Tactics, was a strategy-themed spinoff starring Kait's dad with development led by Splash Damage, though The Coalition was still involved. 

Despite being a prequel story and going back to the earliest point in the franchise yet — bar a brief playable flashback of the Pendulum Wars in Gears of War 4 — Gears of War: E-Day is not a spinoff. 

“It’s going to feel like a new Gears game, because that’s what it is,” creative director Matt Searcy says. “It’s us revisiting the tone and the feeling of what makes Gears great, but we’re tapping into new techniques, new processes, and new technology that’s going to make the gameplay feel better than ever. It’s going to be awesome, a game that feels both truly new, and authentically Gears.”  

"E-Day is an origin story," Nicole Fawcette says, speaking in an interview with Windows Central, "it's the origin story of the bond that defines the franchise, which is Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago's friendship. When you first meet them, they're not the same Marcus and Dom you know. In Gears 1, they've already spent 14 years fighting the Locust." 

Part of this approach is making the iconic Locust enemies more horrific. As this is humanity's first contact with the violent subterranean species, they aren't familiar with how they fight or operate, meaning this will be a dark and gritty game.

“We transformed the drone into something fearsome, physically intimidating, and utterly brutal,” says art director Aryan Hanbeck. “Getting the drone right was crucial; everything else with the Locust we’re scaling up from there.” 

What platforms is Gears of War: E-Day coming to?

Gears of War: E-Day is a first-party Xbox game, and while platforms haven't technically been announced, it's extremely safe to assume that it'll be available across Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with the latter including the Xbox PC app and Steam.

Is Gears of War: E-Day coming to Xbox Game Pass?

As an Xbox first-party game, Gears of War: E-Day will be included day one in Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft has doubled down on this approach, and continues to bring all first-party games from its studios across Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda, and Xbox Game Studios to Xbox Game Pass on day one. 

All the prior Gears of War games are also available on Xbox Game Pass. Gears of War, 2, and 3, are playable on Xbox Series X|S consoles through backward compatibility, while Gears of War 4, Gears 5, and Gears Tactics are available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. 

When is Gears of War: E-Day's release date?

Right now, Gears of War: E-Day does not have a release date or expected release year. 

While The Coalition shipped multiple games in a span of just a few years last generation, game development is taking longer and longer for big titles this generation. The team also hasn't been working on Gears of War: E-Day since it shipped Hivebusters. Instead, as mentioned above, the studio took some time to focus on learning Unreal Engine 5, supporting other Xbox teams, and studying what would really be needed for the next Gears of War game. 

Personally, I'd say a safe expectation for Gears of War: E-Day would be for it to arrive at some point in 2026.