The Coalition reveals its next big Gears of War game at the Xbox Games Showcase — but it's not Gears 6

What you need to know

• The last mainline Gears of War game with development led by The Coalition was Gears 5, which launched in 2019 on Xbox One and Windows PC. 
• The Coalition also released a free Xbox Series X|S enhancement for the game in 2020, alongside the paid Hivebusters DLC. 
• After years of silence, The Coalition emerged during the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 to reveal Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel adventure featuring a much younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago.

We're going back to the very beginning.

The Coalition closed out the Xbox Games Showcase 2024, revealing a trailer for the next Gears of War game. Despite speculation, it's not Gears 6. Instead, The Coalition is working on Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel focused on the most infamous event in all of Gears of War's bloody history. You can check out the announcement trailer below:

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

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This trailer was built entirely in-engine, with The Coalition taking full advantage of Unreal Engine 5 to push what's visually possible. There's no release date or release window right now, or even any mention of platforms, but as it's an Xbox first-party game, we can of course expect Gears of War: E-Day to launch day one on Xbox Game Pass.

Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel, but the story will continue further

Sharing more on Xbox Wire, The Coalition confirms that this isn't some small spin-off, it's the next mainline game. Even so, that doesn't mean the team is moving away from the current-day Gears story, which was most recently touched on with the 2019 title Gears 5.

“We realized that a lot of the words we use to describe the franchise were what our fans also use, phrases like brotherhood, brutality, pathos, awe” says creative director Matt Searcy. “Why E-Day?  That’s the moment it all comes together. It’s the heart of the Gears universe. Everything that happens is shaped by this day.”  

“We’re super proud about Gears 4 and Gears 5 and the stories that were told,” says brand director Fawcette. “We’re not retreating from that storyline in any way. But in [this] moment, we had an opportunity to write our next step, and this one just felt too good to miss.”  

Analysis: There's something in my eye

There's a handful of franchises you grow up with, games that mean something truly special to you because of the time and manner in which you experienced them. Gears of War is one such franchise for me. This trailer was absolutely stellar, and I'm thrilled The Coalition is going to be exploring Emergence Day in the next mainline Gears of War title.

I'm also happy the team isn't abandoning the story that is waiting past Gears 5. I loved that game, and I want to see where Kait's narrative is leading her. But I'm more than happy that we are going to be taking a detour along the way.