The next game in the Gears of War franchise is coming, with Gears of War: E-Day expected to arrive on Xbox and PC in 2026. We have waited over six years for the next instalment in the beloved series after 2019’s Gears 5.
The Gears series has been huge for Xbox for the past two decades, and the sixth main entry has the potential to be another blockbuster hit for Microsoft. From the plot to the protagonists, here’s everything we know about Gears of War: E-Day.
Can Gears of War: E-Day Live Up to the Billing?
Going Back to the Beginning
Gears of War: E-Day will be set 14 years before the original game. The sixth main entry in the series will take place on planet Sera during Emergence Day. The game will take us back to Gears’ roots and dive into how the Locust horde started the war on humans.
E-Day will feature younger versions of Dom Santiago and Marcus Fenix and how the pair fought back in the early days of the Locust invasion. Carlos Ferro and John DiMaggio will reprise their roles as the voice actors, which is excellent news for fans of the original games.
Dom and Marcus, the dynamic best-friend duo, are central figures in the first three Gears of War games, and the adored characters will be welcomed back with open arms. The story will focus on their brotherhood and fight for survival from the very beginning of the attack.
E-Day will be set on planet Sera, which is under attack from the Locust invasion. The game will focus on the first day of the attack and the frantic battle that followed. Kalona will be the specific district, while The Hollow is where the horde emerges from.
Enhanced Graphics and Gameplay
Gears of War: E-Day will use Unreal Engine 5, so expect the graphics to look clean and detailed. Seeing planet Sera in 4K will be a sight for sore eyes, and the game will have ray tracing and enhanced lighting effects.
As well as high-resolution graphics, playing the new Gears game at high frame rates is crucial. With enhanced shooting and more chaotic encounters, 120 fps support would be very welcome. Still, most gamers would settle for locked 60 fps if the graphics are on point, and Xbox rarely lets us down with its big releases.
Gears of War: E-Day promises the familiar Gears gameplay with enhanced controls. Players can expect the usual cover-to-cover shooting with modern mechanics thrown in. Using Unreal Engine 5, E-Day will have more destructible environments and advanced combat elements.
Gears 5 took the series in a new direction with open-world features. With vehicle travel and several places to explore, the fifth main title in the franchise was certainly unique. However, it might have deviated from the original games a little too much.
E-Day will go back to its roots, moving away from open-world gameplay to a linear experience. This will allow more focus on the cinematic story of the early days of the Locust assault and help showcase the relationship between Marcus and Dom.
Will Gears of War: E-Day Follow Reloaded to PS5?
Like many Xbox exclusives these days, Gears of War has headed to Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. With the likes of Forza, Flight Simulator, and Doom now on PS5, and Halo ending its two decades of Xbox exclusivity, I think it’s safe to say that the Xbox-PlayStation console war is well and truly over.
Although Gears of War: E-Day will come to Xbox and PC first, the Xbox Game Studios title is expected to arrive on PS5 down the line. Gears of War: Reloaded was the first Gears game to head to a Sony platform. More games, including Gears 5, could make their way to PlayStation.
Initially, E-Day will be a day-one Xbox Game Pass release, like all Xbox first-party titles. It will be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC at launch.
When Gears of War: E-Day was announced at the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2024, many fans were hoping for a 2025 release. However, that was always unlikely, with 2026 now pencilled in.
The highly anticipated sixth main entry in the Gears franchise is shaping up to be excellent, and we strongly believe that E-Day will be worth the wait on all platforms.
