Gears of War: E-Day Campaign, Horde Siege and Multiplayer
The first new mainline Gears since Gears 5 in 2019, rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5 and set on the day the Locust came up. This page covers the campaign, the modes and the setting.
Back to Emergence Day
E-Day is a prequel. It follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago through Emergence Day — the moment the Locust horde erupted from beneath the planet Sera — in the city of Kalona. John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro reprise their roles.
Sources differ on the exact gap: Xbox's own material places the story 14 years before the 2006 original, while some coverage says 20. Both agree on the premise — this is the first Emergence Day, told with characters who have not yet lived through five mainline games.
What ships in Gears of War: E-Day
| Mode | What it is | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | Story mode, 10-12 hours | Playable in online co-op; offline play on PC was not enabled until launch day. |
| Horde Siege | Wave-based survival | Requires a Game Pass tier with online multiplayer if playing on Game Pass. |
| Versus | Competitive multiplayer | Same subscription caveat as Horde Siege. |
Engine and console targets
- Rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, with every asset made from scratch and particular attention to lighting and shadow detail.
- Xbox Series X|S: listed as optimised for 4K, HDR and up to 60 FPS, with a compatible display required.
- PC: uncapped frame rates, ultrawide support and a benchmark mode, as covered on the requirements page.
- Cloud: Game Pass Ultimate allows streaming, and Xbox says it can also be streamed through NVIDIA GeForce NOW.
Gameplay questions
How long is the Gears of War: E-Day campaign?
Reported at 10 to 12 hours for the campaign. That is the figure carried in launch coverage, not a studio-published target.
Is E-Day co-op?
Campaign co-op is supported online. On Game Pass you need a tier that includes online multiplayer, because Horde Siege, Versus and campaign co-op all sit behind that requirement.
Is Gears of War: E-Day a prequel?
Yes. It is set on Emergence Day, the day the Locust first surfaced, with a younger Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the city of Kalona.
Is it on PlayStation?
No. It is on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC only.
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