Gears of War: E-Day has surged to the number-one spot on Steam’s top sellers chart as pre-orders continue ahead of the game’s October 6, 2026 launch on PC and Xbox Series X|S. Developed by The Coalition and published by Xbox Game Studios, the prequel is priced at $69.99 USD on Steam.
E-Day tells the origin story of Emergence Day — the moment the Locust Horde first erupted from beneath the surface of Sera. Players step into the boots of a young Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they fight to survive the initial outbreak. The story is set fourteen years before the events of the original Gears of War.
Built entirely from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, E-Day represents the biggest technical leap for the franchise. The Coalition has rebuilt every asset, animation, and system from scratch, targeting 4K resolution at up to 60 frames per second across both campaign and multiplayer modes.
Early Access Starts Today for Premium Edition Owners
Players who pre-ordered the Premium Edition on Xbox and PC can begin playing today, October 1, through a five-day early access window. The Premium Edition also includes the Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack and five seasonal customization packs starting with the Emergence Pack at launch. Standard edition owners will gain access on October 6.
Multiplayer and Co-op Details
E-Day features both local split-screen co-op (console only) and online co-op for up to four players in the campaign. The returning Horde mode has been reimagined as Horde Siege, an evolved take on the series’ iconic wave survival mode. Competitive Versus PvP is available across new and fan-favorite 4v4 modes with full cross-platform multiplayer support.
The game supports Steam Achievements, DualSense controller features, HDR output, and Family Sharing. Gears of War: E-Day also launches day one on Game Pass Ultimate for subscribers.
Pre-purchase Gears of War: E-Day on Steam
Jordan Hayes covers PC gaming news, hardware, and the ever-changing Steam ecosystem for SteamGamer.net. He believes some of gaming’s biggest stories are hiding in patch notes, performance charts, and suspiciously quiet price changes. When he isn’t investigating what developers or GPU manufacturers are doing, he is probably starting another roguelike run he insists will be his last.
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