Gears of War: E-Day Editions, Early Access and Game Pass Explained
Standard is $69.99, Premium is $99.99 and Game Pass gets it on 6 October. What each Gears of War: E-Day edition adds, and when early access unlocks.
Gears of War: E-Day
- The Coalition
- Xbox Game Studios
- October 6, 2026
- Xbox Series X|S · PC
- Third-person shooter
Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the original Gears of War, set fourteen years before that game on Emergence Day, when the Locust Horde first broke through the surface of Sera. Players follow Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, returning home as war heroes, through the opening hours of the invasion that defines the rest of the series.
The game is developed by The Coalition, the Microsoft studio that has run the series since Gears of War 4, and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is built on Unreal Engine 5 and is a third-person cover shooter, the format the series has kept since it began on Xbox 360 in November 2006.
According to Xbox, E-Day releases on 6 October 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, including Steam, and is available on day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. The Standard Edition costs $69.99 and the Premium Edition $99.99; Premium owners get up to five days of early access.
This hub collects AFK Journal's coverage of the game: release information, performance and settings guides once the PC version is out, and our evidence-based review, which weighs critic scores against Steam player reviews rather than claiming hands-on play.
Gears of War: E-Day guides
