Gears of War: E-Day Opens Premium Early Access Ahead of October 7 Launch
Reviews landing in the mid-to-high 80s on Metacritic give E-Day one of the strongest critical receptions the series has seen, while the 14,000 yen Premium Edition tier turns early access into a paid upgrade rather than a perk.
Key Facts
- Gears of War: E-Day entered early access on October 2, 2026 for Premium Edition buyers and Game Pass subscribers with the Premium Upgrade.
- The Premium Edition of Gears of War: E-Day costs 14,000 yen including tax.
- Gears of War: E-Day launches in standard form on October 7 Japan time for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass support.
- Gears of War: E-Day sits at a Metacritic average of 87 from 52 Xbox Series X|S reviews and 84 from 27 PC reviews as of early October 2026.
- Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, covering Emergence Day, when the Locust emerged from beneath Sera and killed 25 percent of humanity.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Xbox Game Studios began early access for Gears of War: E-Day on October 2, 2026, the same day it released a launch trailer for the game. Early access is open to buyers of the Premium Edition and to Game Pass subscribers who pay for the Premium Upgrade; the Premium Edition is priced at 14,000 yen including tax. Developer The Coalition built the game as a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, covering Emergence Day, when the Locust emerged from beneath the planet Sera and killed roughly a quarter of humanity. The trailer shows a younger Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago alongside gameplay footage. The standard edition follows on October 7 Japan time for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass support. At the time of writing, Metacritic sits at 87 from 52 Xbox Series X|S reviews and 84 from 27 PC reviews.
The launch trailer and the review embargo broke on the same day, which puts the first paid-access players and the first published scores side by side. Eurogamer Germany gave it a 100 and called the campaign the best in the Gears series to date, singling out the lighting and sound for the survival horror feel of the Locust. CGMagazine gave it a 90 and said the new acid-spitting shotgun and sticky grenade launcher make the new Locust types fun to fight. Meristation and Voxel also scored it 90 on Xbox Series X.
Not every outlet agreed on the ceiling. Areajugones scored it 85 and wrote that the campaign's strong opening does not hold through to the end, and said the game is a perfect prequel rather than the rebirth some expected. XGN gave 85 on Xbox Series X and noted not everything lands as intended. VGC gave an 80 and said almost nothing this year beats the pure gunplay, while Slant Magazine's 80 described the mechanics as finely tuned but conventional for a cover shooter.
The four-person Bravo Squad in the campaign includes two soldiers named Lucas and Magus, per an early-hands-on impression.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.