RELATED GAMEGears of War: E-DayView coverage → Gears of War: E-Day is out. The prequel launches worldwide today, October 6, at 8 a.m. Pacific, on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it is included in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one. Premium Edition owners have been playing since October 1.
A record start on Steam
Early access has already set a mark on PC. E-Day reached 20,374 concurrent players on Steam on October 2, more than double the 10,196 peak of Gears 5, the previous best for a Gears game on the platform. Those figures cover Steam only: they do not include Xbox Series X|S or players using the Xbox app on PC.
What the critics say
E-Day holds an 88 on Metacritic and an 87 on OpenCritic, and both averages can still move. IGN gave it a 9/10, praising the characters and the evolved combat. One important caveat: the reviews cover only the single-player campaign, because multiplayer was not available to critics. Horde and versus are still waiting for a verdict. For the full breakdown of scores and reservations, see our review roundup.
Should you start today?
If you subscribe to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, the only cost is the download, so the reviews say go. On PC, check the requirements first: the game needs a ray tracing-capable graphics card and 115 GB of free SSD space, all covered in our launch guide.
Playing with friends? Our co-op and crossplay guide explains how to team up, and the beginner's guide has 10 tips for surviving Emergence Day.
