The Coalition · Xbox Game Studios
Experience Emergence Day – the brutal origin story of one of gaming’s most acclaimed third-person shooter franchises.
At a glance
- Price
- $69.99
- Developer
- The Coalition
- Publisher
- Xbox Game Studios
Data: Steam · Updated Oct 1, 2026
What is Gears of War: E-Day?
Set on the planet Sera fourteen years before the events of the original Gears of War, this is a prequel third-person shooter built around the day the Locust Horde first surfaces: Emergence Day. Players take control of a young Marcus Fenix, fighting alongside Dominic Santiago and fellow soldiers Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes as the four form Bravo Squad amid the sudden collapse of human civilization in the city of Kalona. The story is framed as an origin piece, tracing how Marcus and Dom's friendship formed under the pressure of a planet-wide invasion rather than continuing the saga from where earlier entries left off. Combat keeps the series' trademark cover-based shooting but reworks movement around sprinting slides, gap jumps, and the ability to climb onto vehicles, giving firefights more verticality than in previous games. Encounters play out in destructible environments punctuated by Emergence Holes that spawn Locust forces mid-battle, and the arsenal includes period-specific weapons such as the Gutpuncher grenade launcher, the Incinerator shotgun, and an earlier bayonet-equipped version of the Lancer rifle. The campaign can be played solo or in cooperative play with up to four players online or two players in split-screen, following Bravo Squad's story from the beginning. Separate multiplayer options include traditional 4v4 competitive matches with reworked controls and Horde Siege, a twelve-player cooperative mode with squad-based objectives set across Kalona. It is aimed at long-time fans curious about the series' founding event as well as newcomers drawn to its third-person squad combat.
System requirements
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
| Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|
| OS: Windows 10 64-bit 22H 19045.7291 | OS: Windows 11 64bit (25H2) or newer |
| Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel i7‑6850K / i5‑10400 | Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel i5-11600K |
| Memory: 12 GB RAM | Memory: 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics: Hardware Ray Tracing capable GPU is required. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD Radeon RX 6600 / Radeon RX 9060 | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060ti / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT / Radeon RX 9060 XT |
| DirectX: Version 12 | DirectX: Version 12 |
| Network: Broadband Internet connection | Network: Broadband Internet connection |
| Storage: 115 GB available space | Storage: 115 GB available space |
| Sound Card: Windows compatible audio device | Sound Card: Windows compatible audio device |
| Additional Notes: Storage: SSD required (solid-state drive) | Additional Notes: Storage: SSD required (solid-state drive) |
Our coverage
Quick poll
FAQ
Is Gears of War: E-Day free? ▾
Paid game, see current price on Steam.
Can my PC run Gears of War: E-Day? ▾
Minimum: Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel i7‑6850K / i5‑10400, Memory: 12 GB RAM, Graphics: Hardware Ray Tracing capable GPU is required. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 / AMD Radeon RX 6600 / Radeon RX 9060, Storage: 115 GB available space. Recommended: Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel i5-11600K, Memory: 16 GB RAM, Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060ti / AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT / Radeon RX 9060 XT, Storage: 115 GB available space.
Which platforms? ▾
Windows only
Which languages? ▾
Interface: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Arabic, Czech, Dutch, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Finnish. Full audio: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Traditional Chinese.
Controller support? ▾
Yes, full support.
Single- or multiplayer? ▾
Single-player, Multi-player, PvP, Online PvP, Co-op, Online Co-op, Cross-Platform Multiplayer.
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Data: Steam. Updated Oct 1, 2026. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.