Gears of War: E-Day

Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel to the entire Gears of War franchise, set approximately fourteen years before the events of the original 2006 game and depicting Emergence Day — the cataclysmic moment when the Locust Horde burst through the surface of Sera and began humanity's near-extinction. It is being developed by The Coalition, the Microsoft-owned studio that took over the franchise from Epic Games and has released Gears 4 (2016), Gears 5 (2019), and Gears Tactics (2020). E-Day is built on Unreal Engine 5, placing it in the same technical generation as Epic's own Fortnite and a wave of next-generation titles. The Coalition has been vocal about using Lumen and Nanite to achieve a level of environmental fidelity appropriate for depicting a world mid-apocalypse — burning cities, underground Locust emergence points, and the chaotic early days of the COG's survival response. The visual targets shown in pre-release materials are among the most impressive demonstrated by any 2026 title. Campaign co-op returns as a core feature, which was a significant talking point after Gears 5's split-screen limitations frustrated longtime fans. The prequel framing means younger versions of iconic characters — Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in their prime — take center stage, giving longtime fans a new angle on beloved characters while providing a clean entry point for newcomers who have heard of Gears without having played the original trilogy. The game is expected in 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, PC, and reportedly PlayStation 5 as part of Microsoft's multiplatform expansion. Game Pass day-one inclusion is expected as standard for an Xbox Game Studios release.