Today’s Xbox Games Showcase brought our first look at gameplay for Gears of War: E-Day in a new trailer featuring Marcus Fenix wearing… very normal clothes?? That’s likely because E-Day is about Emergency Day, or the day in the Gears of War universe where the Locust made themselves known from their underground hives.
Marcus, answering the call to protect the city he seemingly lives in, picks up a gun and gets to work, and it looks awesome, showcasing a key piece of Gears of War’s history we’ve never seen in a game. Plus, this gameplay trailer revealed that Gears of War: E-Day launches exclusively on October 6 on Xbox Series X/S and PC (despite rumors of a PlayStation 5 release).
Check it out in the Gears of War: E-Day gameplay reveal trailer below:
As you can see, Gears of War: E-Day still retains the classic third-person cover shooter DNA of the prior Gears of War games, though this one is decidedly even more bloody and violent. Its visual fidelity is impressive, too, with developer The Coalition showcasing its Unreal Engine 5 prowess.
In case this is your first time hearing about the game, Gears of War: E-Day is an origin prequel for the series, set 14 years before the events of the first Gears of War game, and as the name implies, it chronicles the events of longtime protagonist Marcus Fenix as he navigates the eruption of the Locust Horde’s siege on humanity.
In the extended look at Gears of War: E-Day that aired right after today’s Xbox Games Showcase, we learned even more about how the game will play. New mechanical advancements include new methods to fight off Locust hordes – how much you explore the city-setting of Kalona will determine how many civilians you help, and The Coalition says exploring city offshoots will lead to additional environmental story discoveries and more.
The Coalition also touts its emphasis on environmental details that speak to the destruction and chaos the Locusts have caused – dinners left uneaten, TVs still on, and more. Nobody in the city was prepared for this, and the team put a lot of detail into ensuring that what you see on-screen reflects that. The studio also highlighted the return of Locust holes, where hordes of enemies will spew forth, as well as the ways in which bullets, explosions, and Locust attacks bring destruction to Kalona.
The story explores themes of burden, loss, and loyalty, according to the team. The entire campaign is played from the perspective of the new Bravo Squad, and you’ll meet Carter, a new Gear, and Lucas, a fresh cadet, who round out the new crew alongside Marcus and Dom. These four soldiers will navigate tensions together as they fight the Locusts, ultimately forming unshakeable bonds as they attempt to save humanity. Bravo’s story also intertwines with others from the Gears of War storyline (including novels), including characters like Gill Gettner and Tai Kaliso.
Instead of chasing perfect realism in the visuals, risking the loss of the bulky, larger-than-life visual style that defines Gears of War, The Coalition took a respectful approach to presenting these returning characters in new ways, as the showcase revealed.
Finally, Gears of War: E-Day will run at 4K resolution with native HDR10 rendering and hardware-based 60 FPS ray tracing in the campaign (and 120 FPS in multiplayer). It will feature 4-player online co-op (with all four playable characters available from the jump) and 2-player splitscreen co-op.
Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026, as a platform exclusive game on Xbox Series X/S and PC.
