The last time we played through a new mainline Gears of War game was 2019, which feels like a lifetime ago. In that time, The Coalition has been churning away at Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel story to the original Gears of War games. Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago stepping back into the spotlight after serving as the anchors for the original trilogy may feel like developer The Coalition waving the white flag on trying to innovate on the franchise following the division surrounding Gears of War 4 and Gears 5, but once you play through the campaign, it’s apparent the studio hardly rested on its laurels.
Gears of War: E-Day tells the story of perhaps the most pivotal event in the Gears of War universe. Following the conclusion of the Pendulum Wars, Marcus and Dom are in the city of Kalona when the ground shakes and opens to reveal the Locust horde. Watching civilians futilely run for their lives as Locusts rip them apart adds an immediate horror vibe to the overall tone. And even as you are essentially a walking tank of a soldier, that vibe never lets up. Watching the city of Kalona fall in real time as each of humanity’s Hail Mary attempts is thwarted by the invading force establishes the Locusts as a true threat. Even as an armored-and-armed-to-the-teeth COG, an overwhelming sense of helplessness colors the entire experience; no matter how many waves of enemies I mow down, there is no end in sight and no salvation for humanity.
The action set-pieces are impressive and frequent; one sequence on an airstrip stands out as one of my favorite shootouts this decade, while some less-curated areas that involve traversing Kalona’s city streets break up the nonstop action with minor exploration elements and sidequests. Most of the campaign takes place in downtown Kalona, and when you’re in the streets, you’re free to make your way as directly or circuitously as you see fit. I couldn’t help but stop and help stranded platoons or look for nearby collectibles. Uncovering hard cases became my favorite side activity, as they reward mods for your weapons. I did my best to collect every mod I could for each individual in-game weapon; tinkering with the arsenal to match my playstyle became my preferred pastime in between shootouts.
Blasting through the relentless hordes is as enjoyable and intense as ever. Whether I was chainsawing enemies to bits with my Lancer, picking them off from afar with my Hammerburst, or outright melting them with an acid-blasting Incinerator, I actively sought out even the optional conflicts. But you don’t just fight standard grubs; Gears of War: E-Day throws so many special minibosses that can completely disrupt your best-laid strategies at a moment’s notice that you’re almost trained to expect the unexpected. Thankfully, you can use new tactical abilities, like a healing injection or an enemy-tagging drone, as well as new traversal and cover mechanics to level the playing field. And though they may stop following you out of nowhere, occasionally get in the way, and yell out cringeworthy one-liners, you always have your squad of four with you even while playing solo; if you’re downed, you can be revived by a squadmate a limited number of times per conflict.
Those squadmates are compelling components of the overall narrative. Marcus and Dom are dealing with the loss of Carlos, Dom’s brother and Marcus’ best friend. Mags is a strong-willed former soldier who reluctantly gets sucked into the fray when the Locusts attack. The weak link is Lucas, a newly enlisted soldier who spouts random facts and likes to follow the COG handbook. For too much of the story, Lucas is underdeveloped, but a late-game story involving the newbie really elevated him to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Marcus, Dom, and Mags; I just wish it happened sooner.
Gears of War: E-Day’s campaign is one of my favorites of 2026. The characters, action, and story coalesce into something I won’t soon forget, thanks in large part to The Coalition’s smart utilization of Kalona. Unfortunately, the multiplayer servers weren’t turned on before the embargo lift, but if I get as much enjoyment from the PvP and PvE modes on offer, Gears of War: E-Day could easily jump up near the top of my list of favorite games in the series.
