Gears of War: E-Day Review Roundup: What the Critics Say

Gears of War: E-Day reviews are in, and critics agree The Coalition has delivered its best Gears game yet. The Xbox version holds a Metascore of 87, the series' highest since Gears of War 3, and OpenCritic shows a Top Critic Average of around 88, with roughly nine in ten critics recommending it. The game launched on 6 October 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it's on Game Pass from day one.

This is a review roundup: we've gathered the scores and the main praise and complaints from the biggest outlets so you can see the consensus in one place.

Gears of War: E-Day at a glance

Scores checked on 8 October 2026. Aggregate scores move as more reviews arrive.

What is Gears of War: E-Day about?

E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, on Emergence Day – the day the Locust Horde burst out from beneath the planet Sera. You play as a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, fighting alongside Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes as Bravo Squad while the city of Kalona falls. It's built in Unreal Engine 5, with four-player online co-op (two-player split-screen on console), 4v4 versus modes and a new co-op mode, Horde Siege.

Gears of War: E-Day review scores

What do critics like about Gears of War: E-Day?

• The combat. Almost every review singles out the cover shooting as the best the series has felt. Even mixed reviews call the gunplay the highlight.
• Marcus and Dom. IGN and Game Informer both praise the prequel's characters and the friendship at its heart, and several reviewers found the story more heartfelt than expected.
• Kalona and the spectacle. The falling city, destructible environments and big set pieces impressed critics, with Game Informer calling it one of its favourite campaigns of 2026.
• A return to form. Eurogamer felt it builds on the best of the original trilogy while dropping the cheesiest parts.

Image: Xbox Game Studios

What do critics dislike about Gears of War: E-Day?

• Repetitive levels. The Guardian criticised repetitive level design and weak side content, and PC Gamer felt the campaign runs too long.
• Thin emotional depth. VGC enjoyed the intense action but found the story lighter than it wanted to be.
• Pacing in bigger areas. Some reviewers felt the larger, more open sections slow things down.
• A step back in places. At the low end, Jeremy Penter (7.4/10) argued it feels like a step back from Gears 5 in parts, while still praising the shooting.

One important caveat: the early reviews covered the campaign only. Multiplayer servers weren't live during the review period, so versus and Horde Siege haven't been judged by most critics yet.

Is Gears of War: E-Day worth playing?

Based on the reviews, yes – especially if you have Game Pass, where it costs nothing extra to try. Critics broadly agree it's the strongest Gears campaign in over a decade, with the series' best combat. If you're buying outright, the main things to weigh are a long campaign that some found repetitive and multiplayer that's still unproven at launch. PC players should note the PC version scores lower on Metacritic (82) than the Xbox version (87).

More shooters and Xbox news on iGame Magazine

• When does Gears of War: E-Day release? – our original release coverage
• Gamescom 2026: everything announced – Xbox's big show of the year
• The Witcher 3 Remastered: out now – another big October 2026 release on Xbox and PC

Gears of War: E-Day FAQ