{"id":23603,"date":"2026-10-08T16:47:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T16:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/igamemag.com\/?p=23603"},"modified":"2026-10-08T16:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T16:48:08","slug":"gears-of-war-e-day-review-roundup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/igamemag.com\/en-gb\/gears-of-war-e-day-review-roundup\/","title":{"rendered":"Gears of War: E-Day Review Roundup: What the Critics Say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Marcus<\/p>\n

Gears of War: E-Day reviews<\/strong> are in, and critics agree The Coalition has delivered its best Gears game yet. The Xbox version holds a Metascore of 87<\/strong>, 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<\/strong> for Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it’s on Game Pass from day one.<\/p>\n

This is a review roundup<\/strong>: we’ve gathered the scores and the main praise and complaints from the biggest outlets so you can see the consensus in one place.<\/p>\n

Gears of War: E-Day at a glance<\/h2>\n\n\n
Release date<\/strong><\/td>6 October 2026 (Premium Edition early access from 1 October)<\/td><\/tr>\n
Platforms<\/strong><\/td>Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam and Microsoft Store)<\/td><\/tr>\n
Developer<\/strong><\/td>The Coalition, with People Can Fly<\/td><\/tr>\n
Price<\/strong><\/td>\u00a359.99 \/ $69.99 Standard; $99.99 Premium Edition<\/td><\/tr>\n
Game Pass<\/strong><\/td>Yes, day one (Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass)<\/td><\/tr>\n
Metacritic<\/strong><\/td>87 (Xbox Series X), 82 (PC)<\/td><\/tr>\n
OpenCritic<\/strong><\/td>Around 88 Top Critic Average, about 90% recommend<\/td><\/tr>\n
Steam user reviews<\/strong><\/td>Mostly Positive (about 75% of 5,800+ reviews)<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Scores checked on 8 October 2026. Aggregate scores move as more reviews arrive.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is Gears of War: E-Day about?<\/h2>\n

E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War, on Emergence Day \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

Gears of War: E-Day review scores<\/h2>\n\n\n
Outlet<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>\n
Pure Xbox<\/td>10\/10<\/td><\/tr>\n
Game Informer<\/td>9.5\/10<\/td><\/tr>\n
IGN<\/td>9\/10<\/td><\/tr>\n
Destructoid<\/td>9\/10<\/td><\/tr>\n
VGC<\/td>4\/5<\/td><\/tr>\n
GameSpot<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>\n
The Guardian<\/td>3\/5<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What do critics like about Gears of War: E-Day?<\/h2>\n