Gears of War: E-Day release date, launch times, gameplay, latest news

One of the biggest games coming to Xbox this year is Gears of War: E-Day.

After years of waiting, the sixth entry in the mainline Gears series is finally almost here, taking us back to its roots with the origin story of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago.

So, for all the details on the Gears of War: E-Day release day, launch times and more, read on!

When is the Gears of War: E-Day release date and UK launch time?

Gears of War E-Day will be released on October 6, 2026 at 4pm BST for PC and Xbox Series consoles.

For those of you around the world, here's what time Gears of War: E-Day launches in your time zone:

• US Pacific (PDT) – 8am
• US Mountain (MDT) – 9am
• US Central (CDT) – 10am
• US Eastern (EDT) – 11am
• Brazil (BRT) – 12pm
• Central Europe (CEST) – 5pm
• Singapore (SGT) – 11pm
• Japan (JST) – 12am, 7 October
• Australia East Coast (AEST) – 1am, 7 October
• New Zealand (NZDT) – 4am, 7 October

The game will also be available five days early on October 1, 2026 at the same times if you purchase the premium edition. The game is an Xbox console exclusive, meaning it won't come to PS5 or Nintendo Switch 2. However, you can pre-order the game on PC.

‌Can I pre-order Gears of War: E-Day?

Yes, Gears of War: E-Day can be pre-ordered on Xbox and PC at their respective storefronts. You can also pre-order physical versions of the game at your local retail store and online websites like Amazon.

Pre-orders on websites like Loaded aren't currently live just yet, but should be in the future.

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Which consoles and platforms can play Gears of War: E-Day?

Gears of War: E-Day is going to be available to play on Xbox Series X/S and PC. The game will not be available on Xbox One or other consoles.

Gears of War: E-Day gameplay and story details

The game is set 14 years before the events of the first game in the franchise, 2006’s Gears of War.

It will follow younger versions of the series’s most popular and beloved characters, Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, as they negotiate the fallout of Emergence Day, which saw the vicious alien Locusts ascend on the city Sera from the underground.

In an interview posted on Microsoft’s website, creative director Matt Searcy said that the aim of E-Day was to revisit the tone of the series that fans adore.

"It’s going to feel like a new Gears game, because that’s what it is," he said. "It’s us revisiting the tone and feeling of what makes Gears great, but we’re tapping into new techniques, new processes and new technology that’s going to make the gameplay feel better than ever.

"It’s going to be awesome, a game that feels both truly new and authentically Gears."

In the same post, studio art director Aryan Hanbeck conceded that in recent entries, the Locust Drones within the game (and seen in the announcement trailer) had become canon fodder, but one of the studio’s aims was to redefine them for the new game.

"We transformed the Drone into something fearsome, physically intimidating and utterly brutal," he said.

E-Day looks set to be an origin story for not just the Locusts, but also the friendship between Fenix and Santiago, Searcy confirmed. "People are going to see the formation of this brotherhood that is so iconic to Gears," he said.

You can also get a deeper look at the game in the Gears of War: E-Day direct, which aired after the Xbox Games Showcase 2026.

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Is there a Gears of War: E-Day trailer?

Yes, there is a trailer for Gears of War: E-Day, and you can see it below. It was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase on 9th June 2024 and presented using the powerful Unreal Engine 5.

It begins with a younger version of Marcus desperately fighting off a Locust Drone in a house, before smashing it in the face with a television set and shooting it with a MK1 Lancer Assault Rifle.

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A full gameplay demo was showcased at the Xbox Games Showcase 2026.

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