Microsoft's first major new Xbox console exclusive since its multiformat move arrives this autumn with Gears of War: E-Day. A prequel set 14 years before the original game, it follows a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago during the beginning of the Locust Wars. We got several hours of hands-on time with the competitive multiplayer, set in the shattered city of Kalona.
City design and movement
Kalona features broken baroque domes and classical architecture, with waist-high debris for cover. The city channels enemies through bottlenecks and open courtyards. Enhanced parkour lets players scale taller parapets and balconies, while the roadie run now offers a wider camera angle for better battlefield awareness.
Horde Siege and combat
The 12-player Horde Siege mode tasks three teams with completing events and side quests, then clearing a landing zone for an evacuation chopper. Movement feels fast and solid, with chunky soldiers slotting behind cover. However, enemies are exceptionally bullet spongey, with Boomers and larger foes taking multiple clips to the head before falling. Levelling up gradually improves weapon effectiveness.
Bosses and class play
House-sized bosses like crab-like Corpsers require teamwork. The Marksman class in PvE Horde mode benefits from extra verticality, allowing more time to snipe before being overrun. The active reload mechanic is refined: the damage bonus occurs at the end of the reload window, letting players trigger early for expediency.
Familiar tropes
While E-Day feels like a standard third-person co-op wave shooter, the cover-based shooter genre it helped pioneer now feels copied by many. The multiplayer is entertaining but adds little new. The single-player campaign remains the most anticipated part for most players.
Formats: Xbox Series X/S (previewed) and PC
Price: £59.99
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: The Coalition and People Can Fly
Release Date: 6th October 2026
Age Rating: 18
