Critics put E-Day near 90 and argue over the campaign’s pace

The first reviews of Gears of War: E-Day are mostly warm. When the count was taken, OpenCritic showed an average of 90, and 92% of 25 reviews recommended the game.

The combat is the most common praise: heavy weapons, more mobile heroes, destruction, and the grim tone of the early games. The Verge called the prequel confident and tense, and said The Coalition did not abandon cover shooting. Writers also single out the Unreal Engine 5 presentation and the scale of Emergence Day.

The complaints repeat as well. The Guardian describes familiar situations and linear levels that leave little room to explore. GRYOnline.pl praises the return to the series’ roots, but faults the pace, enemy AI, and the smaller role given to Marcus Fenix than some expected.

Individual scores spread widely. A Gaming Network and Console Creatures each gave 9/10. Echo Boomer argues the opposite: strong shooting, but durable enemies, a co-op focus, and a thin story could make the campaign one of the weaker ones in the series. The full release is 6 October 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, including Steam and the Microsoft Store, with day-one PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. Premium Edition opened the game on 1 October.