Gears of War: E-Day Early Access Is Live Ahead of Its October 6 Launch

Gears of War: E-Day entered early access on October 1, giving some players several days to start the campaign and multiplayer content before the worldwide release.

Microsoft says early access began at 8:00 a.m. PT on October 1 for Premium Edition owners and Game Pass subscribers who have the Premium Upgrade. The standard worldwide launch is scheduled for October 6 at 8:00 a.m. PT.

The game is releasing on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam. Cloud play is also available through Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce NOW, although access and supported features can vary by region and subscription.

E-Day is set 14 years before the original Gears of War and follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the Locust Horde's first major emergence. The campaign can be played solo or in two-player split-screen on console, while online modes support broader multiplayer options.

The Coalition is also bringing back Horde in a new Horde Siege format and offering competitive Versus modes. Microsoft says the game was rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5 and targets up to 4K and 60 frames per second, with compatible hardware and displays required for those output targets.

Players who are not using the Premium Edition or Premium Upgrade will need to wait for the October 6 launch. As with other live launches, server conditions, feature availability and performance may change after release, so players should check official service and support pages if issues appear.