Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera. We'll follow younger versions of the series' original heroes, Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, as they begin their fight against the Locust invasion. This event is the catalyst for everything we know and love about Gears of War.

Fans of those mainline Gears of War games can expect to feel at home with how Gears of War: E-Day feels. The Coalition is working to recreate and improve the series' trademark third-person action, charging between cover in life-or death situations, all set within an explosive campaign that combines satisfying gameplay and emotive, character-led storytelling. However, all this is told through a modern lens, and rooted in groundbreaking technology, giving The Coalition room to really build out those elements. It's a careful balance – a classic Gears of War game that feels authentic next to the original, but with truly next-gen tech behind it. 

Bringing the Monsters Back

Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera. As the game unfolds, we'll get to see how an ill-prepared world responds to a threat like the Locust. The Coalition are being very intentional to recast the Locusts not simply as foes but as living nightmares. These aren't your typical alien or zombie videogame antagonists; they're mysterious, formidable creatures that dwell beneath the earth, tapping into our deepest fears. "The design brief was pretty simple," explains Searcy. "Locust are the 'monsters under the bed.' What would happen to the people of Sera in seeing this overwhelming army of monsters and trying to figure out ... what are you going to do?" 

An XBOX Console Exclusive.

Experience the horror and brutality of Emergence Day. Fourteen years before the original Gears of War, join Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago in a gripping origin-story campaign as the Locust Horde first erupts from below, igniting a desperate fight for survival.

Pre-order to get early access to the open beta August 6th and unlock the Exfil Dom Character Skin and the Exfil Weapon Skin Set in-game at launch.

A Tale of Origins

E-Day reintroduces us to Marcus, as he engages in a brutal struggle with the aforementioned Locust Drone. However, unlike our previous outings with him, this is the first time that the seasoned horde-sawing soldier we all know has faced off against an enemy like this. You can feel the strain and helplessness as he jousts with this inexplicable monstrosity – before finally fending it off not with his Retro Lancer, but a nearby television set. It's this flavour of raw, personal brutality and desperation that The Coalition seeks to capture in Gears of War: E-Day – Marcus, and the world around him, are not yet equipped for this level of threat.  

As Marcus teeters on the edge in a fierce close-quarters battle with the Locust, he swiftly outsmarts the Drone by planting the Lancer into the wall, disengaging the bayonet and downing his foe with a kill shot. He takes a moment to recuperate, before plummeting through the floorboards to what would presumably be his death at the behest of a giant emergence hole. We've not seen E-Holes since Gears of War: Judgement and watching this cavernous void swallow up an entire building with ease is particularly terrifying. However, in this moment, we see the reveal of a young Dom Santiago reaching out to help him up, and for longtime fans, it's an emotional homecoming like no other.  

The Beginnings of Brotherhood

This story is told from the perspectives of a much younger Marcus and Dom. While the pair are seasoned veterans of the Pendulum Wars (the human conflict taking place before the series begins), this is a wholly new threat for the pair to navigate: "The best Gears games have these super emotional themes around shared burden, belonging, trust and loyalty, and Marcus and Dom have a really interesting relationship going into E-Day," Searcy says. 

To give some background context leading into the story of E-Day, Marcus and Dom are connected through Dom's older brother, Carlos, who died on the battlefield with Marcus. The pair were best friends, so Marcus and Dom are in the early stages of forming a kinship over a shared loss and navigating those emotions together.

Dealing with the new Locust threat becomes the more pressing concern for the two friends over the course of E-Day, but those emotional beats will still course through the story as you play. Fawcette says this is particularly exciting:

From The Ground Up

Key to The Coalition's vision is that, in another nod to the original game, E-Day won't just be a marvel of gameplay and storytelling – but of technology, too. Game development has come a long way since the first Gears of War game and The Coalition, equipped with Unreal Engine 5, is prepared to take full advantage of this evolution to set new standards in technical prowess.

When the original Gears of War launched, its "Mad World" trailer was nothing short of a revelation. Rendered entirely in-engine, it set a new benchmark for what gamers could expect directly from their gameplay experience—a rarity at a time when the chasm between cinematic trailers and actual game graphics was notably wide. Epic Games' use of their own Unreal Engine not only showcased their confidence in the game's visual and performance capabilities but also boldly declared the engine's power.  

The Future of Gears 

Of course, this isn't the end of other ongoing stories in the Gears series – the team is content with the stories told in Gears 4 and Gears 5 and is by no means abandoning them, but the collective passion for such an iconic origin story was simply too great to ignore. The story of E-Day and the origins of Marcus and Dom are such powerful, pivotal events that The Coalition couldn't wait to tell it. 

It's also important to note that E-Day is not a spin-off, it's a completely new entry to the mainline series, set earlier in the timeline. The events of the game not only serve as an exciting origin tale of two beloved characters, but it also adds detail and context to this period that will resonate through stories that will follow. In E-day, the Locust are not foes that our characters are accustomed to fighting. They are mysterious, formidable and overwhelming – an unforeseen horror that Marcus, Dom, and the rest of Sera must learn to deal with before it's too late. Everything that happens in E-Day will shape the future of Gears of War for the better. 

Gears of War: E-Day is coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 6, 2026.