Gears of War: E-Day Review — The Best Shooting in the Series, Trapped in an Exhausting Campaign

Score: 8.5/10 — The best shooting Gears has ever had, trapped in a campaign that runs out of steam before it ends.

Gears of War: E-Day (The Coalition, out October 6, 2026 on PC and Xbox Series X/S, day-one Game Pass) is a prequel set 20 years before the original — Emergence Day, when the Locust erupted from underground and changed Sera forever. You play a young Marcus Fenix in a civil defense unit, at the start of his friendship with Dom Santiago.

Why critics fell for it

The numbers first: 88 on Metacritic, 87 on OpenCritic — among the best-reviewed Gears entries in a decade. IGN gave the campaign a 9/10, Polygon praised its combat and emotional weight.

And when E-Day shoots, nothing touches it. The cover system is precise, the renovated Torque Bow and sniper rifle feel fantastic, and the overhauled controls (sprint on L3, dedicated jump button) make movement far more modern. The audio is elite too — that headshot "squelch" is one of the most satisfying sounds in the industry.

Horde Siege — the evolved Horde mode — is near-universally praised as the multiplayer highlight.

The problem: it's too long

E-Day's campaign is the longest The Coalition has ever built: 12 hours rushing the story, 20+ exploring, 25 for completionists. And this is where consensus breaks. PC Gamer argued the narrow loop can't sustain that length — objectives repeat: shoot Locust, survive a wave, remix enemy combinations. Two helicopter turret sections drew criticism from nearly every reviewer.

Steam players are harsher: 79% positive across ~3,000 reviews, with complaints about missing series trademarks (chainsaw duels, "meat shield" grabs) and a flat story. Marcus and Dom read as "toned down."

Verdict

E-Day is a game with a phenomenal combat system that deserved a better campaign. If you're on Game Pass, it's a mandatory download — free, and the first 12 hours are excellent. If you're paying $70 for the story alone, wait for a sale. The multiplayer (largely unreviewed during the campaign embargo) could lift the whole package — or not. For now: 8.5, with a big asterisk on pacing.