Standard Edition
$69.99- The full game from 6 October
- Exfil Dom character skin and Exfil weapon skin set for pre-orders
Third-person shooter · The Coalition with People Can Fly
Emergence Day, on the trigger you already own.
Gears of War: E-Day launches 6 October 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, day one on Game Pass, with the Premium Edition opening five days early on 1 October. This hub keeps the dates and editions straight — and covers the change that matters most to your hands: Active Reload has moved off the corner of the screen and onto the reticle, and two shotguns now reload a round at a time.
Countdown in your time zoneGears E-Day launches in
17days to go
17days
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first regionlast region
Midnight arrives region by region, over roughly a day.
Launch moment: midnight local time on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Microsoft has not published a launch-time schedule yet. Recent Xbox and Game Pass titles have unlocked at midnight local time on console, while the Steam build usually opens on a fixed Pacific-time schedule instead — so a PC player and a console player in the same room can start at different moments. The countdown assumes midnight where you are and will be corrected when the schedule is posted; what is certain is the Premium Edition's five-day head start on 1 October.
Unlock time
When Gears E-Day unlocks where you are
| Where | Unlocks at | After the first zone |
|---|---|---|
| New ZealandPacific/Auckland | 00:00 local | first |
| Australia (east)Australia/Sydney | 00:00 local | 2 h later |
| Japan & KoreaAsia/Tokyo | 00:00 local | 4 h later |
| PhilippinesAsia/Manila | 00:00 local | 5 h later |
| IndiaAsia/Kolkata | 00:00 local | 7 h 30 m later |
| MoscowEurope/Moscow | 00:00 local | 10 h later |
| Central EuropeEurope/Berlin | 00:00 local | 11 h later |
| UKEurope/London | 00:00 local | 12 h later |
| BrazilAmerica/Sao Paulo | 00:00 local | 16 h later |
| US EasternAmerica/New York | 00:00 local | 17 h later |
| US PacificAmerica/Los Angeles | 00:00 local | 20 h later |
This one unlocks at midnight local time, so the date is Tuesday, 6 October 2026 wherever you are but the moment is not. That is also the one case where changing your console or store region does something: a zone that has already passed midnight is already playing.
Key facts
What is confirmed about Gears E-Day
PlatformsXbox Series X|S · PC (Microsoft Store, Steam)
Launch6 October 2026
Day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Early access1 October 2026
Up to five days early for the Premium Edition.
PlatformsXbox Series X|S, PC via Microsoft Store and Steam
No PlayStation version; Xbox confirmed the console exclusivity at the June showcase.
Frame rate60 fps campaign and Horde Siege, up to 120 fps multiplayer
120 fps figure is for Xbox Series X.
Active Reload barCentre screen, below the reticle by default
A setting returns it to the upper-right corner where it has been since 2006.
ModesCampaign, 4v4 competitive, Horde Siege (12 players)
Campaign supports four-player online co-op and two-player split-screen on console.
SettingSera, 14 years before the first game
Emergence Day in the city of Kalona, with a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago.
Editions$69.99 Standard · $99.99 Premium · $299 Collector's
Premium is also a $30 upgrade from Standard.
Timeline
Dates that matter
- Open beta
Early access for pre-orders; this is where the new Active Reload position was first played publicly.
- Premium Edition early access
Up to five days before everyone else.
In 12 days - Launch and Game Pass day oneIn 17 days
Editions
Which edition unlocks what
Prices are US list prices where the publisher has stated them; regional pricing differs.
Premium Edition
$99.99- Up to five days early access from 1 October
- Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack
- Five Seasonal Customization Packs, starting with the Emergence Pack at launch
- 1,000 Iron (premium currency)
- Also sold as a $30 upgrade if you already own Standard
Collector's Edition
$299- Premium Edition content plus physical collector's items
Confirmed
- The Active Reload bar now sits in the centre of the screen just below the reticle by default. The Coalition says testing showed players used the mechanic more often from there; a setting puts it back in the upper-right corner.
- The Gnasher and Breechshot gain a round-by-round Active Reload — you can load one or two shells to finish a kill instead of committing to the full cycle.
- The Gnasher's capacity drops from eight shells to six, which is the cost of that flexibility.
- Movement is built on four stated principles: commitment (cover entry can only be cancelled within 1.5 metres), momentum (speed carries rather than reversing instantly), balanced speed across actions, and readable animation.
- Sprint sliding, jumping and climbing are in, alongside the series' cover-based combat.
- Campaign and Horde Siege target 60 fps; multiplayer reaches up to 120 fps on Xbox Series X.
Not confirmed yet
- Unlock times by region, and whether the Steam build opens on Pacific time rather than local midnight.
- Preload opening date and install size.
- Whether the Active Reload timing window itself is the same length as in previous games, or only the bar's position changed.
- Whether the centre-screen default applies to both campaign and multiplayer, or only one of them.
Get ready
Launch checklist
Everything here runs in the browser and takes minutes, so the first hour with the game is spent playing.
Quick answers
When does Gears of War: E-Day come out?
6 October 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it is on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one. The Premium Edition opens up to five days early, on 1 October. Microsoft has not posted unlock times per region yet.
Is E-Day on PlayStation 5?
No. Xbox confirmed console exclusivity at its June showcase, so the only versions are Xbox Series X|S and PC through the Microsoft Store and Steam.
What changed about Active Reload?
Two things, and one of them changes where you look. The bar now defaults to the centre of the screen just below the reticle instead of the upper-right corner — The Coalition says players used the mechanic more often from there, and a setting restores the old position. Separately, the Gnasher and Breechshot get a round-by-round reload: load a shell or two to finish a kill rather than committing to the whole cycle. The Gnasher pays for it with six shells instead of eight.
Should I move the Active Reload bar back to the corner?
That depends on something you can measure rather than argue about. In the corner, the bar is outside the area your eye holds while aiming, so reading it costs a glance away from the reticle and back. In the centre it is inside that area. If you have played Gears since 2006 the corner is where your attention already goes, and a habit that old is worth more than the geometry for a while — but if you are new, there is no habit to protect and the default is the easier place to read.
Is it on Game Pass?
Yes, day one on both Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, from 6 October. Game Pass does not include the Premium Edition's five-day early access; that is bought separately.
What do the editions include?
Standard is $69.99 and adds the Exfil Dom skin and weapon skin set if you pre-order. Premium is $99.99 and adds up to five days early access, the Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, five Seasonal Customization Packs and 1,000 Iron; it is also a $30 upgrade from Standard. A Collector's Edition is $299.
What frame rate does E-Day run at?
60 fps in the campaign and Horde Siege, and up to 120 fps in multiplayer on Xbox Series X. The gap matters for a timing mechanic: at 60 fps a frame holds the picture for 16.7 ms, at 120 fps for 8.3 ms, so the same Active Reload window gives you twice as many chances to see where the marker actually is.
