Gears of War: E-Day Reviews: Critics Call It One of the Best Gears Games Yet
Gears of War: E-Day is out, and critics are mostly impressed. Here's what reviewers loved, what they didn't, and whether it's worth playing.
The Locust are back — and this time, we're there for the very first night. Gears of War: E-Day launched worldwide on October 6, taking the series back to its beginning. Early reviews suggest the wait was worth it, though not every critic is convinced.
What is Gears of War: E-Day?
E-Day is a prequel set on Emergence Day — the night the Locust Horde first burst out of the ground. You play as a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, fighting to survive as the invasion tears through the city of Kalona. Built from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, it targets 4K resolution at up to 60 frames per second in both the campaign and multiplayer.
What the critics say
| Outlet | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic (average) | 87–88 |
| IGN | 9/10 |
| GameSpot | 7/10 |
| DayOne | Perfect score |
| Steam user reviews | ~78% positive |
The Metacritic average has moved slightly as more reviews arrived — from 87 with the first 36 reviews (none of them negative) to 88 after about 49.
The praise
- The combat: reviewers agree the shooting feels unmistakably Gears, with smoother, more fluid movement than before.
- A darker tone: several critics love the horror-tinged atmosphere of the first night of the invasion, and some call E-Day the best game in the series.
- The visuals: Unreal Engine 5 brings the collapsing city to life. IGN called it a heartfelt prequel that pulls off a difficult balancing act.
The criticism
- The story: GameSpot found it disappointing despite the strong setting.
- Open areas: the larger, more open sections were described as fairly dull by some reviewers.
- Repetition: a few critics felt the game repeats itself, and one argued it's a step back from Gears 5 in places.
An important caveat
Almost all reviews cover the single-player campaign only. Multiplayer wasn't available during the review period, so how the online side holds up is still an open question.
Where to play
- Xbox Series X|S and PC (Xbox app and Steam)
- Game Pass, with cloud play through Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce NOW
- Xbox Play Anywhere: buy once and play on both console and PC
Our take: is it worth playing?
If you love the series' heavy, cover-based combat, E-Day looks like an easy recommendation — especially on Game Pass, where you can try it at no extra cost. If you mainly play Gears for its story, the reviews are more mixed, so it may be worth watching some gameplay first.
Are you playing E-Day? Tell us how far you've got through the first night.
Sources: Xbox Wire, OpenCritic, Windows Central. Images: Xbox Game Studios.
