Gears of War: E-Day Reviews Are Strong, but the Launch Verdict Is Incomplete

Gears of War: E-Day is heading toward its full October 6 release with strong campaign reviews and a positive response from its first paying players, although the verdict on the complete package is not yet settled.

The Coalition’s prequel entered advance access on October 1 for Premium Edition owners and Game Pass subscribers who purchased the Premium Upgrade. As of October 4, its Steam listing showed 82% positive feedback from 1,458 user reviews. Critic averages were also sitting in the high 80s during the opening review wave, putting E-Day ahead of The Coalition’s earlier mainline Gears games on Metacritic at that stage.

The clearest critical consensus is that the studio has successfully modernized Gears’ heavy cover-based combat without sanding away its identity. Reviewers have consistently praised the weapons, movement, atmosphere and destruction of the city of Kalona. The divisions emerge around the campaign’s open sections, bosses, running time and story.

There is also a significant launch caveat. Several prominent publications received access to the campaign but could not test Versus or Horde Siege before publishing. Some therefore labeled their coverage “review in progress” and withheld a final score. The early averages are useful measures of the campaign’s reception, but they should not be treated as a comprehensive verdict on multiplayer, matchmaking or progression.

The review consensus: excellent combat, spectacular presentation

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On October 1, GamesRadar reported a Metacritic average of 88 from 50 reviews. Windows Central’s roundup also recorded Metacritic at 88 and OpenCritic at 87. Those numbers may change as additional reviews and updated multiplayer assessments are added, but the opening range shows broad approval rather than a narrow split between a few enthusiastic outlets.

IGN awarded the campaign a 9 out of 10, praising its characters and its evolution of familiar enemies, weapons and combat. GamingBolt also gave it a 9, while VGC awarded 4 out of 5. GameSpot’s 7 out of 10 represented a more reserved position, arguing that the familiar combat remained enjoyable but that the story and open areas did not push the series far enough.

The agreement is strongest around how E-Day feels in battle. Marcus Fenix can jump, climb, vault and move between positions more freely than in the original trilogy. The expanded traversal adds verticality and makes it easier to flank enemies, but the game still revolves around deliberate positioning, active reloads, close-range aggression and the constant risk of being caught outside cover.

GamesRadar’s review in progress highlighted the adaptive cover system, which lets players use more of the collapsing environment for protection. Its reviewer completed the five-act campaign in about 16 hours while pursuing most optional objectives and praised the weapon and armor modifications hidden around Kalona. Those modifications can substantially change the behavior of familiar guns rather than functioning as minor numerical upgrades.

Even some of the least enthusiastic reviews acknowledge that the fundamental shooting is strong. The Guardian called it the best combat in the series’ 20-year history while sharply criticizing much of the material surrounding it. PC Gamer similarly found that Gears had never felt better to play, but argued that the campaign stretched its combat across an overly repetitive structure.

Kalona gives the prequel a darker identity

E-Day takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War and follows younger versions of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde erupts from beneath the planet Sera. Humanity is not yet accustomed to fighting the Locust, allowing the campaign to present them as an unfamiliar and frightening force rather than a known military opponent.

The city of Kalona is central to that approach. Critics describe streets splitting apart, civilians fleeing collapsing districts and defensive positions deteriorating as the invasion spreads. Locations change when the squad returns to them, turning the city’s destruction into a visible progression rather than a collection of interchangeable battle arenas.

Game Informer’s review in progress praised the campaign’s persistent horror atmosphere, frequent action set pieces and use of Kalona. It also highlighted the way less structured city areas break up the large battles with exploration and side objectives. GamesRadar likewise treated the city as one of the campaign’s defining achievements.

The visual presentation reinforces that tone. Reviewers have praised the lighting, character work, dense city detail and large-scale destruction. Windows Central called the visuals among the most impressive it had encountered, while also noting that presentation alone could not hide its concerns about the campaign structure.

The result is a recognizable Gears war story with a different dramatic perspective. Marcus and Dom are capable soldiers, but they are not yet the battle-hardened survivors seen in the original trilogy. The Locust attack is unfolding around them in real time, and the city has not had years to normalize the conflict.

Open areas, bosses and story divide critics

The campaign’s less linear sections are one of the main points of disagreement. Supporters see them as a way to vary the pace, find upgrades and show more of Kalona. Critics argue that they interrupt the momentum of a series traditionally at its best when moving briskly from one carefully authored encounter to the next.

Windows Central praised the gunplay, horror tone and technical presentation but objected to uneven “open-world-lite” areas and bosses with excessive health. Its reviewer said the campaign alone would merit roughly an 8 out of 10, but withheld a final verdict because Versus and Horde Siege were disabled in the review build.

PC Gamer was more critical, describing the campaign as a slog despite enjoying its shooting. GameSpot also wanted more ambition from the structure and narrative. By contrast, Game Informer called the campaign one of its reviewer’s favorites of 2026, citing the combination of characters, action and setting.

The story has prompted a similar range of responses. Some critics found the younger Marcus and Dom effective and appreciated the attempt to restore horror and vulnerability to the series. Others felt that a game promoted as the origin of their brotherhood should have devoted more time to that relationship instead of supporting characters and extended combat sequences.

That split helps explain why two players can agree that E-Day has outstanding weapons and movement but reach different conclusions about the campaign. Players who prioritize authored spectacle, environmental detail and familiar Gears combat are likely to respond more positively. Those looking for a transformative structure or a deep examination of Marcus and Dom may find the prequel more conservative than expected.

Multiplayer remains the biggest review caveat

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The launch package includes more than the campaign. Competitive Versus returns with refined 4v4 modes, Social and Ranked options, and updated movement. Horde Siege is a larger departure: it is a 12-player evolution of Horde in which multiple four-player squads enter a shared battle, pursue objectives and eventually face a final encounter and extraction.

That 12-player structure is important because it makes Horde Siege more than a conventional four-person survival mode. Individual squads still deploy in groups of four, but they can cross paths and cooperate with other squads across the same larger battlefield.

Several outlets, including Windows Central, PC Gamer, GamesRadar and Game Informer, said those multiplayer modes were unavailable in their pre-release review environments. Their coverage therefore evaluates the campaign rather than every part of the product. Other reviewers have since spent time with online modes, but launch-scale conditions will provide a better test of matchmaking, balance and progression.

The campaign itself supports up to four players online. Xbox Series X and Series S also support two-player split-screen campaign play. Online console multiplayer requires an eligible Game Pass subscription.

Early Steam feedback is positive, but PC players should check performance

Steam’s early 82% positive rating is an encouraging signal, especially because it comes from people able to play during the Premium Edition access period. It is not directly comparable with a critic average, however. Early-access buyers are a self-selecting audience, and the review pool will change substantially after the standard release opens on October 6.

PC performance also deserves attention. Tom’s Hardware found the game unusually demanding on processors in its multi-CPU testing. Its separate graphics analysis showed that an RTX 3060 could not average 60 frames per second at native 1080p even on the Low preset. Medium settings with DLSS Quality moved the card above a 60-fps average in that test and produced a better balance of image quality and performance.

Those results do not mean the PC release is broadly broken. Performance will vary with the processor, graphics card, resolution and upscaling method, and reviewers using powerful systems have reported strong experiences. They do show that owners of older or midrange hardware should not assume native-resolution performance will be ideal simply because they lower the preset.

Release date, pricing and the practical buying decision

For players primarily interested in the campaign, the reviews provide a strong reason to play. The praise for combat, movement, visual design and Kalona is consistent across both high-scoring and more critical assessments. The campaign appears to deliver the heavy, close-range action associated with Gears while making movement and environments less rigid.

The argument for paying $99.99 mainly to unlock the game early is weaker on October 4, with the standard launch only two days away. Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can access the standard game on October 6, while buyers who want the Premium Edition’s customization packs and in-game currency may see more value in the upgrade.

Multiplayer-focused players have the clearest reason to wait for updated coverage. Several major reviews are still provisional, and the most useful assessments of Horde Siege and Versus will come after those modes have been tested under normal public-release conditions.

For now, Gears of War: E-Day looks like a successful return to the franchise’s darker roots and a strong campaign release for Xbox. Whether it also succeeds as a complete multiplayer package will become clearer after the worldwide launch on October 6.