Gears of War: E-Day Reviews
Gears of War: E-Day is now XBOX’s flagship franchise. The campaign’s brutal and stunning recount of Kalona’s fall is immaculate storytelling, featuring revived gameplay via reworked movement systems and the visceral combat we know and love. Although Versus is well-made, it’s lacking depth to promote engaging with the high learning curve. Horde Siege is the best iteration of the mode we’ve ever seen, with a gameplay loop you want to play again and again. E-Day might be one of the easiest recommendations we'll make all year, for purchase and awards season.
Gears of War: E-Day is the best game in the series. The story gives us an up-close and personal look at the events of E-Day, providing a horror-filled and harrowing experience. Meanwhile, the enhancements to movement are very welcome, and gunplay feels more varied with a great roster of weapons and the inclusion of mods.
While Fable and Halo 2 made me head over heels for the original Xbox, it was Gears of War that had that same effect on me during the 360 era. The ...
Though fault can be found with its meaningless side quests and examples of knuckleheaded dialogue, Gears of War: E-Day gets so much of its core loop right. It's hard to recall a game nailing the desperate, helpless feeling of invasion quite like this, and E-Day sets a new benchmark for Gears' iconic gunplay. More than anything, E-Day is a technical crown jewel that delivers an audiovisual experience that, on Xbox, is unrivalled.
Gears of War: E-Day is here, bringing with it what feels like a new push for Xbox and one of the best entries into the long-running third-person shooter franchise.
It stumbles sometimes with its story, but thanks to new and improved movement mechanics, Gears of War: E-Day ends up delivering some of the tightest combat and one of the series' most excellently paced campaigns in a long, long time.
Gears of War: E-Day is everything I wanted from a prequel and more. It finally delivers the Emergence Day story fans have waited two decades to experience, while deepening the relationship between Marcus and Dom and returning the series to the darker, horror-inspired tone of the original trilogy. With the best gameplay the franchise has ever had, incredible visuals, excellent pacing and memorable characters, E-Day isn’t just the best Gears game yet; it’s one of Xbox’s strongest exclusives in years.
Gears of War: E-Day successfully fulfils its mission of returning to the roots of the series, whilst offering noticeable improvements over all previous instalments and reminding us once again of the horror of the Locusts. Unfortunately, it also suffers from issues with pacing and enemy AI, while pushing Marcus into the background in favour of a new character. Nevertheless, this dynamic, emotional and extremely brutal shooter should appeal to fans of the series – and many others as well.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day feels like an old series deliberately recreated with modern technology while preserving its aged character. Fans of Gears of War are unlikely to mind going through another adventure that feels familiar from start to finish.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
As a complete package, Gears of War: E-Day is very good. The campaign may not be all that exciting, but it works fine and is elevated by the solid gunplay, especially if you play with real people rather than AI teammates. The adversarial multiplayer is fine if you can adapt to sticking with the one accepted play style. It is the PvE that really breathes life into the game and makes it a solid multiplier contender for a good while. While the game can be brutal for newcomers, it fits fan expectations well enough that they'd be happy to see this title in their libraries.
Gears of War: E-Day takes the series back to Emergence Day and the beginning of the Locust War through the eyes of Marcus and Dom. The campaign shows a peaceful city gradually turning into a devastated war zone while revealing the origins of several iconic elements of the series. Familiar cover-based combat has been refined with smoother movement and faster encounters, while multiplayer remains close to the classic formula and adds the more dynamic Horde Siege mode. Combined with impressive UE5 visuals, E-Day is a very good return to the roots of Gears.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
It could be seen as a return to form or as a retread of the series’ glory days, but in any case it’s a fun and bloody good time.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day marks a brilliant return for one of Xbox’s most iconic franchises, allowing players to experience E-Day and witness the beginning of Marcus and Dom’s story from a completely new perspective. The Coalition isn’t revolutionising the familiar formula, but in a way it’s building on it – improving mobility, shooting and exploration, offering a varied campaign, and in the process showcasing the immense capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. It’s a modern Gears game that never forgets its roots.
Review in Polish | Read full review
It's definitely a step in the right direction for the franchise. With its story, the way it's presented, and the gameplay, a solid GoW game is waiting for us. They've kindly reminded us once again why we love this series. We can easily overlook a few minor flaws.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is more than I could have hoped for: a focused, tightly contained, action-packed story filled with memorable characters and moments that deliver an emotional rollercoaster for those brave enough to witness the horrors of the first days of Emergence Day. E-Day is what a Gears of War game should be: relentlessly fun, engaging from all angles, and best experienced with friends.
Weapons of all kinds, gadgets, and locations brimming with possibilities form the foundation of a story that excels in every aspect. Marcus and Dom return alongside old and new acquaintances in a prequel that feels fresh and invigorating. The story of Kalona's downfall on E-Day serves as the starting point for a war-torn odyssey filled with unique situations, memorable scenes, and the feeling of experiencing an iconic moment in a saga that, for many, is a must-play. Gears of War: E-Day marks a turning point for the Xbox catalog with a console and PC exclusive that's determined to raise the bar for Microsoft.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
With E-Day, the Gears of War saga delivers a dramatic and profound story centered on Marcus, Dom, and their traumas-but above all, on a humanity that was ready for peace and suddenly finds itself, overnight, in the midst of a war against a ruthless and brutal enemy. The gameplay has returned to the exceptionally high standards of the original trilogy, retaining its foundational elements while expanding every aspect to further enhance the experience-including weapons, enemies, and maps.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Ultimately, Gears of War: E-Day is a compelling reminder of what makes the franchise endure, even if it falls short of fully realising the potential of its return to the past. The Coalition has recaptured much of the series’ defining identity, from its uncompromising brutality and visceral combat to the emotional bond at the heart of its story. What it has not quite achieved is turning those strengths into a consistently memorable campaign. The most successful aspect of the prequel is undoubtedly the relationship between Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. Their friendship gives the narrative its emotional heart, bringing back the humour, camaraderie, and underlying vulnerability that helped define the original trilogy. Tai further strengthens the connection to the series’ history, while Carlos and the references to established events give the story a broader sense of continuity. Crucially, E-Day does more than invite players to revisit familiar ground: at its best, it reminds us why these characters and their world mattered in the first place. That same understanding extends to the gameplay. The return to the franchise’s brutal origins restores some of the menace that made the Locust such formidable adversaries, while the familiar arsenal and cover-based shooting remain as satisfying as ever. The combat has weight, the weapons retain their distinctive character, and well-executed encounters demonstrate that the foundations of Gears of War remain remarkably resilient. There is no inherent need to reinvent a formula that still works this well. The challenge is to keep it engaging over the course of an entire campaign, and this is where E-Day proves less convincing. Its shortcomings become increasingly apparent as the hours accumulate. An overextended campaign, larger environments that too rarely translate into meaningful gameplay variety, and supporting characters who struggle to leave a lasting impression all dilute the experience. Boss encounters frequently favour endurance over ingenuity, while an intrusive interface and severe performance drops in demanding areas further compromise the action. Individually, these issues vary in significance; collectively, they prevent the game from achieving the consistency its strongest moments suggest is within reach. For all its merits, E-Day is not the triumphant return that could have reasserted Gears of War at the very forefront of the genre. Nor does it recapture the impact of the original trilogy in its entirety. Yet judging the prequel solely against the legacy it seeks to revisit would mean overlooking a more encouraging truth: The Coalition understands the foundations on which that legacy was built. The problem is not a loss of identity, but an uneven ability to translate that identity into an experience that remains compelling from beginning to end. The distinction matters most when the game returns to Marcus and Dom. Their relationship gives the campaign something that spectacle alone cannot provide: a personal stake in the unfolding catastrophe. Through them, Emergence Day becomes more than the beginning of a war; it becomes the defining experience of two soldiers whose friendship will shape the future of the series. It is in these moments that E-Day comes closest to recapturing the spirit of the original games, reminding us that beneath the armour, the chainsaw bayonets, and the relentless violence, Gears of War has always been a story about survival, friendship, and sacrifice. That is ultimately what makes this prequel worth experiencing, despite its shortcomings. It does not deliver a uniformly successful return to the series’ origins, but it does reaffirm the value of the characters, the world, and the combat that have sustained the franchise for so long. Its strongest elements provide a solid foundation; its weaker ones make clear how much further that foundation could have taken it. For The Coalition, the next challenge is not to rediscover what makes Gears of War distinctive, but to build on it with greater ambition and discipline. E-Day proves that the series still has a compelling story to tell and that Marcus and Dom remain at its heart. Whether that promise can be transformed into something truly exceptional will depend on what comes next. For now, this is a worthwhile return to the battlefield: one that honours the past, reclaims much of the franchise’s identity, and leaves room for a more assured future.
Gears of War: E-Day is precisely the turning point this storied franchise needed after years of trial and error—a glorious, dark, and visceral return to the authentic roots of a series defined by raw brutality and grueling combat. By reviving the heavy, terrifying weight of warfare, seamlessly blending modern movement with a dynamic, destructible cover system, and delivering one of this generation's most breathtaking visual showcases via Unreal Engine 5, The Coalition once again elevates the standard for third-person shooters. While underdeveloped chemistry between young Marcus and Dom, repetitive side quests, and a slight dip in late-game enemy variety hold it back from absolute perfection, the harrowing fall of Kalona alongside addictive gunplay, exceptional pacing, and a rich multiplayer suite make E-Day a gripping, bone-chilling triumph. It is a masterclass in gunpowder and gore that proves the Gears name still demands absolute reverence
Review in Persian | Read full review