Gears of War: E-Day Reviews
Gears of War: E-Day’s stellar story campaign is complemented by an excellent multiplayer suite, particularly its evolved Horde Siege PvE mode.
Gears of War: E-Day is a must-play title because it recaptures the essence of the series while introducing significant improvements to its formula. Its campaign is the perfect way to experience E-Day firsthand and gain a deeper understanding of how the relationship between Marcus and Dom began to take shape, all set in a world brimming with detail and in constant flux. It may feel a bit repetitive at times, but beyond that, this is a game that proves that going back to the roots doesn’t have to mean getting stuck in nostalgia.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is exactly the prequel the franchise needed. The Coalition harks back to the horror, the tension and the brutal action of the first games. But they’ve tweaked the gameplay with smarter enemies and more verticality. The story surrounding Emergence Day also delivers a wealth of emotion, whilst Kalona emerges as one of the most impressive locations the franchise has ever seen. At its core, it remains good old Gears, but this E-Day is undoubtedly one of the strongest and most impressive Gears games ever. Full stop.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
E-Day is the Gears game newcomers and hardcore fans have been waiting for, with a spectacular city-wide collapse and real heart.
Gears of War: E-Day is a brutal, atmospheric return to form that reminds us why this franchise became legendary in the first place. It may not reinvent the formula, but its terrifying take on this war’s bitter beginning makes for one hell of a comeback.
Gears of War: E-Day delivers a powerful return to the franchise’s roots, combining intense combat with a darker, horror-inspired atmosphere and an emotional story about Marcus and Dom. The campaign offers satisfying gameplay, well-designed semi-open environments, and impressive visuals, while its expanded movement mechanics modernize the classic formula. Although enemy variety is limited and some exploration elements become repetitive, The Coalition delivers a memorable adventure that captures what makes Gears of War so compelling.
Review in French | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day is a bloody, confident return to the series’ roots, turning the city of Kalona itself into the real star while its human cast, caught in the shadow of a scene-stealing newcomer, never quite rises to the occasion.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Gears of War: E-Day takes the things that made the original games so good, throws in some modern bells and whistles, and reminds us why this series became such a big deal in the first place.
Though there's still plenty of waist-high cover, ebb-and-flow firefighting, and braindead machismo, Gears E-Day proves that looking back can, indeed, help you look forward, too.
Great cover-based shooting with terrific multiplayer. Shame the main campaign is an exhausting, endless firefight that outstays its welcome.
Gears of War: E-Day has an opportunity to step up and take the Xbox franchise crown from atop Master Chief's helmet. It's just about good enough to. Long live Marcus Fenix.
For better or worse, E-Day is distinctly Gears, and I had a good time with it, even if the story is disappointing and the open areas are fairly dull.
Gears of War: E-Day brings the series back to its literal roots, delivering all the blood-soaked action and characters that made it a hit. Filled with expansive maps, tons of thrilling enemy encounters, a slew of weapon modifications, and a truly gripping action-movie narrative, it's the must-own Xbox exclusive of 2026.
Gears of War excels when it leans into humanity versus monsters, is painted with a brush drenched in blood, and offers vicious, savage gameplay that belies surprisingly rich stories and heartfelt characters.
Gears of War: E-Day is a reminder of just how bloody good this series can be. After twenty years, perhaps Gears didn't need another revolution, it just needed another Emergence Day.
Gears of War: E-Day features an action-packed co-op campaign, intense PvP multiplayer, and an endlessly replayable Horde Siege mode.
Gears of War: E-Day hits all the right notes for veteran Gears and newcomers alike. Witnessing the fall of Kalona is terrifying, but it's filled with the level of action you'd want from a Gears title.
The story does an excellent job of bridging a gap between the Gears world before the locust invasion and after.
Gears of War: E-Day is a good entry point.
The Coalition modernizes movement and cover mechanics without sacrificing the series' hallmarks-such as its sense of weight and brutality-delivering a spectacular campaign, a Versus mode that intelligently revives old-school multiplayer, and Horde Siege, an ambitious and compelling evolution of the classic Horde mode. Add a top-tier technical presentation to the mix, and the score speaks for itself.
Review in Italian | Read full review