Gears of War: E-Day has gone gold ahead of its October 6, 2026 release, and pre-install begins on September 29. The Coalition confirmed the schedule and final PC requirements in an official Xbox Wire announcement.
Pre-install begins at 8:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC) on September 29 across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam. Premium Edition owners can start playing at the same time on October 1, while the worldwide launch arrives on October 6 at 8:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC).
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members will join on October 6, when Gears of War: E-Day becomes available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam. Anyone who plans to play at launch can download the game several days early instead of leaving the entire installation to release morning.
Before launch preparations reached this stage, the August multiplayer beta schedule gave pre-order customers and Game Pass subscribers access to the August 6 to 10 beta window ahead of the free August 13 to 17 test.
Gears of War: E-Day access schedule
| Date and time | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 29 at 8:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC) | Pre-install begins on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam |
| October 1 at 8:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC) | Premium Edition early access begins |
| October 6 at 8:00 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC) | Worldwide launch and Game Pass access begin |
Gears of War: E-Day PC requirements
The final PC chart covers Medium, High, and Ultra profiles, with targets ranging from 1080p at 60 FPS to 4K at 60 FPS. Every profile requires an SSD, and the final storage requirement is 115GB. That is higher than the 80GB requirement published for the beta, so PC players will need to clear additional space before September 29.
| Profile | Graphics target | GPU | CPU | VRAM | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Medium, 1080p at 60 FPS with a supported super-resolution option | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 or RTX 2060, AMD Radeon RX 9060 or RX 6600 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel i7-6850K, or Intel i5-10400 | 6GB | 12GB | 115GB SSD |
| Recommended | High, 1440p at 60 FPS | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 or RTX 3060 Ti, AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT or RX 6700 XT | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X or Intel i5-11600K | 8GB | 16GB | 115GB SSD |
| Ultra | Ultra, 4K at 60 FPS | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT | AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Intel i7-13700K | 12GB | 32GB | 115GB SSD |
The final chart lists Windows 10 or 11 version 22H2 or later and DirectX 12 support. The 115GB requirement is the practical change PC players should account for before pre-install opens, particularly if the beta’s smaller installation is still occupying their SSD.
Will the 115GB install affect your plans for pre-install, or are you waiting for the October 6 launch? Share your thoughts and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
Gears of War: E-Day
Developed by The Coalition
Experience the brutal horror of Emergence Day through the eyes of Marcus Fenix in the origin story of one of gaming's most acclaimed sagas.
Fourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself.
Built from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.
- Genre Shooter, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release October 6, 2026
- Publisher Xbox Game Studios
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Age Rating
