Gears of War: E-Day To Release in 2026, Says Xbox’s Phil Spencer

Unfortunately for those hoping to rev those lancers in 2025, Gears of War: E-Day won’t be the answer, according to Xbox. At the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Xbox’s Phil Spencer gave a speech at the end of the presentation, prior to the Black Ops 7 reveal and revealed the lineup for 2026. In it, Gears of War: E-Day was mentioned, much to the dismay of fans. As a prequel to the main series, E-Day will take players back to Emergence Day, when the Locust hordes invaded the world of Sera and laid waste to much of the peace they once knew.

For those who may not know, Gears of War is an iconic Xbox franchise (now heading to PlayStation with Gears of War Unloaded) that combined gory gunplay and rich worldbuilding. Set in a post-apocalyptic Sera, you play as soldiers navigating the world and destroying the tyranny of Locust aliens. In the original trilogy, Marcus Fenix served as the protagonist, later appearing as a supporting member in the newer games, with his son, JD Fenix, being in the main cast. With Gears of War: E-Day, we’ll go back 14 years prior to the first title and see Marcus and fan-favorite character Dom on the days Sera was attacked.

Gears of War: E-Day Will Launch in 2026 for Xbox’s 25th Anniversary

As mentioned before, Phil Spencer spoke at the end of the presentation about what players can expect from Xbox in 2026. He states that, “I’m excited to share that players will get to celebrate 25 years of Xbox with a new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning.”

The end statement does hint at Halo, especially the rumored Halo: Combat Evolved remake, but for Gears of War fans, it does mean it’ll be up against some stiff Xbox heavyweights. Still, while it is a prequel, the teams, The Coalition and People Can Fly, have stated that the game is very much a mainline entry, unlike 2013’s Gears of War: Judgment. Unfortunately for those who were looking for closure on Gears 6’s sudden cliffhanger, it may be a while before we get an answer. Still, it is good to see Marcus and Dom rev up those Lancers again and take on the Locust, even if we know how it ends. 

Luckily for fans, Gears of War: Reloaded, a remaster of the original 2006 title, will come out on August 26th, so at least Gears will have some representation this year. The title, done by The Coalition and Sumo Digital, marks the first of the franchise to hit PlayStation consoles, as the series has always been Xbox exclusive. Now, even more can gear up and save Sera from the Locust in gorgeous 4K and next-gen graphics.

Gears of War: E-Day will launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC sometime in 2026. Meanwhile, Gears of War: Reloaded, will release on August 26th, 2025, on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.