Eurogamer published a campaign review of Gears of War: E-Day by Dom Peppiatt on Oct. 1, 2026. In that piece, Peppiatt says the game carries forward the series’ setpiece tradition, praising its guided action sequences and combat mechanics while arguing that some open-ended sections weaken the campaign’s momentum.
Peppiatt also makes clear this is not a final verdict on the whole package. He writes that the article is "not a scored review" because his access "only allowed me to play the campaign locally," adding that online co-op, PvP, and Horde are major parts of the broader Gears experience. The review page’s availability information lists early access on Xbox Series X|S and PC beginning Thursday, Oct. 1, for the Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade Edition, and Collector’s Edition, and says the game is out Tuesday, Oct. 6.
What the review praised
Peppiatt writes that E-Day is at its best when The Coalition is guiding players through "well-manicured setpieces and bombastic cinematic events". He says those sections put the game "up there with the series' best", and adds that they are backed by "even better combat mechanics".
He also describes the campaign as a long one. Peppiatt writes that his final time on Hardcore difficulty "clocked somewhere between 20 and 25 hours", while noting that he stopped pursuing collectibles and side missions about halfway through.
Where the review found weaker pacing
Alongside that praise, Peppiatt says some open-ended sections weaken the momentum and tension built by the more tightly directed parts of the campaign. He writes that "this breakneck pace and tight design work is undercut with open-ended sections" that "completely hobble" the momentum the rest of the game builds.
He also writes that he plans to keep playing and "publish another, scored piece later that reflects the whole package", underscoring that this first review is limited to the campaign portion of E-Day."assignment":{"storyId":"312389f2-9c0d-4ea9-a5c1-58e2598e0334","briefHash":"4c87dd6ea6a814e7c234f148feaf6339273eb6da5d02292b0d5477134c011ee3","draftHash":"75af57394c4e80becfdae1c19e3dba87f07bd169c047f069be96ed38842856a1"},"claim_support":{"title":[{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"description":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"tldr":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]}],"body":[{"claimId":"c1","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c3","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c4","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c5","sourceIds":["S1"]},{"claimId":"c2","sourceIds":["S1"]}]},"unmapped_material_assertions":[{"text":"Peppiatt writes that he plans to keep playing and publish another, scored piece later that reflects the whole package.","sourceIds":["S1"],"note":"Supported by supplied evidence text, but no dedicated claim ID exists in the brief’s claim list. Add a separate claim for this assertion if strict one-claim-per-assertion mapping is required."}]},"status":"drafted
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