70
E-Day does the two most difficult things right: it moves beautifully, and it finally made Gears of War scary again. The technical foundation for the coming decade has been laid, and the movement is so good that the older entries feel stiff.
From InsertCoins on
95
Gears of War: E-Day is as close to a complete package as you can get, effectively rivaling the series’ heyday. Minor criticisms of the story or matchmaking pale in comparison to the frightening story of humanity’s darkest hours and the intense aftermath of the all-out invasion. Seeing Marcus and Dom back in action and in their prime is an exciting prospect for a long-time fan like myself, but it would be meaningless if it was just a nostalgia piece; Instead, Gears of War: E-Day innovates in all the right ways while maintaining the core and heart of the series and marks the return of the series with one of, if not the best, entries to date.
From Game Informer on
77
Great cover-based shooting with great multiplayer. It’s a shame that the main campaign is an exhausting, endless firefight that doesn’t live up to its expectations.
From PCGamer on
80
Gears of War: E-Day is just a fun comfort food to get back to the shooters; like a village dish that you grew up with and that you have back in your mouth after years of abstinence. The best combination of beef rendang and savory rice when it comes to Malaysian home cooking in the truest sense.
Continue from Kakuchopurei
80
Gears of War: E-Day is a beautiful game that offers fun, old-school third-person shooter action in its campaign and multiplayer modes. Strong encounter design leads to some excellent opening and closing chapters, although the story’s plot lags in the middle due to its long length.
From TechRadar on
90
As mentioned above, reviewers were only given access to the campaign (in both single-player and co-op modes) before release – but even if I were allowed to play Versus and Siege Horde, I wouldn’t complete our review until I could play those modes on the live servers. However, I did get a chance to play some multiplayer in the public beta testing, and I particularly enjoyed what I played from Horde Siege. Stay tuned for our final, set-in-stone review results in the next week or two!
From IGN on
90
Gears of War: E-Day brings the series back to its literal roots and features all the blood-soaked action and characters that made it a hit. Packed with extensive maps, countless exciting enemy encounters, tons of weapon modifications and a truly compelling action movie narrative, it is the must-own Xbox exclusive of 2026.
From Tom’s Guide on
100
Gears of War: E-Day is everything I wanted from a prequel and more. It finally delivers the Emergence Day story fans have been waiting two decades for, 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 graphics, superb pacing and unforgettable characters, E-Day isn’t just the best Gears game yet; It’s one of the strongest Xbox exclusives in years.
From The Outer Haven on
90
Gears of War: E-Day doesn’t fit the same mold as many other prequels and introduces a lot of new concepts while furthering Gears’ gameplay.
By ScreenRant on
70
Gears of War: E-Day can be placed on two sides of a coin. On the one hand, the campaign is lackluster and fails to leave a meaningful, lasting impression. On the other hand, the multiplayer, both PvP and PvE, is some of the best you can get in the third-person shooter space. Horde mode feels perfect for what The Coalition has developed, and the PvP remains extremely satisfying, especially with the addition of all new weapons.
From HardcoreGamer on