Xbox Game Studios and developer The Coalition have announced that Gears of War: E-Day will launch on October 6 for Xbox Series consoles and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. The game will also be available through Game Pass on day one. The announcement was made during the Xbox Games Showcase.

The game is set 14 years before the original Gears of War and follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during Emergence Day, the moment the Locust Horde first broke through the surface and began their assault on humanity. The story is described as a campaign focused on the horror and chaos of that initial attack and the desperate fight to survive it.

Despite a PlayStation 5 rating recently appearing through Pan European Game Information, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma confirmed that E-Day will launch as an Xbox console exclusive. Giant Bomb reporter Jeff Grubb noted that a PS5 version was originally planned, but that the decision to keep it off PlayStation was one that had just been made.

Players who pre-order Gears of War: E-Day will get early access to an open beta launching August 6, along with the Exfil Dom Character Skin and Exfil Weapon Skin Set available at launch.