After a 7-year hiatus, Gears returns with Gears of War: E-Day on October 6, 2026. You can also play it five days early, though the Coalition is holding an open beta, which lets you try the game even sooner.
Gears of War: E-Day open beta will take place across two weeks. You can start playing early in the first week of beta by pre-ordering any edition of the game. This includes both digital and physical versions. Depending on your region, expect to get a beta code at the time of purchase from the participating physical retailer.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass to gain early access to the beta.
As for digital purchases, there will be no beta codes. You can simply hop on at launch time. Below, we reveal more details about the Gears of War: E-Day open beta, including its start time, what content you can play, rewards, and more.
Update August 6: After immense backlash, The Coalition has decided to include 4v4 Versus in the first week of Gears of War: E-Day early access beta.
Gears of War E-Day open beta start time
Gears of War E-Day early access beta begins on August 6 at 12pm PT. It concludes on August 10 at 10am PT.
Meanwhile, open beta (free for all) begins on August 13 at 12pm PT and concludes on August 17 at 10am PT.
What to expect from Gears of War E-Day open beta?
During early access beta, you can try the new 12-player PvE mode called Horde Siege and 4v4 Versus mode.
During open beta, you can play both Horde Siege and 4v4 Versus.
Here’s a list of all things that will be available to play during the full Gears of War: E-Day beta:
| CONTENT | BETA |
|---|---|
| Horde Siege Maps | 1 Map |
| Horde Siege Classes | 4 Classes |
| Horde Siege Class Levels | Capped at level 10 |
| Invasion Events | 2 Invasion Bosses |
| Versus Modes | 2 Modes |
| Versus Maps | 2 Maps |
| Weapons | All |
| Medals | 5 |
| Player Level | Capped at level 50 |
| Customization | Limited Characters & Beta Rewards |
All Gears of War: E-Day beta rewards
Below is the list of all the rewards you can obtain by playing Gears of War: E-Day beta:
| OPEN BETA TASK | REWARDS |
|---|---|
| Hit player level 20 | Epic Blast Damage Mags Character Skin |
| Extract from Horde Siege 8 Times on Infantry difficulty or higher | Rare Crush the Bug Weapon Skin Set |
| Get 25 Headshots | Crush the Bug Banner |
| Perform 10 Revives | Crush the Bug Emblem |
| Perform 5 Prototype Lancer Chainsaw Executions | Crush the Bug Icon |
| Launch the Multiplayer Beta | Open Beta Medal & First in the Fight Title |
Gears of War: E-Day beta system requirements
Interestingly, The Coalition has revealed Gears of War: E-Day beta system requirements. It’s the same as the full game, except you get a better idea of expected performance at different graphics presets.
|
MINIMUM |
RECOMMENDED | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel i7-6850K / i5-10400 | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel i5-11600K |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 / RTX 2060AMD Radeon RX 9060 / RX 6600 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 / RTX 3060 Ti AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT / 6700 XT |
| RAM | 12GB | 16GB |
| STORAGE | 80GB (SSD Required) | 80GB (SSD Required) |
| WINDOWS VERSION | Windows 10/11(Minimum 22H2) | Windows 10/11(Minimum 22H2) |
| GRAPHICS PRESET | Medium | High |
| PERFORMANCE SPECS | 1080 60 FPS Super Resolution: DLSS/FSR/TSR/XESS | 1440p 60FPS Super Resolution: DLSS/FSR/TSR/XeSS |
That’s everything you should need to know about Gears of War: E-Day open beta.
Do I need Game Pass to play Gears of War: E-Day open beta?
No, you don’t need Game Pass to play the open beta from August 13-17.
Do I need an Xbox account to play Gears of War: E-Day beta on Steam?
You don’t need an Xbox account to play with other players on Steam, but you’ll need it to play cross-play.
Does Gears of War: E-Day beta progress carry over to launch?
Only the beta player title, beta medal, and beta rewards carry over to launch.
