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Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel about Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the Locust invasion’s first days; Gears 5 follows Kait Diaz later in the series timeline. Both list cover-based shooting and campaign co-op, but their modes differ—and E-Day’s PC requirements are substantially newer, including a hardware-ray-tracing-capable GPU and an SSD.
How E-Day’s story differs from Gears 5
Xbox Wire’s September 17, 2026 announcement and the E-Day Steam listing place E-Day 14 years before the original Gears of War. It follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde emerges and humanity fights to survive. That makes it a prequel centered on the invasion’s beginning, rather than a continuation of Kait’s story.
The Gears 5 Steam description centers on Kait Diaz breaking away amid the war to investigate her connection to the enemy and the danger facing Sera. The official descriptions establish this difference in period and protagonist, but they are not complete plot summaries.
Gameplay and modes compared
E-Day’s official feature description pairs cover-based combat with jumping, vaulting, sliding and flanking. Gears 5’s Steam feature summary lists its campaign, PvP and PvE modes. These are published feature lineups, not evidence of relative quality, balance, map count or current player population.
#1 Best Overall
- AN ORIGIN STORY BEGINS — Fight alongside Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the gripping origin story of Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde erupts from below.
- A DARKER, GRITTIER THREAT — Face reimagined enemies and a terrifying underground invasion that restores the fear, dread, and intensity at the heart of the Gears of War series.
- MULTIPLAYER EVOLVED — Battle in Horde Siege for large‑scale PvE action or prove your skill in refined Versus PvP with greater precision and competitive depth.
- CLASSIC COMBAT, MODERNIZED — Experience signature cover‑based gameplay enhanced with updated movement, traversal, and controls that feel like Gears while playing like something new.
- CO‑OP YOUR WAY — Play online with up to four players across Campaign, Horde Siege, and Versus, or team up locally with 2‑player split‑screen co‑op on console.
| Feature | Gears of War: E-Day | Gears 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign co-op | Solo or online co-op with up to four players; two-player split-screen is listed for console only. (Steam listing) | Three-player online or split-screen co-op. (Steam listing) |
| Named PvE modes | Horde Siege, a co-op wave-survival mode. (Steam listing) | Horde and Escape. (Steam listing) |
| Named PvP mode | Versus, including 4v4 modes and Ranked and Social playlists. (Steam listing) | Versus PvP. (Steam listing) |
| Movement and combat description | Cover-based combat with modernized movement and traversal, including jumping, vaulting, sliding and flanking. (Steam listing) | The cited feature summary lists modes but does not provide a comparable movement description. (Steam listing) |
Gears 5’s Steam listing also describes campaign progression that carries character and weapon skins into new playthroughs. E-Day’s launch listing names Campaign, Horde Siege and Versus; it does not establish how either game’s modes compare in longevity or population.
PC requirements: E-Day vs. Gears 5
The following figures are the games’ published Steam requirements, not matched performance benchmarks. E-Day’s listing says requirements can change and may vary by country. A listed minimum does not predict a particular frame rate or prove how a game will run on a specific PC.
Rank #2
- This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, a minimum 90-day warranty, and may arrive in a generic box. Only select sellers who maintain a high performance bar may offer Certified Refurbished products on Amazon.com
- Includes full game of the original Gears of War remastered in 1080p.
- Play five campaign chapters never released on console.
- Experience competitive multiplayer in 60FPS with 19 maps and six game modes.
| Tier | Gears of War: E-Day | Gears 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum OS | Windows 10 64-bit 22H 19045.7291 | Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit |
| Minimum CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel i7-6850K or i5-10400 | AMD FX-6000 series or Intel i3 Skylake |
| Minimum memory | 12 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Minimum GPU | Hardware ray tracing required; NVIDIA RTX 5050 / RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 / RX 9060 listed | AMD Radeon R9 280, NVIDIA GTX 760 (Windows 10) or GTX 1050 (Windows 7) |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 115 GB available; SSD required | 80 GB |
| Recommended OS | Windows 11 64-bit (25H2) or newer | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Recommended CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel i5-11600K | AMD Ryzen 3 or Intel i5 Skylake |
| Recommended memory | 16 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Recommended GPU | NVIDIA RTX 5060 / RTX 3060 Ti or AMD RX 6700 XT / RX 9060 XT | AMD RX 570, NVIDIA GTX 970 (Windows 10) or GTX 1660 Ti (Windows 7) |
| Recommended storage | 115 GB available; SSD required | 80 GB |
Source for both columns: E-Day Steam listing and Gears 5 Steam listing. The Steam client supports Windows 10 and later from January 1, 2024, according to the Gears 5 listing; that is a client-support note, distinct from the game’s listed Windows 7 minimum.
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- Check ray tracing first. E-Day explicitly requires a hardware-ray-tracing-capable GPU, with the listed models shown above. Meeting the CPU or RAM minimum alone is not sufficient.
- Check the drive and free space. E-Day specifies an SSD and 115 GB available. Gears 5 lists 80 GB.
- Compare exact component models and OS versions. GPU names across these two lists are not equivalent performance targets, and the listed requirements do not establish expected frame rates.
- Recheck the storefront before buying or upgrading. Requirements may change; verify your exact OS, GPU capability and available SSD space against the current listing.
PC features and launch availability
E-Day’s Steam description lists uncapped frame rates on capable hardware, ultrawide support, controller and keyboard/mouse remapping, HDR10, hardware ray-traced lighting, reflections and shadows, NVIDIA DLSS 4.5, AMD FSR Redstone, optional frame generation and a built-in benchmark. It says compatible hardware and displays are required. The same listing names Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally as handheld targets; storefront feature claims do not by themselves establish performance on a particular device.
Rank #3
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
Xbox Wire announced E-Day’s October 6, 2026 launch for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam, with day-one Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass availability. Its September 17 announcement also said Premium Edition players could access the game early from October 1. The Steam listing records October 6, 2026 as E-Day’s release date and September 9, 2019 for Gears 5. Platform and subscription terms can change, so check the relevant storefront for current regional availability.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Includes full game of the original Gears of War remastered in 1080p.
- Play five campaign chapters never released on console.
- Experience competitive multiplayer in 60FPS with 19 maps and six game modes.
Rank #4
- PREMIUM EDITION — Includes Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, five Seasonal Customization Packs starting with the Emergence Pack, plus 1,000 Iron to unlock additional in‑game content.
- AN ORIGIN STORY BEGINS — Fight alongside Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the gripping origin story of Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde erupts from below.
- A DARKER, GRITTIER THREAT — Face reimagined enemies and a terrifying underground invasion that restores the fear, dread, and intensity at the heart of the Gears of War series.
- MULTIPLAYER EVOLVED — Battle in Horde Siege for large‑scale PvE action or prove your skill in refined Versus PvP with greater precision and competitive depth.
- CLASSIC COMBAT, MODERNIZED — Experience signature cover‑based gameplay enhanced with updated movement, traversal, and controls that feel like Gears while playing like something new.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
