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Star Wars Outlaws is the better fit for a solo player who wants an open-world adventure with stealth, gadgets, exploration and choices involving crime syndicates. Gears of War: E-Day is the better fit for players who want a darker, more focused cover-shooter campaign, especially with split-screen or online co-op and Game Pass access. Both are third-person action games, but they ask you to play in fundamentally different ways: Outlaws emphasizes freedom and infiltration, while E-Day emphasizes positioning, pressure and coordinated firefights.
At a glance: which game fits you?
| Category | Star Wars Outlaws | Gears of War: E-Day |
|---|---|---|
| Core identity | Solo-first open-world Star Wars adventure | Third-person cover-shooter campaign |
| Combat focus | Stealth, distractions, gadgets, blaster combat and weak-point targeting | Cover positioning, sustained firefights and coordinated co-op |
| Campaign structure | Open-world planets and locations with optional activities and route choice | Primarily linear origin story with large open pockets, alternate paths and some side missions |
| Playable alone | Yes; presented as a solo adventure | Yes |
| Co-op | Not presented as a co-op campaign | Two-player split-screen or up to four players online |
| Tone | Scoundrel adventure, heists and the Star Wars underworld | Horror, survival and wartime brutality during Emergence Day |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Ubisoft Connect, Steam and Epic; Ubisoft also lists Amazon Luna | Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam, with Xbox Play Anywhere and cloud access |
| Subscription access | No subscription inclusion is established here | Included with Game Pass; online play requires a plan that includes online multiplayer |
There is no single winner on graphics, length or value based on the official information available for these releases. No directly comparable critic score, sales total, campaign-length figure or performance benchmark is established, so the useful comparison is the kind of play each game supports.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Star Wars Outlaws /PS5 | $19.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Star Wars Outlaws - Limited Edition (Amazon Exclusive), PlayStation 5 | $31.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Star Wars Outlaws for Playstation 5 | $18.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition (PS5) | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Star Wars Outlaws Limited Edition (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) (PS5) | $43.34 | Buy on Amazon |
What Star Wars Outlaws is
Star Wars Outlaws is described by its publisher as the first open-world Star Wars game. It is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, following Kay Vess and her companion Nix as they navigate the galaxy’s criminal underworld. The structure combines a central heist narrative with distinct planets and locations, jobs for crime syndicates and story expansions.
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That setting changes how encounters feel. You are not simply moving from one combat arena to the next. You can travel through a location, decide which syndicate relationships to cultivate, investigate optional activities and approach objectives from different routes. The game still has authored missions and a main story, but the surrounding world gives you reasons to leave the critical path.
#1 Best Overall
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENT* The Rogue Infiltrator Character Pack includes cosmetics for Kay and Nix.
- Explore distinct locations with bustling cities and cantinas. Race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each location brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
- Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. Turn any situation to your advantage with Nix by your side: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
- Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
How Outlaws handles combat
Outlaws lets you switch between stealth and direct blaster combat rather than locking every mission into one method. Kay can use gadgets and environmental opportunities while Nix distracts or assists, allowing you to separate enemies, create openings and avoid a full alarm. When stealth breaks down, the blaster becomes the immediate solution instead of an automatic failure state.
Ubisoft’s later material specifically highlights the choice between staying hidden and reaching for the blaster. It also points to enemy weak points that reward deliberate targeting. In practice, the combat loop is about reading a situation: identify a vulnerable target, use a gadget or Nix to alter enemy attention, then decide whether to finish the encounter quietly or escalate.
This flexibility makes Outlaws a good match for players who enjoy planning and improvisation. It does not establish a fixed weapon-count comparison or a quantified difficulty advantage over E-Day; the important distinction is the range of approaches supported by the design.
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Gears of War: E-Day is a third-person cover-shooter from The Coalition and an origin story set fourteen years before the original Gears of War. It follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the Locust Horde erupts, turning the campaign into a story about the opening hours of a catastrophic invasion.
The game launched on October 6, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC and Steam. Xbox identifies it as a campaign that can be played alone, in two-player split-screen co-op or with up to four players online. Its official presentation places horror and brutality at the center of Emergence Day, so the campaign’s identity is built around survival under pressure rather than the free-roaming criminal-life fantasy of Outlaws.
Rank #2
- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content - The Rogue Infiltrator Character Pack includes cosmetics for Kay and Nix.
- Discover a galaxy of opportunity. Explore distinct locations with bustling cities and cantinas. Race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each location brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
- Experience an original scoundrel story. Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. Turn any situation to your advantage with Nix by your side: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
- Embark on high-stakes missions. Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
- Jump into the pilot seat. Pilot your ship, the Trailblazer, as you engage in thrilling dogfights with the Empire and other foes. Find the right opportunities to chase, evade, and attack to get the upper hand.
How E-Day handles combat
E-Day uses the established cover-shooter format as its foundation. You move between cover, manage lines of fire, expose yourself at the right moment and respond to enemies that can punish careless positioning. The tension comes from maintaining a defensible position while a firefight develops, then coordinating movement and target priorities with teammates when playing co-op.
The campaign is not described as a stealth sandbox. The official material emphasizes firefights, cover and the horror of the Locust emergence instead of a broad menu of infiltration systems. That does not mean every encounter is a narrow corridor: Xbox’s launch guide describes large open pockets, multiple pathways and side paths that can lead to side missions. Those spaces provide tactical breathing room without changing the campaign’s directed identity.
Combat comparison: flexibility versus firefight discipline
| Combat question | Outlaws | E-Day |
|---|---|---|
| How do encounters begin? | You can scout, distract enemies, use gadgets or open with the blaster. | You generally prepare for a cover-based engagement and manage incoming pressure. |
| What rewards mastery? | Choosing the right approach, exploiting weak points and combining Kay, Nix and gadgets. | Strong cover selection, timing, target focus and cooperation during sustained fights. |
| What happens when plans fail? | A stealth attempt can turn into a blaster fight, keeping the encounter flexible. | Loss of cover or poor coordination increases firefight pressure and can force a recovery. |
| Best for | Players who like experimentation, stealth and multiple solutions. | Players who like deliberate positioning, weapon pressure and team tactics. |
Choose Outlaws if you want combat to serve exploration
Outlaws is the stronger choice when combat is one part of a larger adventure. You can approach a syndicate job as a stealth problem, use Nix to create a distraction, target a weakness and keep moving through the world rather than treating every encounter as a standalone arena. The surrounding traversal and optional activities give those choices context.
Choose E-Day if you want combat to be the main event
E-Day is the stronger choice when the satisfaction comes from surviving a difficult firefight, finding the safest angle and communicating with a partner or squad. Its cover system and invasion setting create a more concentrated rhythm: advance, establish cover, withstand pressure, push forward and repeat under increasingly dangerous circumstances.
Campaign structure: open-world journey versus directed origin story
Outlaws: planets, syndicates and route choice
Outlaws is built around an open-world journey through distinct planets and locations. The main heist story provides direction, but syndicate jobs and optional activities let you decide what to pursue and when. Relationships with criminal factions are part of the story structure, so choices about who receives your help can shape how you move through the underworld.
Rank #3
- PlayStation 5Specifications
- Multiplayer: Single Player Only
- Format: Physical
- Weight: 1 lbs
- Produced with the highest grade materials
Open-world does not mean every mission can be completed in any order or that the narrative has no authored sequence. It means the campaign gives you room to choose activities, routes and detours around its central story. Players who enjoy setting their own pace will find more freedom here than in a traditional mission-to-mission shooter.
E-Day: linear momentum with room to maneuver
E-Day’s story follows the beginning of the Locust invasion, which gives it a naturally directed premise. Xbox describes the campaign as primarily linear, but also notes large open pockets, multiple pathways and side paths that can lead to side missions. You therefore get more spatial choice than a purely corridor-based campaign, while the story still moves toward a defined sequence of events.
This structure favors momentum and escalation. You are experiencing a historical turning point in the Gears universe, not managing a persistent criminal network. Optional routes add tactical and exploratory variation, but they do not turn the campaign into an open-world sandbox.
| Campaign trait | Outlaws | E-Day |
|---|---|---|
| Overall shape | Open-world locations connected by a central heist narrative | Primarily linear origin story with open pockets and side paths |
| Optional content | Syndicate jobs, activities and route detours | Side paths that can lead to side missions |
| Player agency | Decide which relationships, jobs and locations to pursue around the main story | Choose paths and tactical approaches within a directed campaign |
| Pacing | Self-directed exploration punctuated by authored missions | Steady invasion-driven progression with localized breathing room |
Co-op and player count
This is the clearest practical difference between the games. Outlaws is presented as a solo adventure centered on Kay Vess and Nix. The available description does not present a co-op campaign, so you should choose it expecting a single-player experience.
E-Day is designed to accommodate different group sizes. Its campaign can be played alone, with two players in split-screen, or with up to four players online. That makes it the obvious choice for a household that wants couch co-op or a group that wants to complete the story together.
Rank #4
- PRE-ORDER BONUS* Pre-order to get the Kessel Runner Bonus Pack including a Trailblazer spaceship cosmetic and a speeder cosmetic.
- GOLD EDITION CONTENT* Play up to three days early with the Gold Edition, which includes the base game and the season pass.**
- Explore distinct locations with bustling cities and cantinas. Race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each location brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
- Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. Turn any situation to your advantage with Nix by your side: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
- Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
Online co-op and other online modes require a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer. The exact requirement can vary by region and plan, so check the current Xbox terms for your account before buying specifically for online play. Split-screen avoids the online multiplayer requirement but still requires the supported console setup and additional controller.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Tone and setting: two different emotional contracts
Outlaws is a scoundrel adventure
Outlaws uses the Star Wars underworld as its emotional foundation. Kay is a scoundrel navigating syndicates, jobs and shifting loyalties, while Nix adds companionship and utility. The tone is adventurous and opportunistic: you are trying to survive and profit in a galaxy where criminal factions, Imperial power and personal relationships overlap.
That tone supports wandering. Exploring a new location, taking a side job or changing your standing with a syndicate feels like part of the fantasy rather than a detour from it.
E-Day is horror and wartime survival
E-Day is about the first eruption of the Locust Horde and the collapse of normal life. The official framing emphasizes horror, brutality and survival, which makes every open pocket feel like a dangerous pause in a broader catastrophe. The campaign’s emotional pressure comes from witnessing the invasion with Marcus and Dom, not from building a personal reputation among competing factions.
If you want a grim, urgent campaign that treats each battle as part of a military disaster, E-Day is the closer match. If you want a lighter, more roguish Star Wars journey with room for curiosity, Outlaws occupies the opposite end of the spectrum.
Best Value
- PRE-ORDER BONUS* Pre-order to get the Kessel Runner Bonus Pack including a Trailblazer spaceship cosmetic and a speeder cosmetic.
- LIMITED EDITION CONTENT* The Rogue Infiltrator Character Pack includes cosmetics for Kay and Nix.
- Explore distinct locations with bustling cities and cantinas. Race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each location brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
- Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. Turn any situation to your advantage with Nix by your side: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
- Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
Platforms, storefronts and access options
| Game | Console availability | PC availability | Other access details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars Outlaws | PlayStation 5; Xbox Series X|S | Ubisoft Connect, Steam and Epic | Ubisoft also lists Amazon Luna availability |
| Gears of War: E-Day | Xbox Series X|S | Windows PC and Steam | Xbox Play Anywhere, cloud gaming and Game Pass Ultimate/PC Game Pass are documented by Xbox |
For a PlayStation 5 owner, Outlaws is the relevant option because E-Day’s listed console release is Xbox Series X|S. For an Xbox or Windows PC player, both are available, so the deciding factors become campaign structure, co-op and subscription access.
What Game Pass changes
E-Day’s inclusion in Game Pass can lower the upfront cost for subscribers who already have an eligible plan. Xbox documents access through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, along with cloud gaming. Availability, plan names and regional terms can change, so verify the current catalog and multiplayer conditions where you live.
Outlaws is presented through its retail and storefront editions rather than a confirmed Game Pass inclusion in the available information. Compare the edition and platform you actually use; a PC purchase through one storefront does not automatically represent the same entitlement on a console.
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Which game should you buy?
- Choose Star Wars Outlaws for solo exploration. Pick it if you want to roam distinct locations, take syndicate jobs, use stealth and gadgets, and decide when to engage directly.
- Choose Gears of War: E-Day for co-op. Pick it if split-screen or a four-player online campaign is central to the purchase.
- Choose Outlaws for freedom of approach. Its combat supports scouting, distractions, weak-point targeting and a transition from stealth to blaster fire.
- Choose E-Day for focused cover combat. Its identity is built around positioning, firefight pressure and surviving the Locust invasion.
- Choose based on tone. Outlaws is a Star Wars criminal adventure; E-Day is a horror-tinged war story about Emergence Day.
- Choose based on access. PlayStation 5 players can select Outlaws. Xbox and PC players should weigh E-Day’s Game Pass and cloud options against Outlaws’ storefront availability.
What the official information does not establish
The available official material does not provide a directly comparable campaign-length number, critic-score comparison, sales total, frame-rate benchmark or complete weapon-by-weapon specification for both games. It would be misleading to declare one game objectively longer, better performing or more highly rated without a common, current source.
Likewise, E-Day’s open pockets and side paths should not be described as an open world, and Outlaws’ open-world structure should not be mistaken for unrestricted mission ordering. The distinction is about the campaign’s dominant design: Outlaws gives you a world to navigate around its story, while E-Day gives you a directed story with room to maneuver inside individual sections.
Bottom line
Buy Star Wars Outlaws when you want a solo-first Star Wars adventure where stealth, gadgets, Nix, syndicate relationships and open-world traversal all matter. Buy Gears of War: E-Day when you want a darker cover-shooter campaign and the option to play the story in split-screen or with up to four online teammates. Outlaws makes exploration and choice the center of its loop; E-Day makes combat pressure and cooperative survival the center.
Quick Recap
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.
