Gears of War: E-Day is set 14 years before the original Gears of War, at the start of the Locust invasion. Its campaign follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago through the first three days of the outbreak in Kalona. For a newcomer, the broad story order is E-Day, Judgment, the original trilogy, then Gears 4 and Gears 5.
What Emergence Day is
Emergence Day, usually shortened to E-Day, is the moment the Locust emerge from beneath the planet Sera and begin their war against humanity. It arrives after the Pendulum Wars, a conflict that had lasted almost 80 years; Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago are veterans recently returned from those wars when the Locust attack. The invasion is the beginning of the Locust War, not the beginning of Sera’s history.
The Coalition describes Gears of War: E-Day as taking place 14 years before the original game. Its story is set in Kalona over three days. The official materials establish that relative timeline, but do not specify an exact in-universe calendar date for Emergence Day.
Where E-Day fits in the game timeline
Here is the broad story chronology of the main games and the early-war prequel:
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- 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.
- Gears of War: E-Day: Marcus and Dom face the invasion’s opening days in Kalona.
- Gears of War: Judgment: Damon Baird and Kilo Squad are shown in the immediate aftermath of Emergence Day.
- Gears of War: The original game begins after the Locust have devastated Sera.
- Gears of War 2: The conflict escalates as cities sink and the COG launches an all-out attack.
- Gears of War 3: Scattered survivors and Marcus’s group fight to save humanity.
- Gears of War 4: The focus shifts to JD Fenix, Kait Diaz, and Del as they search for loved ones and confront a new enemy.
- Gears 5: Kait investigates her connection to that enemy and the threat it poses to Sera.
This is an orientation to the games, not a chapter-by-chapter timeline of every flashback, novel, comic, or expansion. The official descriptions clearly place E-Day before the original and Judgment just after the outbreak; the remaining sequence follows the main games’ numbered progression.
What E-Day’s story covers
The scale of the Locust attack is global, but E-Day keeps its perspective close to Marcus, Dom, and their squad. Studio Creative Director Matt Searcy said, “We never leave Bravo Squad for the entire game. The entire story is told from their perspective. Even though there’s an event going on all over the world, we never jump anywhere else. You only see what they see and learn what they learn.”
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- 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.
That limited viewpoint makes Kalona central to the story rather than just a backdrop. Studio Art Director Aryan Hanbeck said, “We wanted Kalona to feel like another character in the story.” Studio Brand Director Nicole Fawcette added, “Literally everything you see in E-Day did not exist before we made it for this game.” These are descriptions of the game’s design and storytelling approach, not additional historical details about the Locust War.
How the original trilogy moves the story forward
Gears of War
By the original game, Sera has already been ravaged by the Locust. Marcus, formerly imprisoned, is tasked with helping keep humanity alive, with Dom as his close companion and co-op partner. The game introduces the series through a desperate fight in a world already shaped by the invasion.
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- 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.
Gears of War 2
The war intensifies: cities are sinking, the Locust remain the central threat, and the COG chooses an all-out offensive. The crisis is no longer only about surviving an attack; the COG is trying to turn the course of the war.
Gears of War 3
The third game continues the survival story with humanity scattered and Marcus’s group fighting to save what remains. Together, the trilogy follows the COG’s increasingly desperate struggle to keep humanity from being wiped out.
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.
How Gears 4 and Gears 5 shift the focus
Gears of War 4 hands the lead to a younger group: JD Fenix, Kait Diaz, and Del. Their immediate goal is to rescue loved ones while investigating a new enemy. Gears 5 then centers on Kait, who steps away to investigate her own connection to that enemy and the danger it presents to Sera.
The shift gives the later games a new point of view while connecting their conflict to the world and legacy established by the earlier saga.
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.
Should you play E-Day or start with the original?
| Starting point | What it offers | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Gears of War: E-Day | The Locust invasion’s beginning, told as an origin story focused on Marcus and Dom. | Players who want to see the crisis start in story chronology. |
| Gears of War: Reloaded | The original Gears of War campaign in a modernized remaster. | Newcomers who want to begin with the game that launched the series’ story, or returning players who prefer the original reveals. |
For a first-time player, starting with the original campaign is a straightforward way to encounter the story as the series introduced it. The official franchise site describes Reloaded as a modernized remaster of the original. Choose E-Day first if your priority is the fictional beginning; choose Reloaded if you want to follow the original release-era entry point. That choice is a matter of preference, not a required order.
Where the novels fit
The Coalition says author Karen Traviss, who wrote Gears novels, collaborated with and consulted on E-Day. Developers specifically drew on the novels, including Aspho Fields, for Carlos’s backstory and Dom’s family life. This establishes that the books informed aspects of the game; it does not establish a complete canon hierarchy or a definitive reading order for every novel and comic.
Launch timing
Xbox Wire and the official Gears update state that Gears of War: E-Day launches on October 6, 2026. The official update also identifies November 7, 2026, as the franchise’s 20th-anniversary date. Release and access details can change, so check the official Gears site for current information.
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