Gears of War E-Day launches October 1 for early access players, October 6 for everyone else

Gears of War E-Day is heading to Xbox and PC with a two-phase release schedule. Players who pre-ordered the game will gain Early Access starting Thursday, October 1 at 3pm UTC, giving them five days ahead of the general release.

The full launch arrives Tuesday, October 6 at the same worldwide time of 3pm UTC. Players without a pre-order, or those accessing the game through Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass, will begin their experience on that date.

The release times convert across regions as follows: US West Coast 8am PDT, US East Coast 11am EDT, UK 4pm BST, Central Europe 5pm CEST, Eastern Australia 1am next day AEST, and New Zealand 4am next day NZDT.

Pre-installation opens for all players on Tuesday, September 29 at the above times. Xbox Game Studios studio head Mike Crump confirmed the launch details via Xbox Wire. Since the release is simultaneous worldwide, attempting timezone tricks or clock adjustments will not grant earlier access. Players are encouraged to pre-install during the September 29 window, as the game is expected to be a substantial download.

Gears of War E-Day serves as an origin story for the franchise, letting players experience the first encounters with the Locust Horde through characters Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during Emergence Day. The game is exclusive to Xbox and PC and will not release on PlayStation 5.