In discussing the switch to Unreal Engine 5 for Gears of War: E-Day, The Coalition reveals that some longstanding series features will also be undergoing some tweaks and adjustments as well. While most of the gaming industry is trying to avoid the impact radius that is Grand Theft Auto 6, Microsoft is placing its console exclusive hopes on Gears of War: E-Day as its big 2026 game offering.
While it’s been a while since the franchise has gotten a new game with unresolved narrative threads from Gears of War 5, The Coalition’s latest title marks a big change of pace. Gears of War: E-Day takes players back to the beginning of the conflict, showing the events of Emergence Day when the Locust Horde appear suddenly from underground and begin to take over, leading to the events of the core series. However, narrative isn’t the only big adjustment, as Gears of War: E-Day takes advantage of Unreal Engine 5, which gives the game a fresh visual style while also taking advantage of new technology.
Gears of War: E-Day Is Practically Carrying Xbox in 2026
Xbox has a solid list of games slated for the future, but Gears of War: E-Day will do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to 2026.
Gears of War: E-Day Makes Changes to Active Reload
As part of the big engine switch, The Coalition essentially tore the series down to its studs to rebuild it in Unreal Engine 5. Fans have already seen part of what those changes are bringing to the game, with smoother movement, better mobility, as well as more level verticality. Part of the overhaul also led The Coalition to reevaluate game mechanics, including the beloved active reload system, which has been a staple of the Gears of War franchise since its inception back in 2006.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
Unlike most shooter-style games, Gears of War adds a small metagame to the reload process, rewarding players for tapping a button and stopping a meter at a precise spot on the reload indicator. It became a popular and iconic feature for the Gears of War franchise, but with E-Day, The Coalition is changing the Active Reload bar to the middle of the screen rather than in its normal top right position. The studio fully acknowledges that some players may not like this change, but the idea originally came through playtesting where players seemed to respond most to having the meter in the middle of the screen as it became part of the shooting experience. It’s worth noting that there will be an option to change the placement back to its regular location if that’s preferred.
Position isn’t the only active reload change coming in Gears of War: E-Day as the three states of reloading: regular, perfect, and failed, are now going to be joined by unique weapon-specific effects. In discussing the change, creative director Matt Searcy highlighted the fan favorite Gears of War shotgun, the Gnasher. While reloading this shotgun, players will be able to see each shell being placed, so instead of waiting for the full animation to play, players can opt to cancel the process by pulling the trigger after a select number of shells have been added. While that’s great for being able to quickly attack an approaching enemy, players will be giving up any potential bonuses earned from hitting the perfect Active Reload effect.
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
The switch to Unreal Engine 5 has seemingly also had another big consequence for PC players as well. As it stands, the PC requirements for Gears of War: E-Day are fairly robust. Players will need to ensure they’re running a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 or AMD Radeon RX 6600 as their GPU at a minimum, though something more substantial would likely be a better option in terms for a smoother and better-looking experience. Players will also need a massive 130 GB of storage space, which could be a problem for some considering the current industry shortage and increased prices for hardware.
Source: Gamesradar
