Gears of War: E-Day is one of the biggest fall releases on the calendar, and its Open Beta putting the spotlight on multiplayer and co-op might actually be the wrong move. It’s now been two years since Gears of War: E-Day was revealed, and from the start, it was clear that the campaign story was going to be the central focus. Marcus and Dom are back in action, and fans will get to see a much different side to these two beloved characters. E-Day serves as a prequel for the entire series, so the story has to stick a difficult landing.
The Gears of War: E-Day Open Beta could throw a wrench in the excitement that has been building for two years, though. Putting the focus on multiplayer and co-op is still pretty exciting, but it’s a strange move. In some ways, it feels as though The Coalition is completely going against the marketing that it’s focused so hard on leading up to this moment. If Gears of War: E-Day‘s Open Beta is poorly received, then it could disrupt the game’s launch in a huge way.
Gears of War: E-Day’s Campaign Has Been Its Most Compelling Feature, So Its Multiplayer and Co-Op Really Needs to Impress
On the one hand, I get why The Coalition and Xbox opted for an Open Beta centered around Gears of War: E-Day‘s multiplayer aspects. Once players are finished with the main campaign, the multiplayer and co-op are going to be the things that offer longevity. The campaign will draw people in, but the multiplayer will convince them to stick around after Marc and Dom’s journey has come to an end. Gears of War has a long history of offering both a great main story and strong multiplayer, so The Coalition had to put the latter front and center eventually.
However, Gears of War: E-Day‘s campaign is what a lot of longtime fans are hoping to see. Granted, I’m super excited to try out the multiplayer modes that have been confirmed, but they have to prove that making them the Open Beta focus was the right choice. That might turn out to be easier said than done. Even though multiplayer is nothing new to the franchise, Gears of War‘s story remains the heart of the overall series, and multiplayer modes that don’t satisfy Open Beta participants might be enough to convince some people (particularly newcomers) that the story isn’t worth looking into once October rolls around.
Here’s What to Expect From Gears of War: E-Day’s Beta
- Weekend 1: August 6 – 10 (Early Access for Pre-Orders and Game Pass subscribers)
- Weekend 2: August 13 – August 17 (Open to all)
- Horde Siege (PvE)
- 4v4 Versus (PvP)
Even those who didn’t pre-order Gears of War: E-Day or haven’t subscribed to Game Pass will eventually get to jump in and check out the Beta. So, it’s good that the Beta period is making a serious attempt to reach as many Xbox players as possible, but getting a taste of the campaign would have potentially been a stronger way to get the attention of gamers who aren’t as familiar with Gears of War‘s lore as veteran fans. It’s very likely that this Beta is going to be a few gamers’ first times ever playing a Gears of War game, and multiplayer isn’t exactly the best starting point for such a long-running story.
It’s impossible to predict this early on if the Beta weekends will hurt Gears of War: E-Day‘s launch or not, but I hope that isn’t the case. Even though the campaign is excluded from the Beta period, it at least makes it sound like The Coalition is incredibly confident in the quality of the game’s multiplayer modes. Gears of War has done multiplayer really well in the past, but E-Day hopefully features multiplayer gameplay that makes zero campaign spotlight worth it.
Gears of War: E-Day Has a Lot More Riding on It Than Just Its Own Franchise
There were high expectations surrounding Gears of War: E-Day anyway, but the stakes have been raised in a big way over the past few months. Ever since Asha Sharma took Phil Spencer’s place as Xbox CEO, the company has seen some serious changes. It’s been a mixed bag, with one of the most positive shake-ups being a Game Pass Ultimate price cut, while one of the most controversial decisions has been mass layoffs.
Marcus and Dom are back in action, and fans will get to see a much different side to these two beloved characters.
Asha Sharma has also made it clear that Xbox’s goal moving forward will be to focus on the brand’s most popular franchises, like Halo, Gears of War, and games made by Bethesda. That’s exciting, but it also puts E-Day in a tough situation. If Halo: Campaign Evolved was an appetizer of what to expect in Xbox’s future, then Gears of War: E-Day is going to be the main course. Yes, the game was in development way before Sharma took over the CEO role, but her emphasis on Xbox’s most well-known games now puts an even bigger spotlight on Gears of War: E-Day than there already was.
Instead of just showcasing multiplayer content, featuring at least the first 30 minutes to an hour of campaign-focused Gears of War: E-Day gameplay would have offered the best of both worlds. This could have shown players a more complete picture of what to expect from the game at launch. It’s difficult, because I completely understand any desire on The Coalition’s part to keep the campaign as much of a surprise as possible, but multiplayer-only simply isn’t offering the full story.
There are now two weeks of Beta ahead, and it’s going to be incredibly interesting to see what the player feedback is like. Horde Siege and the 4v4 Versus modes are going to bring two different takes on multiplayer to participants, and they hopefully hit the mark. The return of a mainline Gears of War story after seven years is a big deal, and I’m crossing my fingers that the multiplayer Beta gets gamers even more excited about the campaign instead of pushing them away.
- Released
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October 6, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Publisher(s)
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Xbox Game Studios
