Microsoft officially released "Gears of War: E-Day," the latest installment in the "Gears of War" series, for PC and Xbox Series X|S today, October 7.
Featuring full Japanese voice acting for the first time in 13 years, with Marcus and Dom voiced by the original cast
Set 14 years before the original *Gears of War*, this third-person shooter (TPS) features the series’ signature cover-based combat, where players take cover behind obstacles to engage enemies. A key highlight is its full Japanese voice acting.
This marks the first time in 13 years—since *Gears of War: Judgment* in 2013—that a title in the series has been released with a full Japanese voice-over. It appears that the original cast from previous games is reprising their roles as the protagonist, Marcus Phoenix, and his partner, Dominic Santiago (Dom).
In *Gears of War: Reloaded*, the remaster of the first game in the series released in 2025, Japanese dubbing was limited to in-game cutscenes, and the audio from the original game was reused. This time, however, the dubbing extends to in-game dialogue as well, allowing players to race across the battlefield alongside Marcus and Dom, with their signature deep, gravelly voices.
Depicts “Emergence Day,” when the Locust first emerged onto the surface
The game portrays “Emergence Day”—the day when massive swarms of the subterranean Locust first emerged from underground, sparking a battle for humanity’s survival—as an origin story told from the perspectives of Marcus, Dom, and others.
The tone has shifted toward something darker and more brutal, and familiar enemies have been reimagined to be even more threatening. Brand-new creatures and villains also make their debut, promising to bring a sense of terror back to the series.
The series’ signature cover-based combat remains intact. Jumping has been added as a new mechanic, and movement mechanics have been revamped to allow for more free-form and three-dimensional combat.
Familiar weapons return with revamped mechanics, and new weapons designed for close-quarters combat have been added. The campaign supports solo play, as well as split-screen co-op for two players on consoles and online co-op for up to four players.
In multiplayer, the cooperative wave-survival mode “Horde” has been reimagined as “Horde Siege,” featuring larger maps and battles on a grander scale. Players choose from four classes—Assault, Marksman, Medic, and Breacher—to form a four-player squad and team up with other squads to take on world bosses.In player-versus-player (PvP) mode, the 4-on-4 “Versus” mode has also returned with new maps.
At the time of writing, the Steam version of this title has recorded approximately 28,000 concurrent players—the highest in the series (SteamDB). While it’s important to note that some previous titles aren’t available on Steam and many players are accessing the game via Game Pass, the game appears to be generating significant buzz.
Regarding the PC version, Game*Spark’s performance test article reports that while 4K with maximum settings is a heavy load even on an RTX 5090, the detailed shading provided by RTX Mega Geometry is well worth seeing. It’s a good idea to check this out before playing the PC version.
The Metascore is 87!
As of this writing, the Metascores onMetacriticare 87 (based on 68 reviews) for the Xbox Series X version and 82 (based on 33 reviews) for the PC version. The Xbox Series X version outperforms both *Gears 5* and *Gears of War 4*, which both scored 84.
For more on what makes this game so appealing, be sure to check out our roundup of international reviews.
“Gears of War: E-Day” is now available for PC (Steam/Microsoft Store) andXBOX Series X|S. The standard edition is priced at 9,800 yen, and the Premium Edition at 14,000 yen. It is also available on Game Pass.
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(価格・在庫状況は記事公開時点のものです)
