Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Preview: Signs of Promise, But Also Concern

Gears of War: E-Day is a major feather in the cap of the upcoming releases for XBOX remaining in 2026, on the back of what has been a turbulent year for the company, and a multiplayer preview session has not erased the concerns I have about the game.

The Gears of War franchise is one of XBOX‘s biggest assets but, like other big IPs like Halo, is in need of a comeback on the back of a lukewarm reception to the last major new entry in the series, Gears 5.

The Coalition is taking a new approach for Gears of War: E-Day, bringing the franchise back to the days when the Locust first emerged and sparked the start of the war, and while the story of the campaign will be significant, the multiplayer aspects are arguably even more important.

During a preview session for Gears of War: E-Day provided by XBOX, I got my hands on both the new Horde: Siege mode and PvP, and while there were major signs of promise, I still have a few concerns.

Into The New Era

As mentioned, the major changes to the Gears formula will come in the campaign and lore behind the title, which is set before the existing games in the series, but it’s also a jump forward overall, with E-Day landing as the first mainline title in the series to launch day one on Xbox Series X|S.

The shift back to first-party exclusivity, after Gears of War: Reloaded saw the franchise launch on PlayStation for the first time, also adds further scrutiny to the new title, and there were signs of promise.

Everything you’d expect from a Gears game is there, with gore-filled action filling the screens as I moved from cover to cover to find the right spot to open fire. With the new slide mechanic in the game, movement was smoother, and I didn’t experience any issues with the movement system overall.

Gameplay-wise, it’s again more of the same, bringing back the fan-favourite weapons, though some have a twist due to the era of the game, which led to an awkward moment where I tried to chainsaw an enemy, only to slightly bash them and then get eliminated. As it turns out, the Lancer I was using came before chainsaws were equipped as standard.

The challenge felt right too. The Gears series has never been a run-and-gun game where you can charge through waves of enemies, which remains the case, and it’s still as satisfying as ever when you use a pistol or sniper to blow the head off a Locust trying to hide behind cover.

Is Gears Truly Back?

The big concern for me that remains, however, is whether Gears of War is truly back. Gears 5 is, rightly so, much maligned, with multiplayer and the Hive modes not quite capturing the full essence of the franchise’s history, and I had hoped the Gears of War: E-Day preview period would clear up whether the situation has changed.

Granted, I’m more of a single-player gamer these days, and I already know the vast amount of time I will spend in E-Day will be in the campaign, but I wanted the Horde: Siege mode to feel like the Horde days of old, and it doesn’t quite hit that mark.

I still can’t decide if I like the new approach, which features three teams of four working simultaneously to complete their objectives and successfully extract, as my sentiment has repeatedly changed.

On one hand, I understand why there’s been a move to try and rejuvenate the Horde mode, and there are aspects that are enjoyable, but at the same time, what was wrong with the round-by-round formula of old?

Gears has tried to change the system previously with the Hives in Gears 5, which were fun for a while, but something I quickly grew bored of, and I fear that Horde: Siege will end in the same situation.

PvP, I’m admittedly not the best person to give a full verdict on that, as it’s never really been my cup of tea, but it still felt slightly underwhelming. It was fine, not great, not bad, just alright, and I’m not sure whether that’s going to be enough for the devout fans of the franchise.

Of course, Gears of War: E-Day is still in development, and there’s the upcoming Open Beta next month where more players will get to experience the multiplayer modes and provide their feedback, so there’s still hope. However, I certainly still remain uneasy about what lies ahead.

Check out the Gears of War: E-Day Direct below.

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