Gears of War: E-Day is a prequel set 14 years before the original action game, and yes, Dom is back

A screenshot from the reveal trailer of Gears of War: E-Day.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

At long last, we've been given our first look at the next Gears of War game. Officially titled Gears of War: E-Day, the next title in The Coalition's beloved third-person shooter series is actually a prequel, set 14 years before the events of the first game. 

As you might have gathered from the name, the next installment is set during Emergence Day, and will star younger versions of both Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. This time, they'll be facing the Locust Horde, which, in a post on Xbox Wire, are described as "subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself."

No gameplay has been revealed just yet, but the dramatic cinematic shown seems to be setting the scene for plenty of high-stakes action. Of course, it goes without saying that Dom's return is particularly exciting, too, especially for fans who never recovered from, ahem, certain events in Gears of War 3. 

Unfortunately – but perhaps unsurprisingly – the reveal trailer hasn't given us any hints as to when Gears of War: E-Day is coming out, so we could be waiting a while before it's finally in our hands. When it does launch, though, we'll be able to play it on day one with Xbox Game Pass.

Gears of War: E-Day was a definite highlight of today's Xbox Games Showcase – Xbox clearly knew we'd be excited about it, too, as it was thrown in right at the end as a "one more thing" announcement. Today's broadcast was packed with other news and trailers though, including a fresh look at Fable, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and more.

Check out our roundup of all the news out of today's Xbox and Bethesda event to keep track of all the latest trailers and announcements.

CATEGORIES
Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

Read more
Gears of War E-Day release date: A close-up of Marcus Fenix with his face covered in blood during the Gears of War E-Day trailer.
Gears of War: E-day will be co-developed by the 20-year shooter powerhouse that helped bring Gears, Fortnite, and one of the OG boomer shooters to life
A close-up of the Doom Slayer in the upcoming PC game, Doom: The Dark Ages.
Xbox Developer Direct kicks off 2025 with Doom: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, Clair Obscur, and a "surprise" fourth game
The Doom Slayer standing in front of fire in the FPS game, Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages – Everything we know so far
Key art for Gears of War.
Rumored Gears of War Collection reportedly includes campaign co-op for the OG Xbox 360 games, but no PvP multiplayer
Big in 2025 montage image showing the Doom Slayer from Doom: The Dark Ages as well as combat against various demons and a cyber dragon
Doom: The Dark Ages takes the series forward by winding the clock several centuries back
Doom: The Dark Ages screenshot
Doom: The Dark Ages will release simultaneously for PS5 and Xbox Series X when it lands in May, because the director told Phil Spencer he "wanted to sell it on all platforms"
Latest in Gears of War
Key art for Gears of War.
Rumored Gears of War Collection reportedly includes campaign co-op for the OG Xbox 360 games, but no PvP multiplayer
Gears of War E-Day release date: A close-up of Marcus Fenix with his face covered in blood during the Gears of War E-Day trailer.
Gears of War: E-day will be co-developed by the 20-year shooter powerhouse that helped bring Gears, Fortnite, and one of the OG boomer shooters to life
Gears of War E-Day release date: A close-up of Marcus Fenix with his face covered in blood during the Gears of War E-Day trailer.
Gears of War: E-Day – Everything we know so far about the upcoming shooter
Gears of War: E-Day screenshot
18 years into the series, Gears of War devs confirm the original Marcus and Dom actors are "so back" for the prequel Gears of War: E-Day
Gears 5
Diablo 4 boss' plan for Gears of War 6 would've taken the series to space, but "we weren't going to start Mass Effect-ing this"
Gears of War: E-Day
Born out of a pandemic, refined through reflection: Gears of War: E-Day is a chance for The Coalition to recapture the spirit of Gears and "tear a lot of s*** up"
Latest in News
Dune Awakening
Dune Awakening launches for $50 without a stay in early access, and while the survival MMO "will not have a monthly subscription" it will have "optional" paid DLC
Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton in Hawkeye
Linda Cardellini cast as Jason's mom, the original Friday the 13th killer, for Crystal Lake prequel series
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red won't make survival games just because they're popular, but Netflix's Edgerunners anime is fueling dreams bigger than RPGs
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe actor was terrified to perform until her first mocap scene earned "a standing ovation" on set: "Maybe I can do this mocap thing"
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel may have just sneakily confirmed one of the biggest Daredevil: Born Again fan theories
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke actor says that Naoe could beat his samurai in a fight: “Especially with that big a** helmet of mine”