'Gears of War' Fans Should Mark Their Calendars For June 7

Gears of War: E-Day was announced back at the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 with a brief announcement trailer. Since then, co-developers The Coalition (Gears of War 4 and Gears 5) and People Can Fly (co-developer of the original trilogy), as well as publisher Xbox Game Studios, have been almost completely silent on the game. After two years of waiting for more information, the wait will come to an end on July 7.

In an announcement from Xbox Wire, it has been confirmed that a Gears of War: E-Day direct will air right after the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase on July 7. The look at Gears of War: E-Day is being described as a "deep dive," according to the post from Xbox Wire.

"Gears of War: E-Day Direct will take players into the start of Emergence Day, offering new details, gameplay, and insights about the hugely anticipated origin story to the Gears of War saga," reads the blog post.

The post also confirms the times for the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase. The show will begin at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on July 7. Historically, the Xbox Games Showcase typically runs for around two hours, so the actual start time for the Gears of War: E-Day Direct hasn't been announced, but around 3-4 p.m./ET is a plausible bet.

As far as what will be shown, the post from Xbox Wire was vague. We will definitely see first-ever gameplay for Gears of War: E-Day, but other than that, it seems anything is fair game. As of right now, Gears of War: E-Day is still slated for a 2026 release window, so it's possible we may get a locked-down release date for the game, too, which will probably be this fall.

Gears of War: E-Day is set to be the first new entry in the Gears of War series since Gears 5 back in 2019 and will serve as a prequel, detailing the origin story of the war between the humans and the Locust, as well as see Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago returning in the lead roles.

Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled for release sometime in 2026.