Gears of War: E-Day Returns With an Epic Campaign... and Some Collateral Damage

Gears of War: E-Day has its first in-depth impressions, courtesy of Vida Extra. Their writer, a fan of the series since Gears of War 2 (2008), got early access to the campaign, and the verdict is summed up in the review's own headline: an incredible story that completely redefines what Total War means, though not without collateral damage. In other words, there's plenty to celebrate, but there are also some caveats.

Why does this matter so much? Because the wait has been long. According to the source, it's been seven years since the last Gears of War, or just one if you count Gears of War: Reloaded. For a franchise that left its mark on an entire generation of third-person shooter players, every new entry is a barometer of the series' health, and the first impressions of E-Day's campaign are aiming high.

What you need to know

• It's been seven years since the last Gears of War, or one if you count Reloaded.
• The review was played on PC and Xbox Series X thanks to Microsoft's Play Anywhere system.
• The first playthrough, on PC, took 16 hours and reached 83% story mode completion.
• Under normal, linear conditions, the campaign should take between 10 and 12 hours, according to the reviewer's estimate.
• The review is spoiler-free and praises the story, though it warns of some collateral damage.

The campaign by the numbers

The most concrete takeaway from the review is the playtime. The Vida Extra writer finished a first run on PC and is now replaying on Xbox Series X aiming for 100%, something they admit they might not pull off this second time either, since they think they've missed a collectible again. All of this without using guides, which makes their times a genuinely useful real-world reference.

The gap between the 16 hours of the first run and the 10-to-12-hour estimate for a straight playthrough offers an interesting hint: E-Day seems to reward players who explore. If you're the type who hunts down every collectible, be ready to put in a lot more time than the main story requires.

Play Anywhere and the series' return

Another detail worth noting is that the review was split between PC and console thanks to Play Anywhere. For much of our community, who play on both platforms depending on the time of day or the country they're in, a release of this caliber being built to jump from one system to another is a very practical advantage.

As for context, the reviewer jokes about the length of the wait: seven years if you ignore Reloaded, one if you count it, and suggests going with the former “for the sake of epicness.” It's a lighthearted way of acknowledging what we all feel: E-Day feels like the true return of Gears, not just a reunion.

Our take

Here at Underworld Lordz, we're glad the first thing being highlighted about E-Day is its story. A campaign that redefines Total War is exactly what the series needed after so long, and hearing someone who's followed it since 2008 describe it that way is a good sign. That said, the headline leaves one phrase hanging that we can't ignore: collateral damage. Until we know exactly what that refers to, it's best to keep our excitement grounded.

For competitive players, there's an elephant in the room: the review focuses on the campaign, and what will really determine E-Day's lifespan in our scene is its multiplayer. A great story draws people in, but what keeps a community active for years is weapon balance, netcode and post-launch support. We don't have any data on that yet, and we're not going to speculate.

For content creators, on the other hand, the outlook is very promising. A 10-to-12-hour campaign that can stretch to 16 or more with collectibles is perfect for well-paced stream series, 100% guides and plenty of story discussion. The challenge will be handling spoilers respectfully for a community that has been waiting years for this moment.

What do you think?

Seven years of waiting, a promising story and some collateral damage yet to be uncovered. Are you jumping straight into the campaign, or waiting to see what the multiplayer offers before diving in? Let us know in the team chat or on our Discord: will E-Day be the big comeback for Gears, or are those caveats worrying you?