Gears of War: E-Day review — terrific shooting buoys a sluggish campaign

What is it? A prequel to the classic third-person cover shooters Release date: October 6, 2026 Expect to pay: $70/£60 Developer: The Coalition Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Reviewed on: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 Steam Deck: TBA Link: Official site

What's the most stunning revelation in this Gears of War prequel? Marcus Fenix used to have a jump button. Yes, the king of cover-based shooting, a man more rooted to the ground than a scarecrow, spent his youth jumping to some bits of cover. So E-Day contains at least one literal leap forward for the franchise. Shame it's trapped in a slog of a campaign that's otherwise anything but.

But before I moan about that, plenty of good news first. Gears has never felt better to play. These third-person cover shooters have always been a blast when they're working, and a miserable swearing fit when you dodge roll into certain death instead of snapping into cover like you wanted to. Again. …