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Gears of War: E-Day Reviews Are In: Critics Love It, Steam Players Are Less Sure

Gears of War: E-Day launched October 6 with an 87–88 Metacritic score, but Steam players rate it about 78% positive. Here is what critics praised, what they criticised, and why the two scores differ.

By Zeeshan Khalid · Updated 31 October 2026

Gears of War: E-Day is out, and it is one of the best-reviewed Xbox games in years. It is also a reminder that critics and players do not always agree.

The prequel from The Coalition launched on October 6, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on Game Pass from day one. Here is what the reviews say.

The scores

  • Metacritic: about 87–88, depending on when you check. One count had 33 positive reviews, 3 mixed and none negative.
  • Big outlets: IGN gave it 9/10, Pure Xbox 10/10, VGC 8/10, and Wccftech 7.4/10.
  • Steam players: around 78% positive, roughly ten points below the critic average.

What critics loved

  • The combat. Critics consistently praised the cover-shooter gameplay.
  • The presentation. Several reviews called it one of the best-looking games this generation. One summed it up as "an enjoyable campaign wrapped inside an exceptionally impressive technical package."
  • Going back to the start. E-Day shows Emergence Day, the first Locust attack, through a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. Reviewers liked the prequel's characters.

What critics did not love

  • Repetition. A common complaint is that the campaign as a whole gets repetitive.
  • The story. VGC said the story "takes more of a back seat" than expected for a prequel about such a big event.
  • A leaked review. The Guardian accidentally published its review before the embargo lifted,, and it was not a top score.

Why players are scoring it lower

Steam reviews mostly mention:

  1. One character. A lot of the negative player feedback focuses on a single character.
  2. Multiplayer wasn't reviewed. Critics only had the campaign. Versus and Horde Siege were locked during the review period, so player opinion on those modes is not in the critic scores.

Should you play it?

If you have Game Pass, yes, because it costs nothing extra to try. If you are buying it outright, the campaign is strong on its own, but you may want to wait for player verdicts on Versus and Horde Siege before paying full price.

Big releases are piling up this autumn. See our GTA 6 launch guide and Modern Warfare 4 on Switch 2.

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