Gears of War: E-Day beta: dates, Horde Siege details, and exclusive rewards

Xbox Game Studios and developer The Coalition has launched early access for the Gears of War: E-Day open beta across Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and the Xbox app. The initial window runs from August 6 through August 10 and is open to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers, along with players who have pre-ordered the game. A second beta weekend, open to all players on supported platforms with no pre-order required, follows from August 13 through August 17. Content is identical across both weekends.

Horde Siege expands co-op survival

The beta gives players their first hands-on look at Horde Siege, a 12-player evolution of the franchise's cooperative PvE mode. Three squads of four operate across the same large map, working through objectives while fighting off the Locust Horde. Alongside Horde Siege, the beta includes a refined 4v4 Versus multiplayer suite, with updated movement and traversal mechanics giving players more ways to navigate cover and flank enemies.

Beta rewards and launch timeline

Players who take part can unlock cosmetic rewards that carry over to the full game, including the Blast Damage Mags character skin for reaching player level 20 and the Crush the Bug weapon skin set for extracting from Horde Siege eight times on Infantry difficulty or higher. Class progression and player level reset before launch, but the beta player title, beta medal, and challenge rewards stay tied to player accounts. Progress also carries over between the two beta weekends.

Xbox Series X|S players need at least a Game Pass Essentials membership for online multiplayer, while Steam players don't need a Microsoft account unless inviting others across platforms. PC users with Nvidia graphics cards must update to driver 610.74 or newer before launching. Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled for full release on October 6, 2026, launching day one on Xbox Game Pass.

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