- The Gears of War E-Day early access will go live on August 6 at 12 pm PT and end on August 10 at 10 am PT
- The Gears of War E-Day open beta will go live on August 13 at 12 pm PT and ends on August 17 at 10 am PT
- You can either pre-order any edition of the game to get early access to the open beta on August 6 or wait until August 13 to partake in the public beta.
Gears of War E-Day open beta is nearly upon us and will take us back to Emergence Day, where it all began. Although the game officially launches on October 6, 2026, you will not have to wait that long to try it out first-hand. You will soon be able to jump into the shoes of young Marcus Fenix. That said, here’s what you need to know about Gears of War E-Day open beta.
How to Join Gears of War E-Day Open Beta
Gears of War E-Day Open Beta period is split into two phases: first is Early Access Open Beta, and second is Public Beta. Gamers who have pre-ordered any edition of Gears of War E-Day on either Xbox Series X|S or PC will be able to access the Early Access Open Beta, which kicks off on August 6, 2026, and runs till August 10.
Similarly, the Public Open Beta for Gears of War E-Day kicks off on August 13, 2026 and will run until August 17.
That said, here is how you can join the Gears of War E-Day open beta:
- Either wait for the free open beta weekend or pre-order any one of the three Gears of War: E-Day editions.
- On the other hand, you can also get a Game Pass Ultimate subscription around the open beta time to gain access.
- If you don’t want to pre-order or spend the extra cash for early access, you can always wait to play Gears of War: E-Day during the public open beta.
- In case you pre-ordered the physical edition, you will receive a Beta Code from your retailer for early access.
- Once the open beta begins, download the client from your respective platform and begin slaying the Horde.
Gears of War E-Day Open Beta Dates And Start Times
Gears of War E-Day Open Beta (Early Access)
As mentioned earlier, Gears of War E-Day Early Access Beta will only be available for players who have pre-ordered the game across XBOX Series X|S, Steam, and/or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass Members. It begins on August 6 at 12 pm PT and ends on August 10 at 10 am PT. Here is the timing for other major time zones.
| Region/Time Zone | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Time (PT) | 12 PM, August 6 | 10 AM, August 10 |
| Central Time (CT) | 2 PM, August 6 | 12 PM, August 10 |
| Eastern Time (ET) | 3 PM, August 6 | 1 PM, August 10 |
| Brasilia Time (BRT) | 6 PM, August 6 | 2 PM, August 10 |
| British Summer Time (BST) | 8 PM, August 6 | 6 PM, August 10 |
| Central European Summer Time (CEST) | 9 PM, August 6 | 7 PM, August 10 |
| China Standard Time (CST) | 3 AM, August 7 | 1 AM, August 11 |
| Korean Standard Time (KST) | 4 AM, August 7 | 2 AM, August 11 |
| Japan Standard Time (JST) | 4 AM, August 7 | 2 AM, August 11 |
| Australian Eastern Time (AET) | 5 AM, August 7 | 3 AM, August 11 |
| New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) | 7 AM, August 7 | 5 AM, August 11 |
Open Beta Access For All Players (Public Beta)
The public open beta for Gears of War E-Day will be accessible to all players regardless of their pre-order status. They will be able to play on all eligible platforms. It begins on August 13 at 12 pm PT and ends on August 17 at 10 am PT. Here is the timing for other major time zones.
| Region/Time Zone | Start Time | End Time |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Time (PT) | 12 PM, August 13 | 10 AM, August 17 |
| Central Time (CT) | 2 PM, August 13 | 12 PM, August 17 |
| Eastern Time (ET) | 3 PM, August 13 | 1 PM, August 17 |
| Brasilia Time (BRT) | 6 PM, August 13 | 2 PM, August 17 |
| British Summer Time (BST) | 8 PM, August 13 | 6 PM, August 17 |
| Central European Summer Time (CEST) | 9 PM, August 13 | 7 PM, August 17 |
| China Standard Time (CST) | 3 AM, August 14 | 1 AM, August 18 |
| Korean Standard Time (KST) | 4 AM, August 14 | 2 AM, August 18 |
| Japan Standard Time (JST) | 4 AM, August 14 | 2 AM, August 18 |
| Australian Eastern Time (AET) | 5 AM, August 14 | 3 AM, August 18 |
| New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) | 7 AM, August 14 | 5 AM, August 18 |
Gears of War E-Day Open Beta Content
As part of the Gears of War E-Day open beta, you will be able to experience a plethora of content, including Horde Siege and the 4v4 Versus for competitive play. Here’s a list of things to expect, including Gears of War E-Day Multiplayer Modes:
- Horde Siege PVE.
- Four Horde Siege Classes capped at level 10.
- Invasion Events with two Invasion Bosses.
- Versus Modes with two Versus Maps.
- All Weapons available in-game.
- Five Medals
- Player Level capped at level 50.
- Customization limit of characters and rewards.
Once the game launches, you can expect more content to be added. As always, with there being seasons, additional content will be added over time.
All Gears of War E-Day Open Beta Exclusive Rewards
To get all exclusive Gears of War E-Day open beta rewards, you will need to play the game and complete challenges. As you complete them, they will be unlocked for use during the open beta and can be found later in your inventory at launch. Here is the list:
| Reward Name | How To Obtain |
|---|---|
| Epic Blast Damage Mags Character Skin | Hit Player Level 20 |
| Rare Crush the Bug Weapon Skin Set | Extract from Horde Siege 8 Times on Infantry difficulty or higher |
| Crush the Bug Banner | Get 25 Headshots |
| Crush the Bug Emblem | Perform 10 Revives |
| Crush the Bug Icon | Perform 5 Prototype Lancer Chainsaw Executions |
| Open Beta Medal & First in the Fight Title | Launch the Multiplayer Beta |
Suffice to say, these will only be available during Gears of War E-Day open beta. Once both sessions end, you will not be able to obtain these in any way, as they are exclusive.
How To Preload Gears Of War E-Day
To preload the Gears of War E-Day open beta, you will need to have pre-ordered a copy on Steam or have an active Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscription. The download size is approximately 60 GB.
There could be an additional patch as well, shortly before the beta begins. This wouldn’t be very large since you would have downloaded the bulk of the files. Having said that, here’s how to pre-load the game on all platforms.
Xbox Series X|S:
- Go to the Xbox Store.
- Search for “Gears Beta”
- Select Install and the game will pre-load.
- It will be accessible once servers are online.
PC (Xbox App):
- Open the Xbox app on your PC.
- Search for “Gears Beta”.
- Click Download to pre-load the game.
- You will be able to play it once servers are online.
PC (Steam):
- Open Steam and go to the library.
- Download the game.
- Wait until servers are online to play the open beta.
That said, whether you want the early access or wait for the public open beta of Gears of War E-Day is entirely up to you. However, the new blood-soaked gameplay trailer for Gears of War: E-Day presents a compelling experience that is hard to ignore.
Tell us if you will be pre-ordering Gears of War E-Day or if you will wait until the public open beta begins later. Let us know in the comments below.
Yes, Gears of War: E-Day is having multiple open betas, kicking off on August 6, 2026.
No, Gears of War: E-Day is confirmed to be a linear and narrative-driven origin game.
Yes, there will be a separate public open beta for Gears of War E-Day right after the early access ends on August 10.
Gears of War E-Day open beta begins on August 6, 2026. Players who pre-ordered the game or own a Game Pass will receive early access. On the other hand, there will be a public open beta for the game shortly after the early access ends.
Sanmay Chakrabarti
Ishan Adhikary
