Gears of War: E-Day Early Access Player Count Smashes Steam Record
Gears of War: E-Day achieved a significant milestone during its early access launch, setting a new concurrent player peak on Steam of 20,374 players—more than double the previous franchise record held by Gears 5 (10,196). The prequel, developed by The Coalition, became available for early access on October 2 to owners of Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade, and Collector’s Edition editions, ahead of its full release on October 6.
The strong player turnout demonstrates robust demand for the franchise, particularly for this prequel which explores the first Emergence of the Locust—a foundational event in the Gears of War narrative. The concurrent player count is expected to increase further when the title opens to the broader player base at full launch.
The game has also received praise for its technical performance on Xbox Series S, indicating strong optimization across platforms. The surge in player engagement marks a notable success for Xbox Game Studios’ latest first-party release and suggests E-Day ranks among the franchise’s most successful launches to date.