Gears of War Games in Order: Release, Chronological Timeline & E-Day Co-Op Guide

Short answer: release order starts with Gears of War (2006), while story chronology now starts with Gears of War: E-Day on Emergence Day. This guide lists every major release, separates remasters from new story chapters, explains where E-Day fits, and answers the campaign co-op, console split-screen, cross-platform, Horde Siege and Versus player-count questions.

Gears of War Games in Release Order

The cleanest release-order list uses each game’s first public launch date. Later ports are noted rather than counted as separate games. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Gears of War: Reloaded are included because they are distinct remaster releases, but both retell the first game’s campaign and do not create new points in the story timeline.

Release-order note: Gears 5: Hivebusters is a substantial campaign expansion, not a standalone game, so it is not given a separate numbered place above. Likewise, the 2007 Windows port of the original, the 2016 Windows release of Ultimate Edition, and the 2020 Xbox release of Gears Tactics are later platform versions of games already listed.

Gears of War Games in Chronological Order

Story order is different from release order because the series has several prequels. The safest chronology uses the relative positions stated by Xbox and The Coalition rather than assigning unsupported calendar years to every event.

Gears Pop! is omitted from the story table because its Funko-styled crossover battles are not presented as a campaign chapter that must be placed in the main narrative. Remasters remain beside the original because visual and technical revisions do not change when that story occurs.

Where Does Gears of War: E-Day Fit in the Timeline?

Gears of War: E-Day is the earliest full game in the current story chronology. The official Xbox game page places it on Emergence Day, 14 years before the original Gears of War. That means it comes before the main campaign of Judgment and before Gears Tactics.

Emergence Day is the moment the Locust Horde breaks through from beneath Sera and begins its assault on the surface. The original game opens after humanity has already spent 14 years fighting that war. E-Day instead shows the catastrophe at the point of impact, before soldiers have established the language, tactics and equipment that later define the conflict.

The Coalition’s official campaign overview says the story stays with Bravo Squad across three days in the city of Kalona. Marcus and Dom are young veterans of the recently ended Pendulum Wars, but their famous partnership is not yet the settled bond seen in the original trilogy. Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes complete the four playable members of Bravo Squad.

Because the game covers the beginning of the war, it can function as an entry point without requiring knowledge of later plots. It also connects directly to them: players see younger versions of Marcus and Dom, the early Locust threat, and the battlefield origins of ideas and weapons that become familiar in the original trilogy. That connection does not make it a remake or a replacement for Gears of War; it is a separate prequel story.

For launch timing rather than chronology, our E-Day early-access coverage explains the October 1 Premium access window and October 6 standard release.

Gears of War: E-Day Co-Op Explained

Yes, Gears of War: E-Day has campaign co-op. The entire campaign supports up to four players online. On Xbox Series X|S, it also supports two-player local split-screen. The official Xbox listing states that split-screen is console-only, so PC players must use online co-op rather than sharing one PC display.

The four-player campaign structure matches Bravo Squad: Marcus Fenix, Dominic Santiago, Mags Carter and Lucas Reyes are playable from the beginning. A full online group can therefore occupy all four campaign roles, while local split-screen is limited to two players.

E-Day Campaign, Horde Siege and Versus Player Counts

The most important distinction is that Horde Siege is not a 12-person squad. The official multiplayer deep dive describes a 12-player battlefield made up of three COG squads. Each squad has four players, receives its own mission and can cross paths with the other squads while objectives and threats develop across Kalona.

Horde Siege is an objective-driven evolution of Horde rather than a single fixed 50-wave format. Squads select classes, enter a battle already in progress, complete missions and secondary objectives, gather Energy, improve their equipment and try to extract. The mode includes shorter Blitz missions, broader Siege missions and a more traditional 10-wave Horde playlist. The battlefield may contain all 12 players, but progression, squad lives and moment-to-moment coordination remain organized around each four-player unit.

Versus is separate from that cooperative mode. Every announced launch Versus mode is 4v4, so the relevant total is eight competing players—not the 12-player Horde Siege count. Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition and Crucible form the core launch set, alongside Social, Ranked, Player vs. Bot and rotating experiences.

Does E-Day Support Cross-Platform Co-Op?

Yes. The current Xbox Store listing includes both “Xbox cross-platform co-op” and “Xbox cross-platform multiplayer” among the game’s capabilities. That covers online play between the supported Xbox and PC ecosystem versions. A Microsoft/Xbox account may be required for cross-platform invitations, including when joining from Steam.

Do You Need Game Pass for E-Day Online Co-Op?

On Xbox console, online campaign co-op, Horde Siege and Versus require a Game Pass plan that includes online console multiplayer. The current store wording lists Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate as eligible console plans. Local split-screen does not require an online multiplayer subscription.

On PC, an Xbox console multiplayer subscription is not required when you own the game. PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate is one way to access the game itself, but purchasing the Windows or Steam version is another. For more on the subscription launch lineup, see our Xbox Game Pass September 2026 guide.

Gears of War: E-Day Split-Screen vs. Online Co-Op

The split-screen promise is explicitly attached to the campaign. First-party pages do not clearly promise local split-screen for Horde Siege or Versus, so those modes should be treated as online experiences unless their in-game menus or updated support documentation state otherwise.

Which Gears of War Game Should You Play First?

Release order begins with the original Gears of War, or one of its two remasters. This preserves the order in which characters, conflicts and gameplay systems were introduced to players. Ultimate Edition and Reloaded occupy the same narrative slot, so you only need one version for the first campaign.

Chronological order begins with Gears of War: E-Day, then moves to the main campaign of Judgment and Gears Tactics before reaching the original. This approach follows the Locust War from its opening day, but later-made prequels may reference characters, organizations or dramatic ideas that were originally introduced in older releases.

Neither order changes the canon. Release order emphasizes how the series and its mysteries developed over time; chronological order emphasizes the sequence of events on Sera. Players who want the classic trilogy’s original presentation can begin with Gears of War. Players whose main question is where E-Day belongs can start there and continue forward through the prequel era.

Gears of War Order and E-Day Co-Op FAQ

What is the first Gears of War game chronologically?

Gears of War: E-Day is the earliest full game in the current chronology because it begins on Emergence Day. The main campaign of Gears of War: Judgment follows in the immediate aftermath.

Is Gears of War: E-Day a prequel?

Yes. It is an origin-story prequel set 14 years before the original Gears of War.

Should I play E-Day before Gears of War?

Play E-Day first for chronological order. Play the original first for release order. Ultimate Edition or Reloaded can substitute for the 2006 version without changing that story position.

Is Gears of War: E-Day split-screen?

Yes, the campaign supports two-player split-screen on Xbox Series X|S. The feature is not available on PC.

Is E-Day four-player co-op?

Online campaign co-op supports up to four players. Local split-screen is limited to two players on console.

Can PC players use split-screen?

No. Xbox’s official listing specifies that two-player split-screen is console-only. PC players can use online campaign co-op.

Does Gears of War: E-Day support crossplay?

Yes. The Xbox Store lists cross-platform co-op and cross-platform multiplayer. Cross-platform squad invitations may require a linked Microsoft/Xbox account.

How many players are in Horde Siege?

Horde Siege supports 12 players on one PvE battlefield, divided into three squads of four. The individual squad size is four, even though the shared battle can contain 12 players.

Do I need Game Pass for E-Day online co-op?

Xbox console players need a Game Pass plan that includes online console multiplayer. PC owners do not need a console online-multiplayer subscription, although PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate can provide access to the game.

Which order are you choosing for your next Gears run: the original release order or an E-Day-first chronological playthrough?