E-Day Beta Access Details and Content

Anyone planning to spend the weekend ducking behind waist-high walls can mark the calendar. The first multiplayer beta for Gears of War: E-Day begins Thursday, Aug. 6, offering an early look at Xbox’s next cover-shooter. The test includes the new Horde Siege mode and an updated version of the series’ competitive Versus multiplayer.

The highly anticipated 2026 release’s early-access period begins at noon Pacific, or 3 p.m. Eastern, on Aug. 6. It will remain available through 10 a.m. Pacific on Aug. 10. A second beta weekend, open to everyone on eligible platforms, begins Aug. 13 and ends Aug. 17. Both weekends will feature the same content.

Here is how to get in, what players can expect and which rewards will survive the trip to launch day.

Getting Into the First Beta Weekend

The Aug. 6 early-access beta is available to players who preorder Gears of War: E-Day on Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox PC app or Steam. It is also included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Players who preorder digitally through Xbox should find the beta client under “My Games and Apps.” PC players using the Xbox app can check “My Library.” Game Pass subscribers can search for “Gears Beta” and download the separate client.

Steam customers who preorder should see the beta added automatically to their libraries. Those who ordered a physical copy or the collector’s edition should receive an access code by email from the retailer. Check the spam folder before declaring war on customer support.

Anyone who skips the preorder can still play during the second weekend. From Aug. 13 through Aug. 17, the beta will be free to download on all supported platforms without purchasing the game.

Xbox console players will need at least a Game Pass Essentials membership to use online multiplayer. Steam players do not need a Microsoft account unless they want to invite players across platforms.

What Is Included in the Beta

The beta offers two main pieces of E-Day’s multiplayer package: Horde Siege and 4-on-4 Versus.

Horde Siege expands the series’ familiar cooperative survival mode into a 12-player battle. Three squads of four operate across the same large map, completing separate missions while fighting the Locust. The full game will include optional objectives, class systems and battles on what Xbox describes as the largest multiplayer maps in franchise history.

Versus returns with updated movement and traversal mechanics designed to create more ways to move around cover, change elevation and disrupt enemy positions. The familiar close-range shotgun fights have not gone anywhere, but players may have more ways to avoid being folded into paste by one.

The Coalition warns that the beta represents only part of the launch package. Players may encounter crashes, performance drops, visual problems, cover issues and odd camera behavior during executions. That is the purpose of the test, even when it feels suspiciously personal.

Which Rewards Carry Into the Full Game

Players can unlock several cosmetic items and account rewards during the beta.

Reaching player level 20 unlocks the Blast Damage Mags character skin. Other challenges award the Crush the Bug weapon skin set, banner, emblem and profile icon. Players can also receive rewards for earning headshots, reviving teammates and performing Prototype Lancer chainsaw executions. Simply launching the beta grants an Open Beta Medal and the “First in the Fight” title.

Those rewards will appear in the full game when it launches. General player levels, class progression and unfinished medal progress will reset, although progression will carry from the first beta weekend into the second.

When ‘Gears of War: E-Day’ Launches

Gears of War: E-Day launches Oct. 6 for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, with a Steam release planned for the same day. It will also be available through Game Pass Ultimate at launch.

The game takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War and follows younger versions of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during Emergence Day, when the Locust Horde first attacks the planet Sera. The campaign supports solo play, two-player split-screen on consoles and online cooperative play for as many as four players.

For players who have spent years missing the sound of a perfectly timed active reload, the beta offers two weekends to find out whether muscle memory survived.