Gears of War: E-Day on Game Pass

Which Game Pass tiers include E-Day?

Only Ultimate and PC Game Pass include new first-party releases on day one. Xbox Wire's gone-gold announcement confirmed both tiers would get E-Day on October 6. Lower tiers have to wait, or buy the game outright.

Which edition does Game Pass include?

Game Pass includes the Standard Edition only. That means no early access, no Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, no seasonal customization packs and no bonus Iron. Microsoft counted the game as a day-one Game Pass title based on the Standard Edition's October 6 release, not the October 1 early access date.

Everything else about the game is the same. You get the full campaign, Horde Siege and Versus, with crossplay and the same progression as buyers.

Playing early on Game Pass

Game Pass members could join early access on October 1 by buying the Premium Upgrade for $30 (or €30). Early access opened at 8:00 AM PT (15:00 UTC) on October 1, five days before the global launch at the same time on October 6. Xbox Wire confirmed that early access covered Premium Edition owners and Game Pass subscribers who bought the upgrade.

The upgrade includes up to five days of early access, the Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, five seasonal customization packs starting with the Emergence Pack, and 1,000 Iron. It does not include the base game.

That last point matters. After October 6, you still need an active Game Pass subscription — or a purchased copy — to keep playing. Our Premium Upgrade page explains what happens if your subscription lapses.

Play Anywhere and cross-progress

E-Day supports Xbox Play Anywhere, so progress carries between Xbox consoles and PC. With Game Pass Ultimate you can switch between console, PC and cloud and pick up where you left off. Digital purchases from the Xbox store also work on both console and PC.

Steam is a separate storefront, but crossplay still connects Steam players with Game Pass players. Link a Microsoft account on Steam if you want roaming saves. See our Steam page for the steps.

Cloud gaming

Game Pass Ultimate includes Xbox Cloud Gaming, and E-Day supports it, including on handheld devices. That is the easiest way to play on hardware that cannot run the game locally. It is also how Xbox One owners can play, since there is no native Xbox One version.

On PC, the game needs a ray-tracing-capable GPU and an SSD. If yours does not qualify, cloud play through Ultimate is the workaround. Check the system requirements.

Buy it or play on Game Pass?

If you already have Ultimate or PC Game Pass, you can play the full game at no extra cost. If you want early access or the Premium cosmetics, add the $30 upgrade. Buying the Standard Edition at $69.99 only makes sense if you want to own it outright.

• Already subscribed: play on Game Pass; add the $30 upgrade only if you want the Premium extras.
• Not subscribed, short-term interest: a month of PC Game Pass or Ultimate covers the campaign, which runs 14+ hours.
• Long-term multiplayer player: consider buying, so access does not depend on a subscription.

The campaign length is covered in how long to beat, and edition differences in Premium Edition.

Cost comparison

The Game Pass plus upgrade route gives you the same Premium content as the Premium Edition, including early access. The difference is ownership of the base game: with Game Pass, it stays tied to your subscription. If you later buy the Standard Edition, the upgrade still applies to it.

What you can play on Game Pass

Game Pass gives you the complete game, not a trial. That includes the campaign, which runs more than 14 hours and supports solo, 2-player split-screen and up to 4-player online co-op. It also includes Horde Siege for up to 12 players and 4v4 Versus.

Progress, achievements and unlocks are the same as for buyers. If you buy the game later, your progress carries over because it is tied to your account.

The day-one Game Pass debate

Putting a major exclusive on Game Pass at launch has been widely debated. Commentators argued that day-one Game Pass makes it harder for an Xbox exclusive to recoup its costs, since many players will never pay full price. Others said it waters down the appeal of owning exclusives.

For players, the upside is simple: the cheapest way to play a brand-new Gears game at launch. Whether that strategy pays off for Xbox is a business question, and our PS5 page covers the related exclusivity debate.

Pre-loading on Game Pass

Pre-loading opened on September 29 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam. Game Pass members could download the game ahead of the October 6 launch. The install is about 120 GB, so it is worth starting early. On PC, make sure the drive is an SSD, because a hard drive is not supported.

Members who bought the Premium Upgrade could start playing their pre-loaded copy at 15:00 UTC on October 1. Everyone else on Game Pass got access at the same time on October 6. Our release date page lists the local unlock times.