Gears of War: E-Day Steam Charts and Player Count

Steam player milestones so far

SteamDB records the highest number of people playing a game at the same moment. For E-Day, that number has climbed at each stage of the rollout, from the August beta to early access and the full launch. The table collects the figures reported by SteamDB and the outlets that covered them.

The October 8 figure is a snapshot rather than a peak. SteamStatistics showed 12,660 players with a 10% drop over 24 hours, while SteamyData showed 14,306 a little later. Live counts swing by thousands across a single day, so the time you check matters a lot.

A record for the series on Steam

No earlier Gears game came close on Steam. Gears 5 set the previous series record with 10,196 concurrent players in September 2019. Gears of War: Reloaded, the 2025 remaster of the original, peaked below 5,000. E-Day passed Gears 5 on the first day of early access, before most people could even play.

Notebookcheck reported that E-Day also topped Steam's sales charts on release day. Insider Gaming called it the fastest-growing Gears title on Steam. For a series that spent most of its life as an Xbox console franchise, that is a clear shift toward PC.

Why some coverage calls it modest

Not every headline was upbeat. TechPowerUp described a launch with modest reviews and a 31,500 peak, and Tech4Gamers said E-Day disappointed with 31K players. Their point is that 31,000 is small next to the biggest shooters on Steam, which routinely draw hundreds of thousands.

Both readings use the same number. Against its own series, E-Day is a record. Against Steam's biggest multiplayer games, it is mid-sized. Which comparison matters depends on whether you care about Gears' growth on PC or about Microsoft's flagship competing for attention with the platform's giants.

What Steam charts do not count

This is the biggest caveat. SteamDB only sees Steam. E-Day also launched on Xbox Series X|S and on PC through the Xbox app, and it was included day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Players in any of those places are invisible to every Steam tracker.

• Xbox Series X|S: the home platform for the series and likely the largest single group.
• Xbox app on PC: where PC Game Pass members play, with no Steam involvement.
• Game Pass Ultimate cloud: streaming players are counted by Microsoft, not Steam.

Microsoft has not published a total player figure yet. Until it does, the Steam peak is best read as a floor for PC interest, not a measure of the whole launch. Crossplay means all of these groups share the same Horde Siege and Versus matchmaking, so queue times reflect the full population. Our Game Pass page explains which tiers include the game.

Steam reviews alongside the player count

Player numbers and review scores tell different stories. Steam user reviews sat at Mostly Positive throughout launch week. On launch day about 77% of 4,534 reviews were positive. By October 8, trackers showed roughly 75–76% positive across 5,000 to 6,000 reviews.

Critics were warmer than players: the game holds a Metascore of 87. The most common Steam complaints are missing series staples such as chainsaw duels, and a story some found thin. Graphics and gunplay draw the most praise. Our review roundup compares the two sides in detail.

Is the player count falling?

Yes, but in the way almost every launch falls. A peak lands on release day, when everyone starts at once, and daily peaks then settle lower. Going from about 31,000 to the low teens of thousands two days later mostly reflects time of day and the end of the launch rush.

Weekends usually bring daily peaks back up. Seasonal content will matter more for long-term numbers, starting with the cosmetic packs included in the Premium Edition. Horde Siege also has a long progression curve, and class levels are a reason for players to keep coming back.

A sustained figure in the 10,000–15,000 range would still be well above any previous Gears game on Steam. A fall below Gears 5's old 10,196 record within weeks would be the more worrying sign. We will update this page as the trend becomes clearer.

How to check the live numbers yourself

1. Open SteamDB and search for AppID 3010850, the game's Steam ID.
2. Use the Charts tab for the all-time peak, the 24-hour peak and the live count.
3. Switch the chart to one month to see daily peaks rather than single moments.
4. Cross-check with Steam Charts, Tracker Network or SteamStatistics if a number looks odd.

Small differences between trackers are normal. Tracker Network lists an all-time peak of 31,499 because it samples at different moments from SteamDB's 31,517. Daily averages are a fairer comparison than single snapshots. Steam's own Stats page also lists the most played games right now, but only the top 100.

Context for PC players

A busy Steam population helps PC players directly. Matchmaking in Horde Siege and Versus is faster, community guides arrive sooner and bugs get reported in volume. Crossplay is on in every mode, so Steam players also match with Xbox players.

If you are deciding where to play on PC, our Steam guide covers account linking and crossplay. The PC overview compares Steam with the Xbox app. If the game will not start, try our crash fixes.