Hero image: Gears of War: E-Day screenshot. Image: The Coalition / Xbox Game Studios
Gears of War: E-Day has gone gold, and you can start downloading it in the early hours of Wednesday. Here is when it unlocks in Australia, and what it costs here.
The Coalition’s prequel is done. Xbox confirmed on Xbox Wire that Gears of War: E-Day has gone gold, and pre-install opens on 29 September at 8am Pacific Time (15:00 UTC), which is 1am AEST on Wednesday 30 September, or 11pm on Tuesday in Perth.
Pre-install works on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC and Steam. If you pre-ordered, or you play on Game Pass, queue the download before bed on Tuesday and you will be ready when your access opens.
There are two unlock times to know. Early Access starts on 1 October at 8am Pacific, which is 1am AEST on Friday 2 October, and it is for Premium Edition players who can start “up to five days early”, according to Xbox. The Next Week on XBOX list also dates the Premium Edition to 1 October.
Worldwide launch is 6 October at 8am Pacific. Daylight saving starts on 4 October, so in Sydney and Melbourne that is 2am AEDT on Wednesday 7 October, 1am in Brisbane and 11pm on Tuesday 6 October in Perth. Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can play from 6 October too.
On the Australian Steam store, the standard edition is A$109.95 and the Premium Edition is A$159.95. Pre-order on Steam and you unlock the Exfil Dom Character Skin and the Exfil Weapon Skin Set at launch, with the offer running until 6 October at 7:59am Pacific.
The Steam page says the game runs at 4K and up to 60FPS across Campaign and Multiplayer. It supports Steam Deck, Xbox Ally X and Xbox Ally handhelds, and Horde Siege drops you in as a four-player squad, picking Assault, Marksman, Medic or Breacher. Versus runs 4v4, with Ranked and Social playlists.
One thing Australians miss out on is the Liquid Death tie-in. Its Chainsaw Flex pose is unlocked by buying the drink, and the offer runs in the US only.
So set the pre-install before you sleep on Tuesday night, then decide whether five early days are worth the extra A$50.
Source: Xbox Wire – Gears of War: E-Day Has Gone Gold, Steam – Gears of War: E-Day, Xbox Wire – Next Week on XBOX