Last updated: 3 July 2026

Gears of War: E-Day New Gameplay Features — Jump, Traversal, Weapons & Enemies

The Coalition has been upfront that E-Day is the biggest movement overhaul in the series' history. Here's what actually changes in how you fight, move, and what you're fighting, based on the gameplay deep dive shown at the June 2026 Xbox Games Showcase.

01Jumping: A First for the Series

Every prior Gears game kept you locked to the ground plane; E-Day doesn't:

• Players can now jump for the first time in the series, opening up rooftops, crumbling buildings, and elevated flanking routes that didn't exist as combat space before.
• You can slide out of a sprint, climb vehicles and structures, and vault into low cover far faster than in earlier games.
• The Coalition has described the resulting encounters as feeling closer to action-movie set pieces — throwing yourself off a balcony to revive a downed squadmate, sliding under a truck, scrambling through cover to reach safety on the other side.

02How Missions Use the New Verticality

It's not just movement for its own sake — mission layouts are built around it. Some encounters are still linear, scripted combat sequences, but others are larger, open districts you can approach from multiple angles: head-on through a front entrance, flanking through a side door, or climbing to a balcony across the street to snipe with the Longshot. That third option — high ground as a real tactical choice — is new to the series.

03New and Returning Weapons

• The Lancer returns as the signature chainsaw-bayonet assault rifle — and E-Day tells the story of how it was created, with Marcus Fenix directly involved in its early development during the invasion.
• The Longshot sniper rifle returns for the new high-ground flanking routes described above.
• The Gut Puncher, a new grenade launcher, joins the roster.
• The Incinerator, a new shotgun, is also confirmed for launch.
• More of the loadout is expected to be detailed closer to release — check official channels for the full list before launch.

04The Enemies: Locust and the Hollow

Combat escalates in intensity as the story of Emergence Day unfolds:

• It starts with Wretches — fast, bestial early threats — before Drones, the more humanoid Locust soldiers, appear in force.
• Later encounters bring back series staples Boomers, Corpsers, and Reavers.
• Nearly every major surface city, including Kalona, is attacked by forces erupting from the Hollow — the underground network beneath Sera — and E-Day introduces new creatures native to the Hollow alongside the familiar Locust roster, aiming to recapture the horror of humanity's first contact with this threat rather than treat it as a known enemy.

05How This Fits Into Co-op

The new verticality and flanking routes are designed with squads in mind — reviving a downed teammate mid-jump, splitting up to hit an objective from two directions, or having one player hold high ground with the Longshot while others push at street level. See our co-op guide for how squads are actually structured across Bravo Squad's four characters.