Microsoft has announced a 20th anniversary celebration for Gears of War, highlighted by a special event within Gears of War: E-Day and the upcoming launch of Season 2: Legacy on December 1. This commemoration offers Xbox players limited-time game modes, new rewards, and a free multiplayer character to mark two decades since the franchise’s debut.
The anniversary event in Gears of War: E-Day features unique Versus and Horde modes. In the Versus playlist, players can access Guardian mode, where only a single leader emerges victorious per round. The Horde Siege mode includes the new For the Queen variation, which disables supply caches, forcing teams to rely on their loadouts for survival over a series of waves. These modes are available for a limited two-week period.
To further celebrate the milestone, every player of Gears of War: E-Day will receive General RAAM as a free multiplayer character simply by logging into the game at any time during the event. RAAM’s inclusion reflects his status as one of the series’ most iconic antagonists and serves as a token of appreciation for the community built around the franchise.
Season 2: Legacy Brings Classic Content and New Character Skins
The forthcoming Season 2: Legacy, releasing on December 1, will introduce a range of nostalgic maps, modes, and character skins from the history of Gears of War. It aims to honour fan-favourite elements while also expanding on character designs. One highlighted example is the Solemn Memories Dominic Santiago skin, which represents Dom in the suit he wore in a noted Gears of War 2 photograph alongside Maria.
Gears of War: E-Day, built on Unreal Engine 5, offers a modernised entry in the series, including an origin-story campaign set fourteen years before the original game. The campaign follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the initial emergence of the Locust Horde. The game supports split-screen co-op and online multiplayer across Campaign, Horde Siege, and Versus modes.
The Horde Siege mode supports larger maps and player counts than in previous Gears games, emphasising cooperative play against wave-based enemies. Players can choose between distinct classes such as Assault, Marksman, Medic, and Breacher, and work with up to four squads to complete objectives and defeat world bosses. Progression and rewards incentivise repeated play.
This anniversary event and Season 2 update are available through Gears of War: E-Day on Xbox platforms. The addition of classic maps, modes, and characters provides a retrospective of the franchise’s twenty-year legacy, delivered through the ongoing support and updates for the current Gears title.
