The multiplayer open beta for Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to run across two distinct weekends in August ahead of the game’s full release on October 6, according to Shacknews. The testing period is divided into an early access window for pre-order customers and eligible subscribers, followed by a wide open beta for all players.
Gears of War: E-Day Multiplayer Open Beta Dates and Schedule
According to Polygon, the early access phase begins on Thursday, August 6. Specifically, the first weekend kicks off at 12 p.m. PDT (3 p.m. EDT) on August 6 and concludes on Monday, August 10, at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT). This initial early access period is restricted to players who have pre-ordered the game on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, or Steam, alongside members of Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass.
Following the early access weekend, a second weekend opens the beta to everyone. This open beta runs from Thursday, August 13, at 12 p.m. PDT until Monday, August 17, at 10 a.m. EDT. Players who participate across multiple weekends will have their progress carried over between them, though a Game Pass Essentials membership is required to play online on the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
Beta Content, Game Modes, and Progression Limits
The content featured in the open beta remains consistent across both testing weekends. Participants will have access to 1 Horde Siege map, 4 classes, 10 levels of progression, 2 invasion bosses, 2 Versus modes spread across 2 different maps, all weapons, and 5 medals. During the beta, player level is capped at 50, and character customization is limited.
While the first weekend was initially planned to focus exclusively on the PvE Horde Siege mode, fan feedback prompted a change. As a result, Versus mode has also been added to the first beta weekend, ensuring that both Horde Siege and Versus PvP modes are available across both periods.
Exclusive Rewards and Unlockable Challenges
Players who dedicate time to the open beta can earn a series of exclusive cosmetic rewards and titles. These items are unlocked by completing specific gameplay challenges during the testing weekends:
- Epic Blast Damage Mags Character Skin: Reach player level 20.
- Rare Crush the Bug Weapon Skin Set: Extract from Horde Siege 8 times on Infantry difficulty or higher.
- Crush the Bug Banner: Score 25 headshots.
- Crush the Bug Emblem: Perform 10 revives.
- Crush the Bug Icon: Perform 5 Prototype Lancer Chainsaw executions.
- Open Beta Medal & First in the Fight Title: Launch the multiplayer beta.
Technical Background and Franchise Setting
Set 14 years before the events of the original Gears of War, E-Day follows Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago during the initial emergence of the Locust Horde. The title is built from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5 and DirectX 12. According to technical overviews, the game utilizes MegaLights for performant ray-traced shadows from up to 100 light sources, Lumen for ray-traced global illumination and ambient occlusion, and Nanite to increase object detail by up to 100 times compared to Gears 5.
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