A second beta weekend opens to everyone on Xbox Series X|S and PC beginning August 13. Both weekends now include Horde Siege and 4v4 Versus multiplayer.
The Coalition confirmed the addition of Versus after fans voiced frustration over earlier messaging that appeared to limit the first weekend to the new cooperative Horde Siege mode.
The developer has not said that the criticism directly caused the change. Still, the updated beta announcement should be welcome news for players who pre-ordered primarily to test E-Day’s competitive multiplayer.
Gears of War: E-Day Beta Dates and Times
The first beta weekend is an early-access period:
- Starts August 6 at 12:00 PM PDT
- Ends August 10 at 10:00 AM PDT
The second weekend is open to every player on an eligible platform:
- Starts August 13 at 12:00 PM PDT
- Ends August 17 at 10:00 AM PDT
Both weekends contain the same selection of beta content.
Progress earned during the first weekend carries into the open weekend. Most progression will then reset before the full game launches.
How to Get Early Access
You can join the first Gears of War: E-Day beta weekend by meeting at least one of these requirements:
- Pre-ordering the game for Xbox Series X|S
- Pre-ordering the game through the Xbox PC app
- Pre-ordering the game on Steam
- Having an active Game Pass Ultimate subscription
- Having an active PC Game Pass subscription
- Redeeming an eligible physical or Collector’s Edition beta code
Xbox and Xbox PC pre-orders should automatically receive the Gears Beta client in their libraries.
Game Pass members can search for Gears Beta through the Game Pass library and download it directly.
Steam pre-orders should find the beta client automatically added to their Steam libraries.
Players who pre-ordered a physical edition should receive a code from the retailer. Collector’s Edition buyers should also receive their access code by email.
Does Beta Progress Carry Between Weekends?
Yes. The following progress carries from the early-access weekend into the public open beta:
- Challenge progress
- Medal progress
- Unlocked rewards
- Class progression
- Player Level
This means players do not need to complete every reward requirement by August 10. They can continue where they left off when the public weekend begins on August 13.
Do Steam Players Need an Xbox Account?
Steam players do not need an Xbox or Microsoft account to launch the beta.
However, an Xbox account must be linked before sending cross-platform squad invitations.
You can link one by opening the Social pane from the main menu and selecting Link Account in the upper-left corner.
Is PVP Versus Included in the E-Day Beta?
Yes. The Gears of War: E-Day beta includes refined 4v4 Versus multiplayer during both weekends.
The revised announcement follows vocal pushback from fans who believed early-access players would only receive Horde Siege during the first weekend.
That criticism made sense. Gears has a long-running competitive community, and plenty of players were not pre-ordering just to chainsaw AI enemies together, delightful as that may be.
The Coalition’s current FAQ clearly states that early-access players will be able to play both Horde Siege and 4v4 Versus beginning August 6.
What is Horde Siege?
Horde Siege is E-Day’s new evolution of the series’ cooperative Horde mode.
It supports larger battles built around defensive objectives, player classes, enemy waves, and extraction. Beta players will receive a limited selection of maps, enemies, classes, upgrades, and progression compared with the full release.
One beta reward specifically requires players to complete eight extractions on Infantry difficulty or higher, so anyone chasing the full reward set will need to spend time in Horde Siege even if Versus is their main attraction.
All Gears of War: E-Day Beta Rewards
Players can unlock six exclusive rewards during the multiplayer beta:
- Epic Blast Damage Mags Character Skin: Reach Player Level 20 during either beta weekend.
- Rare Crush the Bug Weapon Skin Set: Successfully extract from Horde Siege eight times on Infantry difficulty or higher.
- Crush the Bug Banner: Get 25 headshots.
- Crush the Bug Emblem: Perform 10 revives.
- Crush the Bug Icon: Perform five Prototype Lancer Chainsaw Executions.
- Open Beta Medal and First in the Fight Title: Launch and play the multiplayer beta.
The Open Beta Medal, First in the Fight title, and completed challenge rewards will carry into the full game.
Class progression, Player Level, and unfinished Medal progress will reset before launch.
Gears of War: E-Day Beta PC Driver Requirement
Players using an Nvidia graphics card must install GeForce Game Ready Driver 610.74 before launching the beta.
The Coalition warns that the beta will not launch on older Nvidia drivers.
The beta may also experience crashes, performance drops, visual pop-in, cover problems, execution camera bugs, and accessibility issues. These are known beta limitations rather than guarantees that your PC has finally chosen violence.
Gears of War: E-Day launches October 6, 2026. The two August test weekends provide the first public opportunity to try both Horde Siege and competitive Versus before release.
