Gamers who boot up Gears 5 are being greeted by a message hyping up the franchise's next installment, Gears of War: E-Day. It's been nearly half a decade since Gears 5 was released in 2019. The sequel followed up Gears of War 4, continuing the story of the new trio of characters, Kait Diaz, JD Fenix, and Del Walker, on the search for the origins of the Locust Horde.

Xbox's "one more thing" at its recent games showcase turned out to be the stunning and nostalgic reveal of The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day. While many fans were expecting a follow-up to Gears 5, especially with its cliffhanger ending, Gears of War: E-Day is going back to the very beginning of the Locust invasion, following series icons Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago. Longtime fans are especially excited about the darker tone showcased in Gears of War: E-Day's trailer; the project's leads have promised a commitment to a more intimate horror feel.

With just a few weeks having passed since Gears of War: E-Day's reveal, PureXbox has pointed out that Gears 5 players are being met with a new message upon booting up the game. Titled "Emergence Begins", the message doesn't share any new information, but reminds players of Gears of War: E-Day's setting and key story details. The message ends by mentioning Unreal Engine 5, letting players know to expect a feast of visual fidelity when the game comes out, par for the course with the always impressive Gears franchise.

Gears 5 Message Hypes Fans Up For Gears of War: E-Day

Experience the brutal horror of Emergence Day through the eyes of Marcus Fenix in the origin story of one of gaming's most acclaimed sagas. Fourteen years before Gears of War, war heroes Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago return home to face a new nightmare: the Locust Horde. These subterranean monsters, grotesque and relentless, erupt from below, laying siege on humanity itself. Built from the ground up with Unreal Engine 5, Gears of War: E-Day delivers unprecedented graphical fidelity.

Gears of War: E-Day didn't have a release window attached to its reveal trailer, leading many to think 2026 would be the right time for it, but rumors have since surfaced about The Coalition eyeing 2025 for its release. This sort of message reminding fans of the next entry in the series is common practice in AAA games, but they usually begin to appear much closer to the launch of the game in question. Thus, a message such as this makes it seem like Gears of War: E-Day really could be planning to launch in 2025. However, the message's status as an "Update" and "Announcement" also makes it feel like a simple reminder to the fanbase that the game has recently been announced.

If it is the case that Gears of War: E-Day is coming next year, one would need to consider the timeline of other major Xbox titles that have officially been stamped with 2025 release windows. Doom: The Dark Ages, Fable, and South of Midnight all populate Xbox's 2025 calendar, thus fitting E-Day into the mix would be challenging. Regardless of whether Gears of War: E-Day comes out in 2025 or 2026, fans of the franchise are stoked to to get back to the series' horror roots with Dom and Marcus.