The Gears of War: E-Day open beta has officially set a new concurrent player record on Steam, drawing 22,084 players at its peak roughly eight hours ago. This second week of availability, now open to all users on PC and Xbox Series X|S, has outperformed the initial beta phase, which saw a peak of 18,000 players.
Record-Breaking Interest
With this latest milestone, Gears of War: E-Day has surpassed the all-time concurrent player records for every other title in the franchise currently on Steam. For comparison, previous series entries on the platform reached the following peaks:
- Gears 5: Over 10,000 players
- Gears Tactics: 7,351 players
- Gears of War: Reloaded: Just under 5,000 players
These figures reflect only the Steam audience. According to Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics, the first week of the beta saw 1.2 million Xbox console players participate, a figure expected to grow as the open beta continues.
What to Expect in the Beta
Players currently have access to a tutorial, competitive PvP Versus matches, and the PvE Horde Siege mode. The Horde Siege mode allows squads to work together to complete side objectives while defending city streets from enemy waves.
Developers have confirmed that the game will feature “old-school” unlocks based on gameplay rather than a grind-heavy progression system. The open beta remains available to players on PC and Xbox Series X|S until August 17.