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Gears of War: E-Day vs The Last of Us Part I
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| shopping_cart Where to Buy | |
| info General Information | |
| Release Date | |
| Oct 6, 2026 | Sep 2, 2022 |
| Developer | |
| The Coalition (Co-development with People Can Fly) | Naughty Dog |
| Publisher | |
| Microsoft / Xbox Game Studios | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
| Genre(s) | |
| Third-Person Shooter / Horror-Survival | Action-Adventure, Survival Horror, Third-Person Shooter |
| Engine | |
| Unreal Engine 5.8 | Naughty Dog Engine (Proprietary, updated for PS5/PC) |
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| Content Rating | |
| Mature 17+ | Mature 17+ |
| Avg. User Rating | |
| 4.5 / 5.0 | 4.8 / 5.0 |
| Current Price (USD) | |
| $69.99 | $59.99 |
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| trending_up Progression & Upgrades | |
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Progression and upgrades in Gears of War: E-Day have been meticulously overhauled across both the campaign and the newly introduced 12-player Horde Siege mode. In Horde Siege, players select from four deeply integrated classes: Assault, Breacher, Marksman, and Medic. Each class progresses independently up to level 10, unlocking specialized armor modifications and powerful 'Tactical Gear' operating on cooldowns, such as the Medic's Stim Vaporizer or the Marksman's Pulse Drone. In the core campaign and PvE modes, a new RPG-lite weapon modification system is introduced. Players actively scavenge for Weapon Part Stockpiles scattered throughout the environments, allowing them to equip up to four distinct modifications per firearm. These mods can drastically alter weapon behavior, such as adding Incendiary Ammo to the Prototype Lancer, attaching Forged Barrels to the Breechshot for boss damage, or employing Auto Pouch upgrades to the Gnasher for passive background reloading. |
Joel can upgrade his abilities (health, weapon sway, crafting speed, etc.) by finding training manuals and consuming supplements. Weapons can be upgraded at workbenches using scavenged parts and tools, improving attributes like fire rate, reload speed, and capacity. Crafting allows creation of health kits, melee weapon upgrades, and throwable items. |
| public World & Exploration | |
| World & Level Design | |
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Rather than utilizing the expansive, sprawling open-world segments seen in Gears 5, Gears of War: E-Day completely re-engineers its map design to focus on densely detailed, intimately linear environments that heighten the claustrophobic horror of the Locust invasion. The entire campaign unfolds across Kalona, an industrial epicenter severely scarred by decades of Imulsion processing. Specific regions include Kalona's City Hall—hastily converted into a desperate triage and command center—and deeply atmospheric downtown districts featuring dynamic 'multi-path' routing for optional side objectives. In the multiplayer space, the game features six bespoke 4v4 competitive maps, including the vertically demanding 'Outpost', the claustrophobic 'Precinct' set in a ruined police station, the 'Battleship' across a derelict war vessel, and the 'Market' seaside bazaar. Horde Siege introduces three massive, interconnected maps, such as the vintage-inspired 'Golden Quarter', explicitly designed to support 12-player extraction-style objectives and dynamic enemy pathing. |
The game features a linear series of meticulously detailed environments rather than a traditional open world. Players traverse various locations across the U.S., including Boston, Lincoln, Pittsburgh, Jackson, Salt Lake City, and rural areas, each presenting unique environmental challenges and encounters. |
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| book Story & Characters | |
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| people Multiplayer | |
| Multiplayer Details | |
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The multiplayer suite in Gears of War: E-Day offers a massive dichotomy between cooperative scale and intimate competitive arenas. PvE is revolutionized through 'Horde Siege', a groundbreaking 12-player mode that divides the lobby into three independent four-player squads. Blending classic wave defense with modern extraction shooter mechanics, these squads operate across massive maps to complete dynamic 'Secure' and 'Calibrate' missions while competing for high-tier loot drops and uniting to defeat colossal world bosses. Conversely, the competitive Versus PvP suite abandons large-scale warfare, returning strictly to a hyper-competitive, tactical 4v4 format. Utilizing symmetrical loadouts and map-control-driven power weapon spawns, the game features distinct social and ranked playlists. Core modes include traditional Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Demolition, and the newly introduced Crucible, spread across six intricately designed launch maps built to test the new omnidirectional sprinting and vaulting traversal mechanics. |
The Last of Us Part I (remake) does **not** include the 'Factions' multiplayer mode that was present in the original 2013 release and The Last of Us Remastered (PS4). It is a single-player only experience. A standalone multiplayer project set in The Last of Us universe was in development but has since been cancelled. |
| extension Editions & DLC | |
| Available Editions | |
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Microsoft has established a multi-tiered retail strategy for Gears of War: E-Day, designed to capture varying levels of consumer engagement. The Standard Edition retails for $69.99 in the US, with regional pricing adjustments lowering the cost by up to 36% in emerging markets like China and India, while applying a premium in the UK, Israel, and EU. Pre-ordering unlocks exclusive 'Exfil' cosmetics. For franchise veterans, a $99.99 Premium Edition is available, which provides a highly coveted five-day advanced access period, allowing players to experience the campaign and multiplayer early. This premium tier also includes the Emergence Customization Pack, Bravo Squad Signature Weapon Pack, and 1,000 'Iron' (the premium in-game currency), alongside a guarantee of four subsequent Seasonal Customization Packs. A limited physical Collector's Edition caters to media preservationists. Notably, the game abandons the time-gated Battle Pass system in favor of organic unlock progression. |
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| Post-Launch Content / DLC | |
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In a bold departure from contemporary live-service industry standards, The Coalition has completely omitted a traditional, time-gated Battle Pass system from Gears of War: E-Day. Instead, the developers have pivoted back to a classic progression economy where player levels, medals, character skins, and weapon cosmetics are unlocked organically purely through gameplay achievements and milestones. However, Microsoft's monetization strategy continues through the inclusion of 'Iron', a premium in-game currency utilized in a dedicated microtransaction storefront for highly specific, direct-purchase cosmetics. Crucially, the post-launch roadmap guarantees that all core gameplay additions—including new competitive Versus maps, expansive Horde Siege maps, and new modes—will be delivered entirely for free to prevent fracturing the multiplayer community. Premium Edition owners are also guaranteed access to four massive Seasonal Customization Packs over the game's initial post-launch lifecycle. |
The Last of Us Part I (remake) includes the **Left Behind** prequel story DLC, which was originally standalone DLC for the 2013 game. No new story DLC has been announced for Part I remake itself. The PC version received numerous patches addressing performance and stability issues post-launch. |
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| build Technical Details | |
| Graphics & Visual Fidelity | |
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Gears of War: E-Day establishes an absolute benchmark for real-time rendering by fully unleashing Unreal Engine 5.8. Discarding all legacy assets, The Coalition utilized Nanite virtualized geometry to render Kalona with unprecedented polygon density, showcasing advanced skin shaders, subsurface scattering, and intricate physical modeling. The title is the premier showcase for NVIDIA's RTX Mega Geometry, utilizing nested Cluster-Level Acceleration Structures (CLAS) to allow hyper-accurate ray-traced reflections and shadows directly against full-fidelity Nanite meshes. Furthermore, the integration of UE5.7's MegaLights allows for hundreds of dynamic, shadow-casting light sources in a single scene without performance collapse, illuminating the game's robust procedural destruction physics where bullets tear through cover and flesh in real-time. Despite these marvels, console players have heavily criticized the forced implementation of post-processing effects like chromatic aberration and film grain, demanding a toggle to preserve the pristine UE5 aesthetic. |
Rebuilt using Naughty Dog's latest PS5 engine technology, The Last of Us Part I features significantly improved graphics over the original and remastered versions. This includes more detailed character models, enhanced lighting and shadow effects, denser environments, improved animations, and more realistic physics. The PC version supports higher resolutions, uncapped framerates, and ultrawide monitors. |
| Audio & Soundtrack | |
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Auditory authenticity is paramount to the harrowing prequel experience of Gears of War: E-Day. The soundscape heavily emphasizes the terrifying unknown of the initial Locust invasion, replacing the familiar orchestral swells of previous games with oppressive, tension-building survival-horror sound design. The roars of subterranean monsters echoing through the ruined streets of Kalona are mixed with advanced spatial audio, heightening player paranoia. Crucially, iconic voice actors John DiMaggio and Carlos Ferro return to reprise their roles as Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago, anchoring the narrative with raw, emotionally resonant performances that capture the characters' youthful vulnerability and Pendulum Wars trauma. The acoustic environment is further enhanced by volumetric smoke and destruction physics, ensuring that crumbling architecture, searing Imulsion fires, and the heavy, metallic clatter of the new simulated projectile ballistics sound visceral and dynamically responsive to the surrounding geometry. |
Iconic and BAFTA award-winning score by Gustavo Santaolalla, featuring haunting acoustic guitar melodies. Sound design is critical for gameplay, providing cues for enemy locations (Infected clicks, human dialogue) and environmental awareness. The remake features enhanced 3D audio capabilities. |
| User Interface (UI/UX) | |
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The User Interface of Gears of War: E-Day blends classic franchise aesthetics with modernized, customizable quality-of-life enhancements. A standout feature is the highly modular Active Reload HUD element. Recognizing player preferences, the developers allow users to reposition the classic reload timing bar to various screen locations, such as the traditional top-right corner or closer to the screen center for immediate peripheral visibility. The UI also reflects the deeply controversial shift in weapon ballistics; hip-firing utilizes a standard dynamic crosshair based on barrel trajectory, while aiming down sights (ADS) shifts the point of origin directly to the center of the camera screen. In Horde Siege, the UI expands to accommodate complex class systems, providing clear telemetry for 12 players across three squads, ping systems for supply drops, and cooldown trackers for unique Tactical Gear like the Pulse Drone or Adrenaline Injector. |
Features a relatively minimalist HUD focusing on immersion, with contextual prompts for interactions and resource management. Crafting and upgrade menus are accessible via Joel's backpack. The PC version includes extensive graphics and control customization options. |
| Accessibility Options | |
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While Gears of War: E-Day is fundamentally a brutal, skill-intensive third-person shooter, it incorporates several crucial accessibility adjustments and control modifications. The complete overhaul of the franchise's movement system—shifting from the magnetic, screen-shaking 'roadie run' to an omnidirectional sprint tied to the left thumbstick (L3)—drastically improves spatial awareness and camera control for players who struggled with the claustrophobic angles of legacy titles. The introduction of the dedicated slide and mantle buttons separates actions that were previously clustered onto a single, often overwhelming multifunction button. However, the game's complex hybrid aiming system, which switches from barrel-shooting during hip-fire to center-screen aiming during ADS, has been a point of massive accessibility and consistency feedback, with the community advocating for streamlined aiming options. Console users are also aggressively campaigning for accessible toggles to disable intense chromatic aberration and film grain to prevent visual fatigue and motion sickness. |
Naughty Dog is renowned for extensive accessibility options. Part I includes features for vision (e.g., screen reader, high contrast modes, audio cues for traversal/combat), hearing (e.g., subtitle customization, visual prompts), and motor skills (e.g., control remapping, aim assist, auto-pickup, navigation assistance). |
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| settings_applications System Requirements | |
| 720p (HD) - Minimum (720p @ 30 FPS - Official) (Low Preset, 720p Resolution, FSR/DLSS Performance (if applicable)) CPU: Official Naughty Dog minimum desktop CPU. Older quad-core CPUs. CPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate laptop equivalent for PC release (2023): These CPUs would be the absolute floor. The game is CPU heavy. GPU: Official Naughty Dog minimum desktop GPU. GPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate laptop equivalent: Entry-level dedicated mobile GPUs. Expect to rely heavily on FSR/DLSS at 720p for 30 FPS. RAM: 16GB is the official minimum RAM requirement. Storage: NVMe SSD is mandatory. | |
| — | memoryCPU: Intel Core i7-4770K / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB) or GTX 1050 Ti (4GB) / AMD Radeon RX 470 (4GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-7700HQ / AMD Ryzen 5 2500U (H-series i7 preferred for consistency) laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile (4GB) / AMD Radeon RX 560X (4GB) layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 100 GB NVMe SSD |
| 1080p (Full HD) - Minimum (Ultra Settings (with Heavy AI Upscaling)) CPU: Handles basic procedural destruction but struggles with heavy multi-path enemy AI logic. CPU (Laptop): Needs high clock speeds to avoid pipeline stalling during intensive subterranean combat. GPU: Bare minimum for hardware ray tracing. Capable of ~74-85 FPS on 12GB variants during the beta. GPU (Laptop): Required to maintain stable 60+ FPS when paired with aggressive AI upscaling. RAM: Minimum official requirement, though memory constraints were highly prevalent in the beta. Storage: Mandatory for seamless texture streaming. | |
memoryCPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel Core i5-10400 developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA RTX 2060 / AMD RX 6600 / Intel A580 laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-10750H / AMD Ryzen 7 4800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA RTX 3060 (130W) / RTX 4050 (100W+) layersRAM: 12 GB saveStorage (Tier): 130 GB SSD | — |
| 1080p (Full HD) - Recommended (1080p @ 60 FPS - Official) (High Preset, 1080p Resolution, FSR/DLSS Quality Recommended) CPU: Official Naughty Dog recommended desktop CPU for 1080p/60FPS. CPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate laptop equivalent: Strong hex-core or octa-core mobile CPUs released around 2020-2021. GPU: Official Naughty Dog recommended desktop GPU. RTX 3060 / RX 6600 XT are good targets. GPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate: Strong mobile GPUs from 2019-2020. Modern Baseline: An RTX 3060 Mobile or RX 6600M is a good target for 1080p High at 60FPS, often with DLSS/FSR Quality. RAM: Recommended RAM for a smooth experience at these settings. Storage: NVMe SSD is mandatory. | |
| — | memoryCPU: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Super (8GB) or RTX 3060 (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5800 XT (8GB) or RX 6600 XT (8GB) (Note: RX 5800 XT likely typo for RX 5700 XT) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-10750H / AMD Ryzen 7 4800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): Period-Appropriate: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Mobile (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5700M (8GB). Modern Baseline: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (6GB, High TGP) / AMD Radeon RX 6600M (8GB). layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 100 GB NVMe SSD |
| 1440p (QHD/2K) - Recommended (Ultra Settings) CPU: Ensures stable performance during the highly complex 12-player Horde Siege PvE modes. CPU (Laptop): Provides necessary processing overhead for UE5.8 MegaLights unified direct illumination. GPU: The officially recommended RTX 5060 can push nearly 100 FPS under these conditions with upscaling. GPU (Laptop): Essential for stable 1440p rendering with full Hardware Lumen enabled. RAM: Officially recommended to accommodate heavy environmental destruction caching. Storage: Required to prevent streaming bottlenecks across the massive Horde Siege maps. | |
memoryCPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 / Intel Core i5-11600K developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti / RTX 5060 / AMD RX 6700 XT laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-12700H / AMD Ryzen 7 6800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop GPU (140W) layersRAM: 16 GB saveStorage (Tier): 130 GB SSD | — |
| 1440p (QHD/2K) - Performance (1440p @ 60 FPS - Official) (High Preset, 1440p Resolution, FSR/DLSS Quality/Balanced Recommended) CPU: Official Naughty Dog CPU spec for 1440p/60FPS High. CPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate laptop equivalent: High-performance mobile CPUs released around 2021. GPU: Official Naughty Dog desktop GPU for 1440p High 60FPS. GPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate/Modern Baseline: An RTX 3070 Mobile or RX 6800M is a strong target for 1440p High, utilizing DLSS/FSR. RAM: Official Naughty Dog recommended RAM for 1440p High. Game can be VRAM and RAM hungry. Storage: NVMe SSD is mandatory. | |
| — | memoryCPU: Intel Core i7-9700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (11GB) or RTX 3070 (8GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (12GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-11800H / AMD Ryzen 7 5800H laptop_windowsGPU (L): Period-Appropriate: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (8GB, High TGP) / AMD Radeon RX 6800M (12GB). Modern Baseline: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (8GB, High TGP) / AMD Radeon RX 6800M (12GB). layersRAM: 32 GB saveStorage (Tier): 100 GB NVMe SSD |
| 2160p (UHD/4K) - Enthusiast (4K Ludicrous) (4K Ludicrous Preset with DLSS 4.5 Quality Mode) CPU: Maximizes Bounding Volume Hierarchy (BVH) reconstruction speeds required for RTX Mega Geometry. CPU (Laptop): Top-tier mobile processor to prevent CPU-bound bottlenecks under extreme geometry loads. GPU: The highest end GPU tested; pushes 45 FPS with DLSS at Ludicrous settings. GPU (Laptop): Absolute necessity for uncompromised 4K Ray Tracing gameplay in E-Day. RAM: Required to prevent memory capping caused by intense volumetric lighting and Nanite scaling. Storage: Crucial for instantaneous asset loading of billions of polygons. | |
memoryCPU: Intel Core i9-14900K / AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA RTX 5090 laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i9-13980HX laptop_windowsGPU (L): NVIDIA RTX 4090 / 5090 Mobile (175W) layersRAM: 32 GB saveStorage (Tier): 130 GB NVMe Gen 4 SSD | — |
| 2160p (UHD/4K) - Ultra (4K @ 60 FPS - Official) (Ultra Preset, 2160p (4K) Resolution, FSR/DLSS Balanced/Performance Required) CPU: Official Naughty Dog CPU spec for 4K/60FPS Ultra. CPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate laptop equivalent: High-end mobile CPUs from 2022. GPU: Official Naughty Dog desktop GPU for 4K Ultra 60FPS. Very demanding. GPU (Laptop): Period-appropriate/Modern Baseline: Only top-tier mobile GPUs like RTX 3080M (16GB) or RTX 4080M can approach this target, heavily relying on DLSS/FSR Performance. RAM: Official Naughty Dog recommended RAM for 4K Ultra. Storage: NVMe SSD is mandatory. | |
| — | memoryCPU: Intel Core i5-12600K / AMD Ryzen 9 5900X developer_boardGPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB/12GB) or RTX 4070 Ti (12GB) / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (16GB) or RX 7900 XT (20GB) laptop_macCPU (L): Intel Core i7-12700H or i9-12900H / AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX laptop_windowsGPU (L): Period-Appropriate: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (16GB, Max TGP) / AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (12GB). Modern Baseline: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (12GB). layersRAM: 32 GB saveStorage (Tier): 100 GB NVMe SSD |
| save Overall Storage | |
| Spec: 130 GB SSD Note: Strict minimum requirement. Advanced Shader Delivery is used to eliminate compilation delays, and procedural destruction assets require massive read bandwidth. Type: SSD | Spec: 100 GB NVMe SSD (Mandatory) Note: An NVMe SSD is officially required for optimal performance, asset streaming, and to minimize shader compilation times. HDDs are not supported. Type: NVMe |
| desktop_windows Operating System | |
| Spec: Windows 11 (64-bit) Explanation: Recommended for optimal DirectX 12 Ultimate scheduling and advanced real-time rendering techniques. | Spec: Windows 10 Version 1909 or newer (64-bit) / Windows 11 (64-bit) Explanation: Only 64-bit operating systems with specified versions or newer are supported. DirectX 12 is required. |
| gamepad DirectX Version | |
| Spec: DirectX 12 Ultimate Explanation: Hardware-accelerated ray tracing is strictly enforced. Older GPU architectures without RT cores are entirely incompatible. | Spec: DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_0 Explanation: The game utilizes DirectX 12 for its rendering pipeline. |
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info_outline Feature details based on available data. System requirements and performance estimates may vary.
laptop_chromebook Laptop Recommendations
Common Recommendations (Handles All Compared Games)
For Gears of War: E-Day Specifically
For The Last of Us Part I Specifically
info_outline Laptop recommendations are estimates based on available component benchmarks and game requirements. Actual performance may vary depending on settings, drivers, cooling, power limits, etc. Prices and availability subject to change. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.