20 Years of Gears
The Gears of War franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary on 7 November 2026. Developer The Coalition marked the milestone by granting General RAAM as a free multiplayer character to all Gears of War: E-Day players who log in. A commemorative "Love Letter to Gears" trailer was released showcasing the series' history from 2006 to present. Season 2 for E-Day was confirmed to bring back legacy maps, modes, and skins, including the Guardian mode. An update on 6 November also introduced PvP changes. Performance testing showed E-Day running at a stable 60 FPS on budget hardware including a Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 3050.
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- ✓ Gears of War turned 20 on 7 November 2026.
- ✓ The Coalition gave General RAAM as a free multiplayer character to every Gears of War: E-Day player, claimed by logging in.
- ✓ A "Love Letter to Gears" 20th anniversary trailer was released showing the franchise journey from 2006 to E-Day.
- ✓ E-Day Season 2 will bring back legacy maps, modes, and skins, including Guardian mode.
What changed
The Coalition released a 20th anniversary update granting free RAAM access, launched a retrospective trailer, detailed Season 2 legacy content plans, and deployed a PvP balancing patch.
Live updates
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Gears of War marks 20th anniversary with free RAAM character and E-Day Season 2 details
The Gears of War franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary on 7 November 2026. Developer The Coalition marked the milestone by granting General RAAM as a free multiplayer character to all Gears of War: E-Day players who log in. A commemorative "Love Letter to Gears" trailer was released showcasing the series' history from 2006 to present. Season 2 for E-Day was confirmed to bring back legacy maps, modes, and skins, including the Guardian mode. An update on 6 November also introduced PvP changes. Performance testing showed E-Day running at a stable 60 FPS on budget hardware including a Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 3050.
Why it matters
The original Gears of War launched on Xbox 360 in 2006 and became a defining cover-shooter franchise. The Coalition, which took over development from Epic Games, is using the anniversary to reward the existing E-Day player base while previewing the next seasonal content drop. The return of RAAM, the iconic Locust general, ties directly into the series' legacy villain roster.
What is confirmed
- Gears of War turned 20 on 7 November 2026.
- The Coalition gave General RAAM as a free multiplayer character to every Gears of War: E-Day player, claimed by logging in.
- A "Love Letter to Gears" 20th anniversary trailer was released showing the franchise journey from 2006 to E-Day.
- E-Day Season 2 will bring back legacy maps, modes, and skins, including Guardian mode.
- An update on 6 November brought PvP changes to Gears of War: E-Day.
- E-Day showed a stable 60 FPS on a budget system with a Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 3050.
Still unconfirmed
- Fans are speculating about what comes next for the franchise beyond the anniversary celebrations and Season 2 content.
What to watch next
- Launch date and full content list for E-Day Season 2
- Announcement of a new mainline Gears of War title or spin-off
- Community reception to PvP changes and RAAM gameplay balance
confidence 88%Sources used for this update (14)
- XBOX Wire — 20 Years of Gears
- Pure Xbox — Gears Of War: E-Day Is Bringing Back Legacy Maps, Modes And Skins For Season 2
- MP1st — Gears of War: E-Day Update on November 6 Brings PvP Changes
- PlayDayOne — Raam Returns in 20th Anniversary Gears of War: E-Day Event
- GameGPU — Gears of War E-Day showed a stable 60 FPS on a budget system with a Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 3050
- Make Tech Easier — Gears of War turned 20 on 7 November, and The Coalition gave RAAM as a free multiplayer character to every Gears of War: E-Day player, claimed by logging in
- Yahoo Tech — ‘Gears of War’ Took Over Gaming by Emerging Two Decades Ago on the Xbox 360
- OpenCritic — Gears of War: E-Day Officially Brings Back Classic Villain (100% for Free)
- MIXED News — Gears of War brings back Guardian for its 20th anniversary, with E-Day Season 2 next
- DLCompare.com — General RAAM returns in Gears of War: E-Day for the 20th anniversary
- AOL.com — Why Gamers Still Love the Original Gears of War 20 Years After Its Release
- www.ign.com — Gears of War: E-Day - Official 'A Love Letter to Gears' 20th Anniversary Trailer - IGN
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