Gears of War Timeline

The Gears of War saga spans decades of war on the planet Sera. Here is the full chronology — from the Pendulum Wars, through Emergence Day (E-Day), and into the era of the original trilogy and beyond — with Gears of War: E-Day (2026) placed exactly where it belongs.

Before E-Day: The Pendulum Wars

Era	Detail
Pendulum Wars	Decades of human-vs-human conflict over the planet's Imulsion energy resource, fought between the COG and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR).
Locust emergence	Unknown to most of humanity, the Locust Horde was growing beneath Sera during the final years of the Pendulum Wars.

Emergence Day (E-Day)

The Locust Horde emerges across Sera in a coordinated assault. Billions die in a single day; civilization collapses and the Locust War begins. This is the setting of Gears of War: E-Day (2026), which follows a young Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago during the invasion.

The Locust War

Event	Relation to the timeline
E-Day (Emergence Day)	The Locust surface; war begins
COG evacuation & Hammer of Dawn	Humanity's first response — orbital strikes to hold the line
14 years later	Gears of War (2006) — Marcus and Dom's original story
Gears 2 & 3	The war's escalation, the Locust's true origin, and the final battles
Gears 4 & 5	A new generation, decades after the Locust War

Where the 2026 Prequel Fits

Gears of War: E-Day is the chronological starting point for the story of Marcus Fenix. It takes place on Emergence Day itself — before the original trilogy — and is designed so newcomers can jump in without any prior Gears knowledge.

Timeline FAQ

What order should I play the Gears of War games?

For story order: Gears of War: E-Day (2026) → Gears of War (2006) → Gears of War 2 → Gears of War 3 → Gears 4 → Gears 5. Release order is the same for the main entries, with E-Day being the newest prequel.

When does E-Day take place?

E-Day takes place 14 years before the original Gears of War, on the day the Locust Horde emerges from underground.

Is the timeline affected by E-Day?

E-Day is the canonical origin of the Locust War and the starting point of Marcus Fenix's story, anchoring the whole saga's timeline.