The Xbox Showcase 2026 delivered one of the strongest lineups in recent memory — a rare moment when a single presentation managed to satisfy hardcore enthusiasts, narrative-driven gamers, and casual fans all at once. Digital Foundry’s extended coverage broke down every major announcement, and the consensus is clear: something has shifted at Xbox.
Gears of War Eday: A Masterclass in Unreal Engine 5 The showcase’s opening act also proved to be its most technically impressive. Gears of War Eday, the first mainline entry since 2019, represents Coalition at the peak of their craft — and perhaps the best-looking Unreal Engine 5 game yet.
The distinction matters. “This is everything that I actually wanted to see from an Unreal Engine 5 game when the engine was first announced,” observed one analyst during the breakdown. Nanite geometry with no visible pop-in, view distances described as “phenomenal,” and a destruction system that goes far beyond the predictable chunk-breaking of typical shooters.
The key word is chip damage — every surface now has an additional layer of granular degradation. Shoot a concrete barrier and you’ll see small fragments break off in increasingly complex patterns, not large predictable chunks. The system is reminiscent of Gears of War 2’s approach to destruction, which the series had largely abandoned in subsequent entries. Its triumphant return signals Coalition’s intent to push visual fidelity beyond what most players expect from console hardware.
But the technical achievements extend well beneath the surface. The game supports hardware ray tracing and hardware Lumen while targeting 60 frames per second on Xbox — a combination that seemed nearly impossible just two years ago. The footage shown at the presentation ran at a consistent 60fps during nighttime urban sequences, though cutscenes and documentary-style segments showed more variability.
A New Kind of Gears Combat Where the series truly evolves is in its approach to movement. The iconic cover system has been rethought from the ground up, introducing ultra-low cover and a much faster overall pace. Players can now climb, jump, and move over obstacles in ways that feel more reminiscent of Uncharted 4 than the original Gears trilogy — a deliberate shift toward vertical battlefield design.
“The quicker takedowns from a gameplay perspective are actually just more fun,” one reviewer noted, dismissing concerns from series creator Cliffy B that enemies go down too quickly. “Unloading tons and tons of rounds into an enemy over and over again — I just don’t think is all that fun.”
The game is set in Kalona — pronounced “Kona” — a location that struck a personal chord for some commentators given its proximity to Vancouver, where the developers are based. There’s also a narrative dimension: the town appears to be named after a figure within the game’s universe, adding layers of meaning for lore enthusiasts.
Gears of War Eday is a console exclusive and represents the longest gap between mainline entries in the series’ history.
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