Xbox console exclusive Gears of War: E-Day is releasing in just a few months on October 6, 2026, and to celebrate the return of Marcus Fenix and friends, the AAA third-person shooter is getting two new limited edition controllers.
Leading the announcement is a red and black, 3D-molded, laser-etched standard Xbox controller that is designed around the infamous emergence holes in Gears of War, complete with cracked and textured asphalt accents. There’s a red transparent d-pad, plus matching triggers and several clear-red face buttons. The other buttons are black, which is a nice off-kilter touch.
You can pre-order this controller today for $89.99, and the price is right in line with the recent Forza Horizon 6 gamepad, which is to say…probably higher than it should be? I did just pay the exact same price for the Resident Evil Requiem Switch 2 Pro controller, so take my words with a grain of salt. Everything is expensive in the aftertimes, really.
Additionally, there’s an accompanying 8BitDo E-Day charging dock for $39.99 that looks pretty sweet, and you can fit your $90 Gears of War controller right onto the top so it can power up while you take a break from blasting Locusts to, I don’t know, slam some Monster Energy and gorge on Doritos. Gaming and debauchery go hand in hand, like Xbox and Blinx: The Time Sweeper.
Closing out the E-Day controller duo is a special Xbox Design Lab gamepad, available starting September 30, which features exclusive Lancer art by heavy metal illustrator Luke Preece. This one isn’t textured with faux asphalt, unfortunately, but you can customize it to your heart’s content with whatever bespoke triggers and buttons and engravings you’d like. Price will scale with add-ons, obviously, and these Design Lab gamepads tend to balloon pretty quickly.
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Both controllers will be shown off at Gamescom on August 25.
I didn’t get a chance to check out the Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer beta this past weekend because I’ve been addicted to Nintendo’s excellent Splatoon Raiders, but from what I’ve heard, it played (and looked) quite good. E-Day is notable not only for the storied series’ return to the spotlight, but also because alongside the upcoming Clockwork Revolution, it marks Xbox’s sudden pivot back to console exclusivity.
Halo: Campaign Evolved recently saw a rather novel release on PS5 last month, and Fable is still slated to hit Sony’s console on February 23, 2027, but come October 6, you’ll only be able to play Gears of War: E-Day on Xbox and PC. It’s rumored E-Day was originally supposed to release on PS5 as well, but Microsoft has since changed course, presumably in an attempt to recover some of the brand’s disappearing market (and fan) value.
I’m honestly excited about the new Gears of War, and wouldn’t it be neat to play it on a controller that looks like a glowing E-hole. Now, that’s a phrase I sure didn’t enjoy typing.