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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchChronological story order: Gears of War: E-Day, Gears of War: Judgment, Gears Tactics, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Gears of War 3, Gears of War 4, then Gears 5. That sequence follows the fictional history of Sera, beginning with Emergence Day and continuing through the Locust War and its later consequences. The exact year labels often shown on fan timelines are useful orientation, but they are not confirmed by a single official chronology.
The complete Gears of War timeline at a glance
| Story order | Game | When it takes place | How certain is the placement? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gears of War: E-Day | Emergence Day and the immediately following days | High confidence: official franchise material identifies it as the origin story of Emergence Day; Xbox Wire describes consecutive days in Kalona. |
| 2 | Gears of War: Judgment | The immediate aftermath of Emergence Day | High confidence: the official game page uses this wording. |
| 3 | Gears Tactics | Approximately one year after Emergence Day | Approximate: the interval comes from an independent timeline, not an official year-by-year chronology. |
| 4 | Gears of War | During the established Locust War, commonly labeled 14 A.E. on secondary timelines | The era is clear; the 14 A.E. label is secondary. |
| 5 | Gears of War 2 | After the first game, as the war continues and cities begin sinking; commonly labeled 14 A.E. | Relative order is clear; the year label is secondary. |
| 6 | Gears of War 3 | After Gears 2, amid scattered survivors and the fight to save humanity; commonly labeled 17 A.E. | Relative order is clear; the year label is secondary. |
| 7 | Gears of War 4 | A later generation, about 25 years after Gears 3; commonly labeled 42 A.E. | The long time jump is established by official material; the year label is secondary. |
| 8 | Gears 5 | After Gears 4, as Kait Diaz confronts a new threat to Sera; commonly labeled 42 A.E. | Relative order is clear; the year label is secondary. |
“A.E.” means “After Emergence” and “B.E.” means “Before Emergence” in the independent timeline that supplies those labels. They are fictional-era notation, not Gregorian years. The same timeline assigns Emergence Day to 5992 in a Seran calendar, but that conversion has not been verified by an official chronology.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Gears of War: E-Day | Standard Edition | XBOX Series X | $67.84 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360 (Renewed) | $18.72 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Gears of War 3 (Renewed) | $20.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - Xbox One (Renewed) | $18.74 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Gears of War 4 - Xbox One (Renewed) | $31.03 | Buy on Amazon |
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Why Emergence Day is the timeline’s anchor
Emergence Day is the event that starts the modern history of Gears of War: the Locust emerge from underground and the Locust War begins. Every major placement is measured against that catastrophe. The Coalition’s official franchise description calls E-Day “the origin story of one of gaming’s most acclaimed sagas.”
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The game is not presented as a broad history spanning years. Matt Searcy, creative director at The Coalition, told Xbox Wire that the story is set over “consecutive days” so players can become intimate with the city of Kalona. That compressed timeframe explains why E-Day belongs first even though it is a newer entry: it dramatizes the outbreak itself rather than continuing the later war.
#1 Best Overall
- AN ORIGIN STORY BEGINS — Fight alongside Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago in the gripping origin story of Emergence Day, as the Locust Horde erupts from below.
- A DARKER, GRITTIER THREAT — Face reimagined enemies and a terrifying underground invasion that restores the fear, dread, and intensity at the heart of the Gears of War series.
- MULTIPLAYER EVOLVED — Battle in Horde Siege for large‑scale PvE action or prove your skill in refined Versus PvP with greater precision and competitive depth.
- CLASSIC COMBAT, MODERNIZED — Experience signature cover‑based gameplay enhanced with updated movement, traversal, and controls that feel like Gears while playing like something new.
- CO‑OP YOUR WAY — Play online with up to four players across Campaign, Horde Siege, and Versus, or team up locally with 2‑player split‑screen co‑op on console.
What happens immediately after E-Day?
Gears of War: Judgment
Judgment follows directly after the initial catastrophe. Its official page places Baird and Kilo Squad in “the immediate aftermath of Emergence Day.” The wording matters: this is not a story set generations earlier or a distant pre-war flashback. It covers the unstable period when humanity is reacting to the Locust attack and military decisions are being made under emergency conditions.
For a chronological playthrough, start Judgment as soon as you finish E-Day. Its campaign provides context for the early war without requiring knowledge of the later Fenix family storyline.
Where Gears Tactics fits
Gears Tactics
Gears Tactics is a distinct strategy spin-off rather than another numbered chapter. Independent chronology charts generally place it roughly one year after Emergence Day, before the original Gears of War. That interval should be treated as approximate: official franchise material confirms the game and its setting, but the detailed one-year assignment is not backed here by a primary, all-games date table.
Rank #2
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
The practical implication is straightforward. Include Tactics after Judgment if you want the earliest-war perspective, but do not use its approximate placement to calculate exact calendar dates for the rest of the series.
The core Locust War sequence
Gears of War
The original game is the next major chapter after the early-war stories. Marcus Fenix returns to combat as the human forces fight the Locust across a devastated Sera. Secondary timelines commonly label this period 14 A.E.; that number is a fan-timeline convention rather than an officially confirmed date.
This is the best starting point for the series’ central character arc if you prefer release context over strict chronology. It introduces the combat vocabulary, COG military structure and relationships that later entries assume.
Rank #3
- Disc only. Original case and manual not included. Will come packaged in a generic case.
- This renewed game has been cleaned, tested, and shows minimal wear.
Gears of War 2
Gears 2 follows the first game as the war intensifies. The official description points to winter approaching while cities sink, showing that the Locust threat has expanded beyond isolated battles. Secondary chronology charts place it in the same broad 14 A.E. period as the original, but the important verified fact is its direct continuation of the conflict, not a specific numbered year.
Play it immediately after the original if you want the narrative escalation to remain uninterrupted. Its plot assumes the outcome and character history of the first campaign.
Gears of War 3
Gears 3 moves the story into a desperate phase in which survivors are scattered and humanity’s existence is at stake. Official summaries frame the campaign as a fight to save humanity, placing it after the crises of the first two games. Independent timelines usually mark the setting 17 A.E.; that label is useful for comparing fan-made charts but should not be read as an official calendar date.
Rank #4
- This Certified Refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, a minimum 90-day warranty, and may arrive in a generic box. Only select sellers who maintain a high performance bar may offer Certified Refurbished products on Amazon.com
- Includes full game of the original Gears of War remastered in 1080p.
- Play five campaign chapters never released on console.
- Experience competitive multiplayer in 60FPS with 19 maps and six game modes.
The trilogy is therefore a continuous arc: the original establishes the war’s frontline, Gears 2 broadens the disaster, and Gears 3 addresses the survival-level consequences.
The 25-year jump and the new generation
Gears of War 4
Gears 4 is set roughly 25 years after Gears 3. The official franchise description introduces a later generation centered on JD Fenix, making the time jump part of the premise rather than a minor background detail. Secondary timelines commonly label this era 42 A.E.
Because of that gap, the game changes more than the cast. The political order, technology and everyday life of Sera have developed beyond the original trilogy’s wartime conditions. You can begin here, but the emotional significance of JD’s surname and the world’s reconstruction are clearer after playing the first three games.
Best Value
- 25 Years after Gears of War 3, spurred by a series of strange disappearances, JD Fenix must embrace his father’s legacy and battle a terrifying new enemy
- Never Fight Alone: Enjoy two-player co-op with friends locally via split-screen, over Xbox Live or LAN. Player 2 can select either Kait or Del
- Redefined Cover Gameplay: New close-cover combat moves and combat-knife executions turn each piece of cover into an offensive opportunity
- Brutal New Weapons: An incredible arsenal of new weapons includes the Buzzkill and Dropshot, which can shoot around and over cover, raining destruction from all angles
Gears 5
Gears 5 follows Gears 4 and shifts the main viewpoint to Kait Diaz. Its official description focuses on Kait’s campaign and a new danger threatening Sera. Chronology charts commonly keep both games in the 42 A.E. era; the reliable conclusion is simply that Gears 5 is the later chapter in this new-generation storyline.
Do not place Gears 5 directly after Gears 3. The intervening generation and the events of Gears 4 are essential setup for Kait’s discoveries and the threat she confronts.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What about Gears of War: Reloaded?
Gears of War: Reloaded is a remaster and modernization of the original Gears of War, not a new story chapter. Put it in the same story position as the original game. If you use Reloaded for your first playthrough, continue to Gears of War 2 afterward; there is no extra fictional event to insert between them.
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Chronological order versus release order
These two orders answer different needs. Chronological order gives you the fictional sequence: E-Day, Judgment, Tactics, Gears of War, Gears 2, Gears 3, Gears 4, and Gears 5. Release-oriented play starts with the original Gears of War, follows the numbered trilogy, then moves through the later releases and spin-offs as they were introduced. Reloaded replaces the original in that path if you want its modernized presentation.
| Choose this path | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological | Readers who want Emergence Day and the early war first | Newer prequels can assume design conventions and character knowledge developed in later-released games. |
| Release context | First-time players who want the series’ original dramatic progression | You encounter the origins of the war and some character histories later than their fictional dates. |
| Core saga only | Players focused on Marcus, the original trilogy and the next generation | You omit the early-war perspective supplied by Judgment and Tactics. |
Neither path is a canon requirement. The chronological list is the clearest answer to “when does each game take place?”, while release order preserves how the audience first learned the setting and its characters.
Common timeline mistakes
- Treating release order as story order: Judgment and Tactics occur early in the fictional war even though they were released after original-series entries.
- Counting Reloaded as a ninth story: it retells the original game with updated presentation.
- Presenting fan-timeline years as settled canon: 14 A.E., 17 A.E. and 42 A.E. are useful secondary labels, not dates confirmed by an official master chronology.
- Converting A.E. into real-world years: the games do not provide a reliable Gregorian-calendar mapping in the material available here.
- Skipping the 25-year jump: Gears 4 is deliberately separated from Gears 3 by a new generation and a changed Sera.
The simplest recommendation
For a first playthrough that prioritizes the fictional timeline, use E-Day → Judgment → Tactics → Gears of War (or Reloaded) → Gears 2 → Gears 3 → Gears 4 → Gears 5. If you care more about the series’ original dramatic build, start with the original game and return to the prequel entries afterward.
Quick Recap
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