It"s not even April yet, but Microsoft has just announced what it plans to do in June with its gaming wing. The massive yearly presentation from Xbox is coming back this June, and right alongside it will be a dedicated segment just for the upcoming Gears of War prequel from The Coalition.
The Xbox Games Showcase 2026 will kick off on Sunday, June 7. The stream will begin at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK time. It will be livestreamed across the official Xbox channels of YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and other portals, with streams of American Sign Language, British Sign Language, and English audio descriptions also running alongside it.
"We’ll begin the day with our annual Xbox Games Showcase, including first gameplay looks and huge news on upcoming titles from our first-party studios across the Xbox family, as well as our third-party partners around the globe – from the biggest franchises to soon-to-be indie darlings," said Microsoft today while announcing the double feature.
Right as the Xbox Games Showcase ends, the Gears of War: E-Day Direct will begin its broadcast on the same channels. Hosted by developer The Coalition, the stream will be giving players new looks at the gameplay and fresh details on the highly anticipated project.
Gears of War: E-Day was announced two years ago at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. Instead of being a sequel to Gears 5 from 2019, this will bring back Marcus and Dom for a prequel storyline set around Emergence Day. This is when the Locust swarms first began invading the planet"s surface from below. Studio People Can Fly is also confirmed to be helping The Coalition with development.
The title has been locked in as a 2026 release for some time now, and this Direct is maybe where fans finally get a firm release date.
Microsoft also confirmed that its FanFest event will be returning this year, one that will be celebrating the 25-year anniversary of Xbox.