Gears of War: E-Day reveals the chainsaw Lancer's origin and opens multiplayer beta in August

Gears of War: E-Day is getting a proper origin story for the chainsaw Lancer, and The Coalition showed exactly how it happens during the Gears of War: E-Day Direct that followed the Xbox Games Showcase. The game launches October 6 on Xbox Series X|S and PC — no PS5, after Microsoft canceled that version as part of its renewed exclusives push.

In the campaign, survivors use a regular chainsaw as an improvised weapon during a brutal fight inside a grocery store, and that moment sparks the idea in Marcus Fenix and his squad to bolt one onto a Lancer rifle. To nail the sound, The Coalition tracked down the exact same chainsaw model it used back in 2006 when making the original Gears of War — so the ripping, crunching audio should feel immediately familiar to anyone who played the first game. On the multiplayer side, Microsoft confirmed an open beta is coming in August, with the first weekend running August 6–10. There will be two beta weekends in total.

Early access to that first weekend is locked behind either a preorder of any version of E-Day or an active Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription. Everyone else can still jump in — it's an open beta — just not during that initial early-access window. Microsoft hasn't said anything yet about which maps or modes will be playable, so the beta content remains a mystery for now.

The Xbox Games Showcase also confirmed E-Day will include new mobility features, though specifics weren't detailed. With the beta kicking off in August and the full game two months later, The Coalition is keeping a tight schedule heading into the fall.