Gears of War: E-Day will not need extreme PC hardware to run, according to the newly shared minimum and recommended system requirements. The game lists 12GB of RAM and an RTX 2060 as part of its minimum setup, which is far lower than many players feared after seeing its Unreal Engine 5 visuals.
The Coalition has built a strong reputation for technical work with Unreal Engine, and Gears of War: E-Day looked visually impressive during its dedicated showcase after the Xbox Games Showcase 2026. That naturally raised concerns that the PC version would demand expensive new hardware. The first spec sheet suggests the studio has kept the entry point more reasonable.
The game is set to launch on October 6, 2026, for Xbox and PC. It will skip PlayStation 5 at launch, despite earlier evidence suggesting plans may have changed late in development.
Gears of War: E-Day minimum specs start with older mainstream GPUs
The minimum requirements include Windows 10 64 bit, 12GB RAM, and 130GB of SSD storage. On the GPU side, The Coalition lists several options, including the RTX 2060, RTX 5050, Radeon RX 6600, Radeon RX 9060, and Intel Arc A580.
That is a surprisingly accessible floor for a major Unreal Engine 5 release, although the studio has not yet confirmed the resolution, frame rate, or graphics preset tied to these requirements.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64 bit 22H2 | Windows 11 64 bit 25H2 or newer |
| CPU | Ryzen 5 2600X, Intel i7 6850K, or i5 10400 | Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel i5 11600K |
| RAM | 12GB | 16GB |
| GPU | RTX 2060, RTX 5050, RX 6600, RX 9060, or Intel A580 | RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 5060, RX 6700 XT, RX 9060 XT, or Intel B580 |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Storage | 130GB SSD | 130GB SSD |
| Network | Broadband connection | Broadband connection |
The SSD requirement is expected for a modern blockbuster game, but the CPU and GPU requirements are not as aggressive as some recent PC releases.
The recommended specs also look reasonable for modern PC gamers
The recommended tier asks for 16GB of RAM, a Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5 11600K, and a GPU such as the RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 5060, Radeon RX 6700 XT, Radeon RX 9060 XT, or Intel B580.
That should be achievable for many PC players who upgraded within the last few years. It also suggests The Coalition has done serious optimization work rather than relying only on brute force hardware.
The missing detail is still important. Without target settings, it is hard to know what these specs actually mean. A recommended GPU could target 1080p, 1440p, 60fps, or a mix of medium and high settings. More detailed performance guidance will likely arrive closer to launch.
The PC version includes modern display and performance features
Beyond raw requirements, Gears of War: E-Day will include several PC focused features. The Coalition confirmed support for borderless, exclusive, and windowed display modes, uncapped frame rates on capable hardware, and ultrawide support for both gameplay and menus.
The game will also support keyboard and mouse remapping, controller remapping, 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, and hardware ray traced lighting, reflections, and shadows.
That feature set makes the PC version sound flexible. Players with modest hardware should be able to get in, while high end systems can push better visuals and faster frame rates.
Handheld PC optimization is a promising sign
One of the more interesting details is that Gears of War: E-Day is being optimized for handheld play. The Coalition specifically mentions Steam Deck, Xbox Ally, and Xbox Ally X.
That matters because handheld support usually pushes developers to pay closer attention to scalability. If the game can run well on portable hardware, it should also scale better across budget and mid range desktops.
It does not guarantee perfect performance, but it is a positive sign for players worried about Unreal Engine 5 stutter or heavy system demands.
The Coalition still needs to prove how well the game runs
The first PC specs are encouraging, but they are only part of the story. PC players will still want to know how the game performs in real gameplay, how much VRAM it uses, whether shader compilation is handled smoothly, and what kind of hardware is needed for 4K Ultra settings with ray tracing.
Still, this first spec sheet should calm some fears. Gears of War: E-Day looks like a major visual showcase, but its listed entry point is not limited to only the newest GPUs.
For a franchise known for technical polish, that is important. The Coalition appears to be aiming for a PC version that looks impressive without leaving mainstream players behind. If the final release delivers stable performance across the listed hardware, Gears of War: E-Day could become one of the better optimized Unreal Engine 5 launches of 2026.
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