The public test for Gears of War: E-Day has only just entered its first phase, yet it has already broken the series' historical record on Steam.
According to SteamDB data, the 24-hour peak concurrent player count for the Gears of War: E-Day multiplayer test has reached 14,331. As the weekend officially arrives and players free themselves from work, this number is expected to continue climbing.
Compared to other Gears of War titles currently on Steam, this figure sets a new series record. About six years ago, Gears Tactics peaked at 7,351 concurrent players, Gears of War 5 at 10,196, and Gears of War Ultimate Edition at 4,819.
However, important context must be added: the original trilogy and Gears of War 4 were never released on Steam. Additionally, previous titles like Gears of War 5 are available on other PC platforms such as the Microsoft Store. In fact, when Gears of War 5 launched, players could experience it at a very low cost simply by subscribing to Game Pass, meaning its overall initial player base was likely far larger than what Steam data suggests. A previous blog post from Microsoft indicated that the title was a record-breaking PC release at the time, with launch performance three times that of Gears of War 4.
Even so, the Gears of War: E-Day beta still has room to grow. The full weekend hasn't arrived yet, and this week's test is only open to those who pre-ordered. All other interested players can join for free next week, and given the low barrier to entry, more players are expected to flood in.
In response to player demand, the developers added a PvP mode just before the test launched, and third-person shooter fans can also experience the classic Horde mode. The game's outlook appears promising, but whether it can meet the high standards set by previous entries in the series remains to be seen.