Whether you’re revving your Lancer for the very first time or returning to the battlefield after years away, the Gears of War timeline can get a bit chaotic. Between mainline entries, tactical spin-offs, and prequel campaigns, keeping track of the COG, the Locust Horde, and the Swarm isn’t easy.
With the launch of Gears of War: E-Day taking us back to where the nightmare began, there has never been a better time to experience Sera’s tragic history in true chronological order.
Here is your ultimate canonical story guide to playing every Gears of War game from E-Day to the modern era.
Timeline Setting: Year 0 (Emergence Day)
Main Protagonists: Marcus Fenix & Dominic Santiago
The canonical starting point for the entire saga. Set 14 years before the original 2006 title, E-Day follows young Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as the monstrous Locust Horde erupts from underground to destroy humanity. It delivers a darker, horror-driven look at first contact.
Timeline Setting: 6 Weeks Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Damon Baird
Set in the immediate, chaotic aftermath of Emergence Day. Damon Baird and Augustus “Cole Train” Cole lead Kilo Squad through Halvo Bay in a military court-martial trial, fighting off the early Locust invasion without orders.
Timeline Setting: 2 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Gabe Diaz
A turn-based tactical strategy game following Gabe Diaz (father of Gears 5 protagonist Kait Diaz). Set 12 years before Gears 1, Gabe hunts down Ukkon, the mad Locust scientist responsible for creating bio-weapons like the Brumak.
Timeline Setting: 14 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Marcus Fenix
The original legend. Marcus Fenix is busted out of the Jacinto Maximum Security Prison by Dom Santiago. Delta Squad forms to deploy the Lightmass Bomb deep into the subterranean Locust Hollows.
Timeline Setting: 15 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Marcus Fenix
Humanity makes its last stand at Jacinto. Delta Squad takes the fight directly underground into the Hollow. This entry introduces the Lambent menace, the tragic fate of Maria Santiago, and the sinking of Jacinto.
Timeline Setting: 17 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Marcus Fenix
The epic conclusion to the original Marcus Fenix trilogy. With the COG disbanded and humanity living as “Stranded,” Delta Squad makes one final push to destroy both the Locust and the mutated Lambent once and for all.
Timeline Setting: 42 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: JD Fenix
Set 25 years after the end of Gears 3. The focus shifts to Marcus’s son, JD Fenix, alongside Kait Diaz and Del Walker. A new bio-technological threat called the Swarm emerges from the ashes of the old war.
Timeline Setting: 43 Years Post-E-Day
Main Protagonist: Kait Diaz
Kait Diaz takes center stage as she uncovers her mysterious connection to the Swarm and the dark origins of the Locust Horde itself. Features expansive open-world zones and high-stakes campaign choices.
The war didn’t start with military tactics; it started with utter terror. Gears of War: E-Day sets the stage by showing humanity completely unawares as subterranean horrors burst through the soil. Following E-Day, Judgment shows the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) desperately trying to organize a military response, while Gears Tactics pulls back to show the intelligence side of humanity’s fight for survival against Locust geneticists.
This is the core Marcus Fenix saga. Over three games, Delta Squad goes from desperate survival ops (Lightmass Bomb in Gears 1), to a suicidal counter-offensive underground (Gears 2), to a bitter last stand on a dying world (Gears 3). It is a story of brotherhood, grief, and brutal sacrifice.
Two decades of peace come crashing down when the dead bodies of the Locust evolve into the Swarm. Passing the torch to a new generation, these chapters explore the lingering secrets of the COG state and the true ancestry of the Locust Queen.
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