Gears Of War: E-Day Confirms Return Of Classic Series Feature

Gears of War: E-Day developer The Coalition has confirmed the return of a classic feature which may interest fans of the original series.

In the small snippets of gameplay we've seen of Gears of War: E-Day so far, one thing that has shown time and time again is the Active Reload mechanic which occurs during gameplay.

This is essentially a system where a small metre appears on screen when reloading your weapon. A bar slides across this metre during the reload animation, and hitting your reload button again at the right time will give you a certain benefit.

One of the biggest changes that Gears fans have spotted in the released footage of Gears of War: E-Day so far is that the Active Reload metre now appears in the centre of the screen as opposed to in the top-right corner.

"Active Reload has always been a massive part of Gears, it's an iconic feature," The Coalition's Matt Searcy tells GamesRadar. "For E-Day, we've moved the Active Reload bar to the middle of the screen by default."

However, fans who have a habit of instinctually checking the top-right corner of the screen when they punch in a reload may be thrown off by the fact it now appears in the centre of the screen by default.

Luckily, The Coalition is adding an option to revert it back to the classic style, ensuring a more traditional Gears of War experience.

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"You can change the Active Reload position to the top right if that's what you prefer," Searcy explains. "We've noticed through our testing that the bar being in the middle of the screen is where people actually use Active Reload the most. It becomes part of their shooting experience."

So, if you're a Gears of War purist who prefers the Active Reload mechanic to be in the top-right corner of the screen as it always has been, feel free to go ahead and keep it there. However, it sounds like the reloads might be more rewarding if you keep it in the middle.

Read More: Gears of War: E-Day's Campaign Length Has Been Confirmed

Gears Of War: E-Day Is Making A Lot Of Changes To How Combat Feels

Searcy also explains some of the other changes that are coming to Active Reload with Gears of War: E-Day.

As GamesRadar's preview explains, certain weapons now have their own Active Reload effects. For example, the Gnasher shotgun will allow you to see every single shell being loaded into it, and you can pull a trigger to cancel the reload partway through to keep the shells you've already loaded. However, by doing so, you'll forfeit any bonuses you get from Active Reload.

Some other changes we've spotted from the game so far include a new type of low cover mechanic where your character drops to a laying down position so they can take cover against really low walls and debris, which we think is pretty cool at providing players with new options.

There's not long to go now until Gears of War: E-Day releases for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Game Pass. It'll be out on 6 October, 2026.