Estimated sales of Gears of War: E-Day reached 230,000 copies during its first week, according to Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics. The figures suggest that 168,000 of these sales came from Steam, a popular digital distribution platform, while Xbox sales (including both consoles and PC) totaled 62,000 copies. It is important to note that these numbers are unofficial and have not been confirmed by Microsoft. The sales are considered relatively low for a game that is part of Xbox's strategy to focus on exclusive titles, especially as many players now prefer to access games through Game Pass, a subscription service that provides access to a library of games for a monthly fee. According to Elliott, the Game Pass model "cannibalizes a large part of the revenue from premium versions," meaning that players may be less inclined to purchase full versions of games when they can access them through a subscription. Although Gears of War: E-Day is not lacking in interest, with Alinea estimating that 1.7 million players accessed it via Game Pass, the data suggest that players largely prefer access through their subscription rather than purchasing a copy directly. Of nearly 2 million players who launched the game via Game Pass, 722,000 would have paid an additional $30 to upgrade to the Premium Edition and gain early access. The revenue generated by the Xbox ecosystem from these figures would amount to approximately $37 million, with $27 million coming from Game Pass upgrades. However, the exact impact of Gears of War: E-Day on new Game Pass subscriptions and subscription renewals remains uncertain. Elliott stated that the figures are disappointing for a flagship title, especially at a time when Xbox desperately needs to boost its revenues. He noted that for each copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were made. The $70 Premium offer is, in fact, unsold on Xbox, suggesting that many players would have purchased the game outright if they had not had early access through the subscription. Elliott suggested that Xbox charges its most loyal customers the lowest price, continuing an established and ineffective strategy from the previous administration. The idea that the Game Pass has a negative impact on individual game sales apparently is not new at Microsoft. Documents from 2023 regarding the merger with Activision Blizzard mention a decline in base game sales in the first year following their addition to the service. Despite these concerns, Gears of War: E-Day received excellent reviews from fans and professionals. The IGN France review, focusing only on the campaign mode, gave it a score of 9/10. The game, which serves as a prequel to the main series and follows characters Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago, was described by Mike Crump, director of the studio The Coalition, as a "natural" choice for an Xbox exclusive. He also addressed concerns about potential layoffs within the studio, while promising that the next episode of the series would not take as long to release.