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Gears of War’s 20th birthday gift is RAAM, and a reason to log in

The Gears of War 20th anniversary brings a free RAAM for every E-Day player who logs in, a two-week event and Season 2: Legacy arriving on 1 December.

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Close-up of a blood-covered Lancer assault rifle with chainsaw bayonet, with the word YEARS etched into its body, in Gears of War 20th anniversary key art

A free RAAM for logging in

The Gears of War 20th anniversary comes with a present: The Coalition says every Gears of War: E-Day player gets RAAM as a free multiplayer character, claimed instantly just by logging in. The original game launched on Xbox 360 20 years ago, and the studio treats 7 November as the anniversary date.

That is the birthday part. The rest of the post is a calendar: a two-week anniversary event with limited-time modes and new rewards, then a Season 2 that starts on 1 December. We think the gift is genuinely worth the login, and we also think it is doing a second job, which is getting lapsed squads back into the game before the next season lands.

Man in a dark grey suit and red shirt standing in burning rubble beside a torn banner showing a photo of a couple, with Gears of War E-Day Season 2: Legacy coming December 01 text
Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition

What the event actually offers

The two-week event began in the days before the 6 November post. In Versus, the limited-time mode is Guardian, where only one leader makes it out alive. In Horde Siege, For the Queen disables the supply cache, leaving you and the squad to rely on your loadouts.

Neither mode is described in more detail than that, so treat them as short-run variations rather than new systems. The same goes for the event rewards, which the post mentions without listing.

Soldier crouching behind a metal barrier with a rifle while another soldier fires from beside a battered car under a bridge in Gears of War: E-Day
Image: Xbox Game Studios / The Coalition

Season 2 is the real hook

Season 2 is titled Legacy and starts on 1 December. It continues to honor the greatest hits of Gears over 20 years in maps, modes and multiplayer skins, bringing back some fan favorites and reimagining characters.

The one named example is Solemn Memories Dom, whose skin depicts him in the suit from the famous photo of him and Maria in Gears of War 2. It is smart fan service, and it shows where the season is aiming: nostalgia first, new content second.

There is a practical catch around the free character. Xbox’s own notes say online multiplayer features, including Horde Siege and Versus, require a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer, sold separately. E-Day is listed on PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass, and if you play on PC, the Xbox PC app’s launch speed is one less reason to keep putting the login off. On console, it is also worth checking that the October Xbox update’s features are switched on first.

Our view: log in, grab RAAM, and decide on Season 2 on 1 December when you can see what comes back. A free character costs nothing, and a retention push is easier to forgive when it ships with a real gift.

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