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Co-Op and Split-Screen
August 20, 2026 at 03:10 AM
Created page with player counts, console-only split-screen, cross-platform invite requirements and co-op pause and difficulty rules
Gears of War: E-Day supports cooperative play across the campaign and both multiplayer modes. The numbers differ by mode and by platform, and one restriction in particular catches people out: split-screen is console only.
Mode | Online | Split-screen |
|---|---|---|
2 to 4 players | 2 players, console only | |
4-player squads, 12 players per map across three squads | 2 players, console only | |
4v4, up to 8 players per match | 2 players, console only | |
Combat Training | 4-player co-op | 2 players, console only |
The split-screen figure comes from the official footnote, which states plainly that 2-player split-screen is available for console only. The storefront listing separately confirms up to 8 players in competitive multiplayer and 2 to 4 players in online co-op.
Cross-platform multiplayer is supported. Playing on Steam does not require an Xbox or Microsoft account by itself, but sending a cross-platform squad invite does: you have to link an Xbox account first, through the Link Account button in the upper-left of the social pane on the main menu. Optional account linking also enables roaming saves so progress travels between platforms.
Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
Pausing | You can pause solo by opening the menu. In co-op only the host can pause the game. |
Difficulty | Each player picks their own difficulty independently, so a group with mixed experience does not have to settle on one setting. |
Save slots | Up to 5 separate campaign playthroughs or states can be saved, which is useful for running different groups or different difficulties in parallel. |
Playable characters | All four members of Bravo Squad are available from the start, so a squad can fill every slot with a different character. |
Squad mechanics | Downed players can be revived by squadmates, and Drones that pin a downed player can be pulled off or shot from range. |
Voice chat is standard across modes. Proximity chat is the exception: it lets you hear nearby players from the other squads and is available in Horde Siege only, which fits a mode where three squads share one map. Text chat, text-to-speech and speech-to-text are all configurable, and the ping system marks objects, enemies and locations for the squad even through walls. Those settings are listed on Settings and Controls and Accessibility Options.
Online campaign co-op, Horde Siege, Versus and other multiplayer features require a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer, sold separately. At launch that means Game Pass Essential or higher. Platform and subscription detail is on Release and Platforms.
Co-op is not a bolt-on here. The studio's long-running internal mantra is Never Fight Alone, which began as a description of co-op play in an old design document and has since become the framing for the whole game. Concrete mechanics follow from it: enemies that tackle a player to the ground so a squadmate has to intervene, cross-squad revives in Horde Siege, and encounter design that lets a squad attack a position from three directions at once.
