The Coalition says Active Reload is an 'iconic feature' that has been updated for Gears of War: E-Day, and some weapons also have 'additional reload mechanics'

Date:
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:04:16 +0000

Description:
Gears of War: E-Day is set to bring back the series' iconic Active Reload mechanic, but The Coalition has made some design changes.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Coalition studio creative director Matt Searcy says Active Reload is an "iconic" part of the Gears of War series He explains that the team moved the mechanic to the middle of the screen in E-Day because "it feels better" Searcy adds that players can learn Active Reload "much more easily" when it's placed there Gears of War: E-Day
is set to bring back the series' iconic Active Reload mechanic, but The Coalition has made some design changes.

Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2026 , studio creative director Matt Searcy discussed new features that have been built with Unreal Engine 5, such as larger environments, like an entire city, a jump button, improved animations, and a rebuilt cover system and traversal mechanics that feel "smoother than they've ever felt before." "All those
cover mechanics are there; they just feel smoother than they've ever felt before," he said, "and then around that we just gave little new ways for you to interact with the environment, for you to traverse, options for you to
take new flanking routes, just to open up our maps a little bit more. It's made for some pretty amazing additions to the gameplay, but also the world." Latest Videos From Watch full video here:

Searcy also touched on Active Reload, a feature almost like a mini-game,
which allows players to manually reload their held weapon rather than wait
for the magazine to run out of ammo.

In E-Day , the mechanic has been moved from the top of the screen to the middle by default, which Searcy said works better. You may like 'It's only fitting' Sorry PS5 owners, Gears of War: E-Day will be an Xbox console exclusive when it launches in October We spoke to three Xbox Game Studio
teams about exclusivity, and got two very different answers The Xbox Games Showcase 2026 airs in June and will be followed by a 'deep dive' into the Gears of War franchise with the E-Day Direct here's when you can tune in and what to expect

"So active reload is a huge part of Gears ," Searcy said. "[It's] an iconic feature. We've moved it by default to the middle of the screen. It feels better [from] what we've played; we've tested it as part of your shooting experience."

The creative director confirmed that players can move Active Reload back to its original place at the top of the screen, but notes that there are some extra "cool" details with natural reload and other additional reload mechanics. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"Every single shell is being reloaded," he said, "so some of the weapons have additional reload mechanics." For example, players can interrupt the reload and keep playing with two or three shells if they're halfway through and then "use them really quick to like get out of danger," or they can wait until the end to get their Active Reload bonus.

He added that players will noticeably use the mechanic "telemetry-wise" and use it way more than they did when it was at the top of the screen "because you can learn it much more easily [when] it's in your face."

Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to launch on October 6 exclusively for Xbox Series X and Series S .

Matt Searcy told TechRadar Gaming that he believes making the game an Xbox exclusive was the best decision something not all Xbox Game Studios teams
are aligned on . Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles 1. Best overall: PlayStation 5 Slim 2. Best budget: Xbox Series S 3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2 4. Most powerful: PlayStation 5 Pro



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/the-coalition-says-active-reload-is-an-iconic -feature-that-has-been-updated-for-gears-of-war-e-day-and-some-weapons-also-ha ve-additional-reload-mechanics


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