Gears of War: E-Day has made a small but instantly impactful change to Active Reload, but don't worry, there's an option to bring back the classic positioning if you can't adjust.

Although some people like to give Gears of War a tough time for being a gruff cover shooter, the series made an undeniable impact on third-person shooters. Perhaps the best example of this is Active Reload which, while Gears of War didn't invent, it certainly popularised and introduced to a lot of shooters that followed it.

Active Reload is a simple but incredibly satisfying mechanic that rewards the player for paying attention to the top right corner during a reload and pressing the button on time to speed it up, at the risk of missing and jamming your weapon. It's one of the biggest staples of Gears of War, but it's been noticeably changed around in E-Day. Don't worry, though, there's a way to bring the good old days back.

Gears Of War: E-Day's New Active Reload Positioning Can Be Changed

It Just Doesn't Make Sense In The Middle

If you paid attention during the Gears of War: E-Day gameplay reveal that kicked off the Xbox Game Showcase, you'll have no doubt noticed that Active Reload now appears in the middle of the screen, instead of the top right corner like in every other Gears of War game. It's a small change in the grand scheme of things, but the muscle memory of Gears fans is surely going to suffer for it.

I didn't actually notice the Active Reload having moved, but I certainly spotted the removal of the Roadie Run. Can't lie, I kind of prefer the smoother movement.

GamesRadar+ recently chatted to E-Day creative director Matt Searcy, who discussed the change to Active Reload and noted that the bar has been moved to the middle of the screen "by default". Searcy went on to say that playtesting showed that most players prefer the bar being in the middle of the screen, and that it "becomes part of their shooting experience".

If that doesn't sound like it's going to be the case for you, though, Searcy confirmed that E-Day will give players the option to move the Active Reload back to the top right of the screen. It being in the middle may be the new default for E-Day, but veterans of the series who are used to craning their necks to the right don't have to lose out on that.

Searcy also reveals that E-Day is giving certain weapons their own Active Reload effects to go along with the standard three states, such as the Gnasher, which can have its reload stopped at any time at the cost of the active bonus. It's not clear what other weapons are going to have their own distinct Active Reloads, but it's interesting to see one of Gears' core mechanics being messed around with.

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Gears of War: E-Day

Third-Person Shooter Systems Released October 6, 2026 ESRB m Developer(s) The Coalition Publisher(s) Xbox Game Studios Engine Unreal Engine 5 Franchise Gears of War
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Posts By  Jade King