Gears of War E-Day Collector’s Edition Costs $299 and Is Dividing Fans

According to thegamer, Xbox’s three flagship games from last Sunday’s showcase — Halo: Combat Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day, and Fable — have all gone up for pre-order alongside premium collector’s editions. The biggest sticker shock comes from Gears of War: E-Day at $299.99, or about RMB 2142, while the other two sit at $199.99 each, or about RMB 1430. All three include the base game and an exclusive statue, but buying the full set pushes the total to nearly $700, roughly RMB 4995.

One thing these editions get right is that all three actually include the game itself. In a market where plenty of premium bundles sell a steelbook and merch but leave the game as a separate purchase, these at least read like complete packages. It’s not a flashy selling point, but it does make these editions easier to justify.

The bigger issue is the price. Fable costs $199.99, and Halo: Combat Evolved also costs $199.99, both landing at around RMB 1430. Gears of War: E-Day climbs to $299.99, or about RMB 2142, making it the most expensive of the three. Taken together, the three editions cost nearly $700, roughly RMB 4995 — already $50 more than a new 1TB disc-drive Xbox Series X. That’s the part that sticks.

All three editions come with exclusive statues, which leans on the usual collector appeal. The Gears of War: E-Day package is the most elaborate, including a battery-powered character display piece. There’s also a silly footnote: players need to supply three AAA batteries themselves. For a product at this price, that kind of omission makes the package feel slightly incomplete.

Then there’s Fable, which has already been delayed to 2027. A delay isn’t inherently bad, and extra development time is usually better than shipping too early. Still, asking players to commit $199.99 to a collector’s edition for a game now scheduled for 2027, alongside two other major Xbox series, makes hesitation understandable. The brand recognition is immediate; the release is not.

More broadly, Xbox seems to be selling the display appeal of its legacy series almost as much as the games themselves. Halo, Gears of War, and Fable all carry the kind of name recognition that can tap into years of attachment, so collector’s editions make more sense here than a routine deluxe version would. The problem is that players have become much more demanding about expensive collector products. If even one element — statue quality, materials, practical extras, or release timing — feels off, opinion splits quickly.

For buyers, these sets make the most sense for committed fans of a specific franchise, not for anyone ordering just because a box is labeled "collector’s edition." Gears of War: E-Day is the clearest example: it is the priciest bundle, but also the one most obviously built for display. If you mainly want the game, the case for spending this much is a lot weaker. For collectors attached to these long-running Xbox series, though, the appeal is still obvious.