No, you cannot play Horde solo in Gears of War: E-Day. Horde Siege, which includes the classic 10-wave Horde playlist, is an online, matchmade 12-player mode with three squads of four, and there is no offline Horde, no private lobby and no solo-with-bots option at launch. You can queue for it alone, but the game puts you in a squad with other players.
That is a big change from Gears 5, which let players run Horde privately with bots, and it is one of the most common complaints in E-Day’s community. Below we cover what queuing alone actually looks like, where AI bots come in, what The Coalition has said about private lobbies, and the best ways to play PvE on your own. Everything is verified against The Coalition’s multiplayer deep dive and official patch notes for Gears of War: E-Day, as of the November 6 patch.
How Horde Works in E-Day
Horde in E-Day lives inside Horde Siege, which The Coalition calls its “12-player evolution” of the wave-survival mode. Three COG squads of four deploy on the same city map, each with its own mission, and cross paths along the way. Missions come in three playlists:
| Playlist | What it is | Length per The Coalition |
|---|---|---|
| Blitz | 1 or 2 objectives | About 15 to 20 minutes |
| Siege | Multiple objectives across the map | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Horde | Hold one R.I.G. through 10 waves | Up to 50 to 60 minutes |
The Horde playlist is the closest thing to classic Horde, but it is still part of the same matchmade, multi-squad mode. Xbox’s store page lists Horde Siege among the features that need online play: “Online campaign co-op, Horde Siege, Versus and other multiplayer features require a Game Pass subscription that includes online multiplayer.” Our multiplayer and Horde guide explains the whole mode.
What Happens When You Queue Alone
You can start Horde Siege matchmaking without a party. The game fills your squad with other players and drops you into a battle already in progress. Pick a class, pick a playlist, and pick a difficulty: Horde Siege suggests one based on your class level.
E-Day also has backfill AI bots. The Coalition’s Season 1 launch post lists an “improvement to Backfill AI bot behavior,” but The Coalition has not said which modes use those bots, or whether they ever fill a Horde Siege squad you queue into alone, so plan on playing alongside other people.
If squadmates leave, a short-handed squad can still win. Only one squad member has to board the Raven at extraction for the mission to count and for the squad’s Weapon Parts to be kept. Our Weapon Parts guide explains why that rule matters.
Private Lobbies and Solo Horde: What The Coalition Has Said
The Coalition built E-Day’s gameplay from scratch and says that meant “including every legacy feature from Gears of War was not possible for launch.” Its launch post names “online work like Private Lobbies and leaderboards” among the missing features, while promising they “are not gone from the franchise.” The studio says it is weighing what to deliver “either post-launch or in our next title.”
A dedicated solo or offline Horde mode has not been announced. Players have asked for one in E-Day’s Steam discussions since launch, and we will update this guide if The Coalition adds it.
How to Survive Horde Siege When You Are on Your Own
- Drop the difficulty. A lower tier keeps a thin squad alive. The Coalition recommends Infantry from class level 10, Commander from 20 and Allfather only for max-level classes.
- Stay near other squads. Players from another squad can pick up your COG tags to revive you instantly, and Invasion bosses are built to be fought “when all three squads are working together.”
- Play Medic. Its Stim Vaporizer heals and revives any Gear in range, including players from other squads. Our Horde Siege class guide compares all four classes.
- Help with Invasions. Any squad that joins an Invasion gets a share of the rewards. Against a Corpser, you can do your part by delivering Blast Charges; our Blast Charge guide shows how.
- Use the ping. Marking enemies and objectives helps when nobody is on voice chat. Our ping guide covers it.
- Party up when you can. Inviting friends to fill your squad is the surest way around leavers. Our co-op guide covers invites and crossplay.
The Best Solo PvE Options Right Now
If you want to fight the Locust without other players, these are the options E-Day has today:
- The Campaign. Played solo, AI controls the rest of Bravo Squad and revives you when you go down. Its secondary objectives also reward weapon mods.
- Combat Training. The Coalition describes it as a training space on a multiplayer map where you can try weapons and “even spawn some short Locust encounters.” It also supports four-player co-op.
- Player vs Bot. If you just want low-pressure multiplayer, Versus has Social playlists against bots, sorted by bot difficulty.
Every other guide is on our Gears of War: E-Day hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you play Horde solo in Gears of War E-Day? No. Horde Siege, including the 10-wave Horde playlist, is an online matchmade mode. You can queue alone, but you are placed in a squad with other players.
Can you play Horde offline? No. Xbox’s store page lists Horde Siege among the online multiplayer features, and there is no offline Horde mode.
Are there bots in Horde Siege? The Coalition has not said. Its launch notes mention improving backfill AI bot behavior, but not which modes those bots play in, and there is no option to fill a Horde Siege squad with bots by choice.
Does Gears of War E-Day have private lobbies? Not at launch. The Coalition says private lobbies were not possible for launch but are “not gone from the franchise.”
Will solo Horde be added? The Coalition has not announced it. It has said missing legacy features may come post-launch or in its next game.