Mass Effect is a popular sci-fi RPG series, consisting of four games and a recent remaster. Created by the narrative powerhouse Bioware, the Mass Effect games are known for their character customizations, loveable crews, planet-hopping, and even the occasional romance.
If you are thinking about giving the series a go, you might find yourself wondering where to start. Now, as a series, it is probably better to go in order just so the story makes sense. However, if you just want to play a fun game, read on as I rank each of the Mass Effect titles from fun to most fun.
4. Mass Effect – 2007 Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Mass Effect PC Launch Trailer
Mass Effect, as you might guess from the name, is the first in the series. It was first released as an Xbox 360 exclusive in 2007, but has since been released on PC and PS3. Set in 2183, where travel between solar systems is readably accessible through massive relays spread throughout the galaxy, You play as a customizable Commander Shepherd who has been tasked with an important mission to assist a Specter (kind of like a super space cop) to pick up an ancient artifact from a faraway world. Naturally, this does not exactly go as planned, and you are suddenly thrust into a conspiracy as a race of giant space robots tries to end life as you know it.
Overall, it is a fun game to play, especially as the starting point of the series. However, the later entries are just a little bit stronger in my opinion. The first game is plagued by long elevator rides and clunky shooting. It is still a great game, just not the best Mass Effect.
3. Mass Effect: Andromeda – 2017 Xbox One, PS4, PC
MASS EFFECT™: ANDROMEDA – Official Launch Trailer
While it is a little bit controversial to say that Mass Effect: Andromeda is more fun to play than the first game, here I go. Andromeda is the newest game in the series, released in 2017, and it’s a little It is different from the other games in that you are not playing as the great Commander Shepard. Instead, you are playing as one of the fraternal Ryder twins. It is also set nearly 600 years in the future in a whole other galaxy.
The story starts with a human ark ship arriving in the Andromeda galaxy as a part of the Andromeda initiative. Ryder is a part of a landing party checking out if a planet is suitable for a human colony, only to find a hostile alien race and a bunch of ruins from a long-since passed race. A lot of fighting ensues, which ultimately ends up with you becoming the Pathfinder for the humans, responsible for finding a suitable place to live as well as making contact with the other alien arks.
Overall, the story is not as strong as the trilogy, but that is mostly due to a lot of threads ultimately getting canned due to the decision not to release any other content by Bioware. However, the gameplay is where Andromeda really shines. Unlike the other games in the series, there are some great planets to explore, and you get a nifty jetpack to help you traverse difficult terrain. There is also a customizable skill system that allows you to mix and match class skills, which was impossible in the previous games.
2. Mass Effect 3 – 2012 Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Mass Effect 3: Official Launch Trailer
Mass Effect 3 was the grand finale to the story of Commander Shepard, and though it was initially not well received due to the opinion that the endings made it seem like your choices didn’t matter, it is still one of the better games in the series. It was also the first to introduce a multiplayer mode, which is still active today, where you basically just play a horde mode on different planets with multiple classes to choose from.
In the conclusion, you fight to stop the reaper invasion once and for all, finally seeing the destruction that had been promised in the previous two games. Overall, this was a good end to the series, and the Citadel DLC is some of the best that’s been released.
It is a great game with a compelling narrative, action sequences, and resolution. The main reason that this game isn’t the first on the list is mostly due to the fact that if you have not played any other Mass Effect titles, it will probably be a bit confusing as it is very reliant on you having played the first two games, unless you feel like reading the numerous codex entries to catch up on who exactly everyone is.
1. Mass Effect 2 – 2010 Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Mass Effect 2 - Launch Trailer
The most fun Mass Effect game has to be the 2010 Mass Effect 2. Bioware really stepped it up when they released this title. This game shows how real the reaper threat is. Humans are going missing throughout the galaxy, and only Shepherd, funded by the shady Cerberus organization, is out there looking into it. The gameplay aspects of this game are brilliant and there are very few things to nit-pick with it.
In Mass Effect 2, many of your choices matter in big ways, and it is possible to end the game with everyone dying if you completely mess it up. It also added some of the most beloved characters to the series, like Jack, a powerful biotic found in a space prison. Thane, a Drell assassin who has a heart of gold, and the genetically perfect Miranda, whose “assets” have a lot of fans, is also a pretty well-written addition to the cast.
It also does an absolutely brilliant job of really hitting home how big a threat the reapers are. The Arrival DLC is especially poignant as you are against the clock trying to save a whole system filled with millions from being the staging point for the Reaper invasion. This is the Mass Effect game to play to know whether or not you will like the series as a whole.
Honorable mention: Mass Effect Legendary Edition – 2021 Xbox One, PS4, PC
Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition Official Reveal Trailer (4K)
The legendary edition, which came out in 2021, is worth mentioning but not really appropriate for the list. It is a remaster of the Shepard trilogy with all the DLC and no multiplayer. If you want to play all three, this is the best way, especially for Mass Effect 1, which has been reworked for this edition to improve combat and made it look gorgeous.
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