Skip to main content

Mass Effect 5: everything we know so far

A frozen piece of N7 armor.
BioWare

BioWare let us know nice and early that it was working on a new entry in the Mass Effect series, but perhaps it was a bit too early to get us excited for an upcoming video game. Similar to Elder Scrolls 6 and Perfect Dark, it seems like we’ve been waiting on this title for the entire generation. Now that the team has finished Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Mass Effect 5 is next up so there is hope we will see it sooner rather than later. We only have one trailer and some reports to work off of so far, but here is everything we’ve been able to piece together about Mass Effect 5.

If Mass Effect 5 is still too far away for you, check out our list of upcoming PS5 games, upcoming Xbox Series X games, and upcoming Switch games for titles coming a bit sooner.

Release speculation

as the notes have said, we are still in pre production.

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) February 2, 2025

Even though it was first teased as far back as 2020, Mass Effect 5 is still just in pre-production as of the start of 2025. The bulk of the BioWare team was fully focused on Dragon Age for the last several years, and only now that the game is done can the focus be shifted to Mass Effect 5. However, due to Dragon Age not meeting expectations, BioWare has undergone staff reshuffling within EA as well as many people leaving. Bloomberg reports that the team has fewer than 100 people currently on the team.

Currently, general manager Gary McKay stated that Mass Effect 5 is in such an early stage of development that it doesn’t need the entire studio’s support, hence many of the staff being allocated to different teams at EA. project director Michael Gamble commented on this with a post on X stating that “as the notes have said, we are still in pre production.”

We can only hope that Mass Effect 5 doesn’t have as troubled a development as The Veilguard, but even if everything goes smoothly, we should still expect to wait another 3 or 4 years or so before the game is ready.

Platforms

MASS EFFECT 4
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If the release date is as far off as we suspect, perhaps as much as 3 or 4 years, then it would only make sense for it to be on the current PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC, if not the PS6 and whatever other upcoming consoles might be out at that time.

Trailer


The first look we got of Mass Effect 5 is the less than two-minute teaser trailer from The Game Awards. We are shown the Milky Way galaxy as the camera zooms in and radio transmissions play out. The camera zips past stars, planets, asteroids, and a massive debris field as the transmissions become more panicked and erratic until finally focusing on a ship heading down to a mysterious planet. Here we see our first humanoid figure trudging through the snow and recovering a fragment of the iconic N7 armor.

The mysterious person is then shown to be an Asari, a prominent race from the series, and perhaps even one we already know. Many believe this is Liara, though it is hard to be completely certain, but would be a very interesting way to tie in this new game with the previous series without Commander Shepard. Asari lifespans are upwards of 1,000 years in the Mass Effect universe, so it is more than reasonable for Liara to return, either as a protagonist or companion. The trailer ends with the cryptic message that “Mass Effect Will Continue.”

N7 Day 2023

On N7 day in 2023, BioWare gave us another 30 seconds of prerendered footage to dissect. This teaser presented a character wearing an N7 jacket and black helmet obscuring their face. Their frame appears to be female, though it is hard to tell for sure. They pull out a pistol and exit the metallic hallway onto an unknown planet. Even more so than the first tease, this footage only raises more questions than gives answers.

Gameplay

A screen grab from the N7 Day 2023 Mass Effect teaser.
EA

This is going to be pure speculation since the trailer we have was completely prerendered and nothing regarding gameplay has been shown or talked about yet. However, based on all four of the previous games in the series, we can be fairly confident in assuming Mass Effect 5 will continue to mix RPG elements with third-person, cover-based shooting. The series always has fit that definition but has become more refined and expanded in each game. Mass Effect 2 was the sweet spot for most fans, with tight gunplay but still a good deal of RPG elements to customize the experience with. Based on how BioWare games have progressed up to and beyond Andromeda, we can expect at least the combat to be a highlight, which just leaves how much of an RPG the game will be in question. Romance, relationships, and decision-making systems defined the series, so leaving those out would be a massive mistake.

Preorder

There’s no word on pre-ordering ME5 yet, and we shouldn’t expect one until we at least get a firm release date. That being said, anyone excited about this title should rest easy knowing that there’s little doubt that preorders will be heavily marketed and available, probably with exclusive content or incentives. EA values preorder numbers to a large degree, and there’s hardly any game, AAA or indie, that doesn’t issue pre-orders. The only question is when, not if, they will become available.

Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
The Last of Us Part 3: everything we know so far
Ellie holds a guitar in the forest in The Last of Us Part 2.

The original The Last of Us ended ambiguously but didn't necessitate a sequel. However, Neil Druckmann and the team at Naughty Dog felt there were more stories to tell in that world, resulting in the equally impressive The Last of Us Part 2. Unlike the first game, though, the sequel left many questions unanswered that demanded at least one more upcoming video game.

Initially, the team was working on a multiplayer spinoff called The Last of Us Online, however, we now know that project has been abandoned and the team is once again focusing on single-player games. One of those games is indeed The Last of Us Part 3. Naughty Dog is considered one of the best studios at PlayStation, alongside Insomniac and its upcoming PS5 game Marvel's Wolverine and Suckerpunch's Ghost of Yotei.

Read more
Virtua Fighter 6: everything we know so far
A man waling toward the word Ready in Virtua Fighter 6.

We're living in a golden age of classic franchises making a return. Games like Turok: Origins and Onimusha: Way of the Sword are bringing back cult-classic series that most fans never would have expected to get an upcoming video game release. Now, we can add Virtua Fighter 6 to that list. This used to be one of the best fighting games alongside Street Fighter and Tekken, but it hasn't had a new entry in almost 20 years. It's time to practice your low punches again as we run through everything we know about Virtua Fighter 6.

We don't know if we can put this game on our lists of upcoming PS5 games, upcoming Xbox Series X games, upcoming PC games, or upcoming Switch games yet, but they are otherwise fully fleshed out for your convenience.
Release window speculation

Read more
Okami 2: everything we know so far
The Okami 2 wolf in a flowery field.

Capcom has been firing on all cylinders for the past couple of years. They've given us some of the best PS5 games already, plus it has Resident Evil 9 and Monster Hunter Wilds as upcoming video games to which we're looking forward. But there was one beloved series we never thought would make a comeback: Okami. This PlayStation 2 classic was a beautiful action-adventure game made by the now-defunct Clover Studio, whose former members went on to form PlatinumGames. However, not only has that studio been reborn as Clovers, but its first project is Okami 2, a direct sequel to the cult classic. Whether you've been waiting all these years for a sequel or this is your first time hearing about it, let's go over everything we know so far about Okami 2.

For a full accounting of upcoming PS5 games, upcoming Xbox Series X games, upcoming Switch games, and upcoming PC games, check out our dedicated lists.
Release speculation

Read more