Mass Effect
PlayStation 3PC (Microsoft Windows)Xbox 360

Mass Effect

86
Critic Rating
#Shooter

About

Mass Effect is an action role-playing game set in the year 2183. The player takes the role of Commander Shepard, a customizable character who serves as Executive Officer aboard the SSV Normandy. After a routine mission goes wrong, Shepard assembles a squad and pursues a threat that escalates into a galaxy-wide conflict. The game features real-time squad-based combat where players choose companions and tactics suited to different enemy types, from biotic-wielding opponents to heavily armored machines. The game spans a large science fiction universe, with explorable locations ranging from the Citadel space station to alien homeworlds and remote outposts. Player decisions affect mission outcomes, crew relationships, and the overarching narrative across the trilogy.

Storyline

In the year 2183, Commander Shepard is sent to the human colony of Eden Prime to recover a Prothean beacon. The mission is disrupted by an attack from the synthetic Geth, led by Saren Arterius, a rogue Spectre agent. After making contact with the beacon and receiving a cryptic vision of destruction, Shepard is appointed the first human Spectre and tasked with hunting Saren across the galaxy. The investigation leads Shepard and a growing crew aboard the SSV Normandy through multiple worlds, uncovering a conspiracy tied to the Reapers, a highly advanced machine race believed to eradicate all organic civilizations on a 50,000-year cycle. Shepard must stop Saren before he can trigger their return.

Playtime Estimates

Main Story16.9h
Main + Extra27.7h
Completionist42.6h
All Styles26.5h
Confidence: 100%Updated: 4/9/2026

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Languages

LanguageSupport
EnglishInterface
FrenchInterface
GermanInterface
Spanish (Spain)Interface
ItalianInterface
EnglishAudio

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DLCs & Expansions

Game Info

Release Date11/20/2007
DeveloperBioWare
PublisherElectronic Arts
PlatformsPlayStation 3, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360
GenresShooter, Role-playing (RPG)
IGDB Rating86/100 (2510)

Game Modes

Single player

Themes

Action
Science fiction
Romance

Perspectives

Third person

Release Dates

Xbox 360Nov 20, 2007
PC (Microsoft Windows)May 28, 2008
PlayStation 3Dec 4, 2012
PlayStation 3Dec 7, 2012