Every Mass Effect Game, Ranked Worst to Best

Like its name implies, Mass Effect has had a massive effect on the gaming industry. This seminal RPG series influenced how dialogue options were presented and demonstrated the value of having a multi-game storyline that carried over the player’s progress. It hasn’t always had a smooth time sailing the stars, but the highs are among the medium’s best. Even though BioWare’s fate is currently a little shaky due to lackluster recent output, Electronic Arts’ upcoming leveraged buyout potentially causing chaos, and the bad vibes emanating around Mass Effect 5, the studio has been responsible for some all-timers.

Here’s how every Mass Effect game stacks up against each other from worst to best. This list also doesn’t include the excellent 2021 remaster, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition but will take into account the changes it made to each title in that bundle.

6) Mass Effect Galaxy

Mass Effect Galaxy is a Mass Effect game in name only. This top-down, mobile-exclusive shooter stars someone who hardly looks like Cerberus’ Jacob Taylor in a forgettable story with little to no bearing on the rest of the series. Even though the dialogue is snappy, the voice acting is sparse and isn’t given the space to capture the essence of series and why its characters and world are so beloved.

Clunky, tilt-based shooting controls and constant loading screens also make playing Galaxy a slog since it’s a struggle just to aim in its bland and crudely drawn environments. When combined with subpar music and sound effects, it becomes incredibly clear how hampered the game is by the platform it is on, painting Galaxy as little more than a cash grab.

5) Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda is one of the most infamous examples of a terrible sequel, as well as a indicator of a studio losing its way. Andromeda‘s more kinetic gameplay doubles down on combos and mobility to great effect, so it’s not a total loss with no redeeming qualities, but just about everything else is an utter disaster.

Andromeda‘s narrative is the most egregious offense of them all, as it is a colossal disappointment from top to bottom. All of the crewmates are shallow and boring, which is truly devastating for a series with some of the best companions in the entire industry. The tepid writing does little to invigorate the uninteresting story that has no engaging dilemmas to ponder. The wider world doesn’t have its own identity or evoke the wonder that came from the first game since it only introduces two new alien races and hardly feels new; an unforgivable blunder given how the crew is supposed to be exploring new territory. When combined with the embarrassing amount of bugs (even after all the patches), it is clear Andromeda is a failure from almost every standpoint and will likely be seen as the beginning of the end of BioWare if the studio meets a grim fate in the near future.

4) Mass Effect: Infiltrator

Mass Effect: Infiltrator is another mobile Mass Effect title, but it’s a little more capable than Galaxy. It at least looks like a Mass Effect game through its presentation and cover-based shooting, both of which borrow from Mass Effect 3.

However, that still doesn’t make it a great game. The RPG mechanics — from the dialogue choices to leveling up to having party members — have essentially been stripped out in favor of a straightforward shooter with mostly passable yet underwhelming gunplay and biotic powers that quickly get repetitive. Infiltrator‘s gruff, Reaper tech-infused protagonist Randall Ezno is a shallow meathead, too, so there’s not much to pin the already-anemic narrative to, either. It’s not as off-base as Galaxy or as calamitous as Andromeda, but it’s still not even close to a high point for the franchise.

3) Mass Effect

Even though Mass Effect is only one tier higher than Infiltrator, the jump in quality between them is remarkable. Mass Effect is a masterclass way to begin a franchise. It may be a lot to digest from the start, but it gets players invested in its lore through its engrossing intro that appropriately lays out the stakes. From there, players meet an array of endearing squad members like Liara, Wrex, and Garrus who are all individually appealing representatives for their entire species. Mass Effect uses loveable characters like this to get players into the broader narrative, and it works excellently.

That wider narrative is filled with thought provoking dilemmas that paint a complex picture of a galaxy fraught with political struggles. These come to a head in later games, but the way in which they are presented here makes for a great way to fill out the world and make it all feel real. Its RPG-heavy gunplay is a little loose and the Mako vehicle segments are rough, but the Legendary Edition made some key changes that have helped these sore spots age a bit more gracefully. Despite these small gripes, Mass Effect is still a wonderful achievement and demonstrates a level of craftsmanship and confidence many debut titles don’t often have.

2) Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is a controversial game that marred by the reception around its ending, but that should not distract from how excellent the preceding couple dozen hours are. This tense trilogy ender is what the other two mainline games were building up to and that crushing sense of finality permeates the entire campaign. Dealing with the genophage and Geth War, for example, are tough choices that add a sense of closure that BioWare has expertly built up since the first game. The stakes are impossibly high in Mass Effect 3 and this pressure only amps up the pressure to do the right thing.

BioWare also significantly improved the shooting to the point where its cooperative multiplayer was much more than the forgettable mode it was destined to be. Thanks to a more fluid cover system, snappier gunplay, and beefier sound effects, Commander Shepard was finally the soldier they were always mythologized as in the cutscenes.

Its downloadable From Ashes chapter initially caught flak for being available on day one and feeling like it was ripped out of the base story, but its inclusion in most new copies nullifies that gripe and shows how it is still an excellent episode that foreshadows how fantastic Mass Effect 3‘s DLC is. Omega may have been just fine, but Leviathan spins a intriguing mystery that cleverly reframes the Reapers, while Citadel is a cathartic and heartwarming sendoff to this trilogy. Mass Effect 3, as a whole, is a sendoff, as it is one long ending in and of itself. The actual finale does not consistently live up to the impossibly high standards set upon it, but that does little to undo how well it wraps up most of its other threads.

1) Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is widely regarded as one of the best sequels for a reason. It begins with a bang — Commander Shepard dies — and doesn’t let up from there. After the brilliant setup from the first game, Mass Effect 2 ups the ante by having a bigger and more threatening enemy that paints a dire picture that ratchets up the tension.

But, crucially, Mass Effect 2 doesn’t forget about the smaller scale interactions that made the first game what it was. Its Loyalty Missions are proof of that, as they are intimate quests that focus on a single crew member and flesh out their backstory while also readying them up for the daunting Suicide Mission that lies at the end of the road. These missions include not only the classics characters from the first game but also a ton of new faces, all of whom meet the high standard BioWare set last time around.

Mass Effect 2 also goes bigger and bolder with its gameplay and DLC offerings. Taking cover, using special abilities, and firing weapons is all more responsive, making for an appealing combat loop that isn’t as clunky as it was in the first game. Its premier expansions (particularly Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker) are some of the best in the industry, too, as they are meaty tales that have their own self-contained stories that also loop back into the base game. From its intro mission to its closing expansion, Mass Effect 2 is a thorough masterpiece and still an achievement over 15 years later.

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