Play the Shepard trilogy in this order: Mass Effect (2007, story year 2183), Mass Effect 2 (2010, 2185), then Mass Effect 3 (2012, 2186). Their release order and in-universe story order are the same, and decisions can carry from one game into the next. Play Mass Effect: Andromeda afterward if you want a separate Pathfinder-led campaign set roughly six centuries later in the Andromeda galaxy.
For a first playthrough on modern platforms, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the straightforward starting point: it is a 2021 remaster collection containing the three single-player games, their base content and more than 40 downloadable-content items. It is a collection, not a fifth story chapter.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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Mass Effect Legendary Edition - PlayStation 4 | $69.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Mass Effect (Legendary Edition) - For Xbox Series X | $19.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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![Mass Effect Legendary Edition - Origin PC [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51u4qsXeCeS._SL160_.jpg)
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Mass Effect Legendary Edition - Origin PC [Online Game Code] | $59.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Mass Effect Legendary Edition (Import) | $18.90 | Buy on Amazon |
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Mass Effect games at a glance
The franchise has four story campaigns commonly discussed by players, plus a remastered collection. The table separates publication dates from story chronology so you can see why the usual play order works.
| Game or collection | Release year | Story placement | Lead character and role | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass Effect | 2007 | 2183 | Commander Shepard; beginning of the central trilogy | Start here for the original campaign and the decisions that establish your imported history. |
| Mass Effect 2 | 2010 | 2185 | Commander Shepard; direct continuation | Play after Mass Effect and import your previous decisions where supported. |
| Mass Effect 3 | 2012 | 2186 | Commander Shepard; conclusion of the trilogy’s main arc | Play last in the Shepard sequence. |
| Mass Effect: Andromeda | 2017 | Approximately six centuries after Mass Effect 3 in the playable setting | Ryder; Pathfinder leading a separate campaign | Play after the trilogy if you want the clearest context and a clean break from Shepard’s story. |
| Mass Effect Legendary Edition | 2021 | Contains the 2183–2186 trilogy | Shepard across all three games | Use it as the modern package for the trilogy, not as an additional chapter. |
EA’s current franchise listing treats the individual games and Legendary Edition as separate products. That product distinction matters: installing Legendary Edition does not mean you have begun a new chronological entry after Mass Effect 3.
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- One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced.
- Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
- Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, including promo weapons, armors, and packs - remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD.
Why release order and story order match
The Shepard arc was built as a sequential story. Mass Effect establishes the setting, characters and consequences that Mass Effect 2 assumes two years later. Mass Effect 3 follows in 2186, one story year after the events of Mass Effect 2. There is no officially placed Shepard game that should be inserted between those three main releases.
Player choices are part of the continuity. Decisions made in one game can be carried into later games, changing the state of the campaign and the context for returning characters. Starting with Mass Effect 2 or Mass Effect 3 can therefore remove the opportunity to create the history those games are designed to reference. You can still understand the broad plot by beginning later, but a first playthrough is more coherent when it starts at the 2007 game.
Release order versus chronology
| Order type | Sequence | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Release order | Mass Effect → Mass Effect 2 → Mass Effect 3 → Mass Effect: Andromeda | When each campaign became available to players. |
| Story order | Mass Effect (2183) → Mass Effect 2 (2185) → Mass Effect 3 (2186) → Andromeda’s playable era, about 600 years later | When the campaigns occur in the universe. |
Because both lists have the same sequence, you do not need a complicated timeline guide for the four campaigns. The only major separation is Andromeda’s time jump and different protagonist.
How to play the Shepard trilogy
1. Begin with Mass Effect
The 2007 game is the foundation of the trilogy and takes place in 2183. It introduces Commander Shepard’s role, the political and social setting, and the relationships that later games can recognize. Treat your decisions as the first part of a continuing save history rather than as isolated choices.
If you are using the original release rather than Legendary Edition, you are starting with the standalone first game. If you are using Legendary Edition, select Mass Effect from the collection’s game menu; the collection does not alter the required sequence.
2. Continue directly into Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 was released in 2010 and is set in 2185. Continue with the same player-created history where the edition and platform support importing it. The two-year story gap is intentional, so do not interpret the date difference as a reason to play a different title first.
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- Three Games – One Launcher: Play through the single-player base content and over 40 DLC from all three games, including promo weapons, armors, and packs
- Remastered for a New Generation - Experience the trilogy in 4K Ultra HD with enhanced performance, visuals, and graphics, all available in HDR
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New players sometimes choose Mass Effect 2 because it is the most accessible entry point in the eyes of friends or guides. That can work for a standalone session, but it skips the first game’s setup and replaces your own earlier decisions with whatever default history the game provides. For a complete first run, finish Mass Effect before launching the sequel.
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3. Finish with Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect 3, released in 2012, takes place in 2186 and closes the main Shepard trilogy. Choices from both earlier games can matter here, making it the least suitable starting point if you want the full continuity. Play it after Mass Effect 2, even if you own all three games in one launcher or collection.
Once Mass Effect 3 is complete, the Shepard trilogy’s chronological arc is complete. Moving to Andromeda is an optional change of campaign, not the next chapter of Shepard’s personal storyline.
Where Mass Effect: Andromeda fits
Andromeda is a Ryder-led campaign in a different galaxy, not a game about continuing Shepard as the playable protagonist. Reporting by Time describes the expedition as beginning around the era of the original trilogy, while cryosleep sends the colonists on a journey lasting about 600 years. The playable events therefore occur roughly six centuries after Mass Effect 3.
This unusual setup explains why Andromeda can acknowledge the wider universe without occupying the next year in the Shepard timeline. The expedition departs near the trilogy era, but the characters you control awaken and act much later, in the Andromeda galaxy. Calling it “Mass Effect 4” can create the wrong expectation: it is a separate Pathfinder campaign rather than Mass Effect 3’s immediate sequel.
Should you play Andromeda before the trilogy?
- Choose the trilogy first if you are new and want the central continuity, imported choices and Shepard’s complete arc.
- Choose Andromeda first only if you specifically want a separate protagonist and setting and do not mind postponing the original trilogy.
- For most players, Andromeda works best after Mass Effect 3 because the time jump then feels deliberate instead of confusing.
There is no requirement to complete Andromeda to understand the Shepard games. Its campaign stands apart, so finishing it is an optional follow-up rather than a prerequisite.
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- One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced.
- Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
- Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, including promo weapons, armors, and packs - remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD.
What Legendary Edition changes
Legendary Edition was released in 2021 as a remastered collection of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. Electronic Arts says it includes the single-player base content and more than 40 downloadable-content items from those games, with choices designed to travel from one game to the next.
That makes it the practical starting package for someone who wants the trilogy on a modern system without assembling every single-player component separately. It does not add a new story year, replace Andromeda, or change the order in which the three campaigns should be played.
Collection or separate releases?
| Option | What you receive | Best fit | Continuity consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legendary Edition | Remastered trilogy, single-player base content and over 40 DLC items, according to EA’s 2021 product description | New players seeking one package for Shepard’s story | Play its internal game selections in order: 1, 2, then 3. |
| Original games purchased separately | Individual releases; included extras depend on the edition and purchase | Players who already own specific versions or want the original releases | Verify which downloadable content is included before assuming your complete history will transfer. |
| Andromeda alongside either option | A separate 2017 Ryder campaign | Players wanting another setting after the trilogy | It is not an installment to place between the Shepard games. |
“Over 40 DLC” is a collection-level figure from EA’s product page, not a promise that every item is a separate story campaign or that every version sold separately contains the same package. If a particular downloadable item is important to you, check the edition description for your region and platform.
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Chronological timeline in plain language
- 2183 — Mass Effect: Shepard’s first campaign establishes the trilogy’s situation and your initial decisions.
- 2185 — Mass Effect 2: The story resumes after a two-year in-universe gap, with the previous game’s history informing the continuation.
- 2186 — Mass Effect 3: The final Shepard campaign follows one year later and completes that trilogy arc.
- Approximately six centuries after Mass Effect 3 — Mass Effect: Andromeda’s playable period: The Andromeda Initiative’s cryosleep journey places Ryder’s playable adventure far beyond the trilogy’s immediate aftermath.
The expedition’s departure and its arrival are different timeline points. Saying that Andromeda “starts around the trilogy” refers to when the colonists leave, while saying it is “after Mass Effect 3” refers to when the playable story unfolds. Both statements can be true because of the approximately 600-year journey.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choosing a starting point by your goal
You want the complete story
Start with Mass Effect, continue to Mass Effect 2, and finish Mass Effect 3. This is the only route that lets your own decisions develop across all three Shepard campaigns without deliberately using a default or replacement history.
You want the simplest modern purchase
Choose Legendary Edition, then launch its games in numerical order. Think of it as one library containing three chapters, not as a single game whose menus imply a different sequence.
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You are mainly interested in Andromeda
You can begin with Andromeda because it follows Ryder and has its own campaign structure. Playing the trilogy first is still advisable if you want the context for the universe and the clearest sense of how distant Andromeda’s era is from Shepard’s.
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Keep the same order for each complete run so that choices remain comparable. A replay that starts in Mass Effect 2 can be useful for testing a different branch, but label it as an abbreviated run rather than the canonical first-play order.
DLC ordering: what is established and what is not
Legendary Edition’s inclusion of more than 40 DLC items removes much of the installation guesswork, but there is no official, complete mission-by-mission chronological order for every downloadable item established in the available product information. Do not treat an unofficial checklist as a publisher-mandated sequence.
For a first playthrough, the reliable rule is to keep each game’s downloadable content with its parent game and complete that game before moving to the next numbered title. If a guide recommends a more detailed placement inside a campaign, regard it as optional player guidance and follow it only when you specifically want that variation. The main continuity order remains Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3.
Common ordering mistakes and how to avoid them
- Starting with the collection’s cover art: Legendary Edition is not a new chapter. Open its Mass Effect 1 entry first.
- Putting Andromeda between Mass Effect 2 and 3: Andromeda’s playable setting is roughly 600 years later, so it does not belong in that gap.
- Assuming the expedition date is the playable date: The colonists depart around the trilogy era but spend about 600 years in cryosleep.
- Skipping Mass Effect on a first run: You can understand later games, but you lose the chance to create the imported history that later campaigns can use.
- Expecting an official DLC master list: The collection confirms broad inclusion, not a definitive mission-by-mission chronology for every item.
- Calling Andromeda “Mass Effect 4”: That label obscures its Ryder-led, separate-campaign structure.
What is known about future Mass Effect stories
BioWare Executive Producer Mike Gamble wrote on November 7, 2025 that “the next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe.” That statement confirms development, but it does not establish a release date or a playable position in the timeline.
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The same statement describes a planned television series as a new story set after the original trilogy. No release date was provided, and the series should not be inserted into a game-play order. Until official details specify otherwise, the dependable playable sequence remains the three Shepard games followed, optionally, by Andromeda.
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