The Best Games Like Mass Effect to Play Today

When one talks about some of the greatest role-playing games ever made, it goes without saying that the Mass Effect series would be a major part of this conversation. While the series might've ended on a frustratingly low note, there's no denying the fact that BioWare had created a rich, deep, and intricate sci-fi world that had enraptured fans from all over the globe.

Be it through the original versions or the Legendary Edition remasters, Commander Shepard's story is always worth revisiting. Even Andromeda has plenty of positives. However, the wait for the franchise to produce something new could be very long, so here are some games like Mass Effect that fans can choose to play instead before this sci-fi epic finally makes its much-awaited return to the modern gaming market.

There are no games exactly like Mass Effect, as the original trilogy is one of a kind (or, well, three of a kind). So, we will be dividing the games into four sections that cover different pillars of Mass Effect:

1. Squad
2. Impactful choices
3. Hard Sci-Fi
4. Combat.

March 2026 Update Notes: Added quick picks section, divided the games into four sections, and added Deliver Us to Mars and The Invincible

Quick Picks: Find Your Mass Effect-Like Game

Not sure what to play? Then go with the game that fills that Shepard-sized hole in your heart.

The Squad-Junkie Games

If you play Mass Effect for the Elevator Conversations and the Citadel DLC

Helldivers 2

Maybe The Best Co-Op Third-Person Shooter Game

Helldivers 2 is a very different beast from Mass Effect, but the two games overlap in a few key areas. For one, they are both third-person shooters with campaigns that revolve around visiting different planets. As part of a 4-member squad, players will find themselves shooting down a plethora of enemies using an assortment of weapons, and co-op is a big part of Helldivers 2's core appeal (unlike Mass Effect).

Narratively, the games share almost nothing in common, except for generally strong writing. While BioWare's franchise focuses on character development and telling an overarching plot with long-reaching consequences, Arrowhead's game is a hilarious satire drenched in propaganda. Even though it does not prioritize its storytelling, Helldivers 2 has great world-building.

Ultimately, this 2024 release is for PS5 and PC owners who want an addictive co-op shooter with a lot of replay value. Gameplay-wise, Helldivers 2 is a blast, offering both enjoyable minute-to-minute action along with a plethora of exciting unlockables.

Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy

Comedic But Still Epic Galaxy-Trotting Adventure Game With Some Player Choices

After the disappointing Marvel's Avengers, expectations for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy were not high; fortunately, Eidos-Montréal more than managed to exceed them. A single-player experience, the game finds the Guardians accidentally triggering a disastrous event while hunting a unique beast. Before long, the ragtag group of "heroes" are forced to take on a powerful cult that plans to brainwash the entire galaxy, a threat that can rival Mass Effect's Reapers in scope.

Guardians of the Galaxy features a lengthy campaign that takes players to multiple planets and introduces them to a fantastic roster of NPCs. The 2021 game's main selling points are its story and characters, both of which are top quality. The Guardians are all fully developed beings who bounce off each other beautifully, and every member gets multiple moments in the spotlight. The voice acting is also stellar.

If there is one area that tends to get criticism, it would have to be the combat system. Guardians of the Galaxy's only playable character is Star-Lord, who uses his blasters during battles; however, he can utilize the other Guardians' abilities as well, which is not that different from Mass Effect's squad-based action.

Binary Domain

A Fantastic Squad-Based Sci-Fi Action Game That Has Arguably Better Gunplay Than Mass Effect

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio might be primarily known for the Like a Dragon franchise, but the developer has quite a few other projects to its name. Binary Domain is a third-person shooter set in a world ravaged by global warming that relies heavily on advanced robotics. The campaign follows a special task force created to support a law designed to keep humans and robots separate.

Binary Domain emphasizes teamwork as players will need to give orders to their AI partners. The player's actions and performance determine the rest of the squad's behavior toward them, which creates an interesting dynamic that influences the gameplay.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

BioWare's Other Space Opera

Another BioWare game makes this list, this time in the form of another proper sci-fi game that allows players to roam around different planets as well. One simply can't talk enough about how revolutionary Knights of the Old Republic was upon its release, adding an excellently crafted chapter to the Star Wars canon that most people still look back fondly at to this day.

Several aspects of this title can be praised extensively, but the story is the reason most people should play Knights of the Old Republic. Some delectable twists and turns, coupled with one of the most shocking plot twists in video gaming history, have led to this game becoming a role-playing classic.

Star Wars: KOTOR 2 and The Old Republic are also must-plays for Mass Effect fans.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

One of the Few Genuine Mass Effect Copycat Games

Few situations exist that allow for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified to be promoted ahead of the franchise's mainline entries, but this is one of those rare scenarios. A spin-off to Firaxis' turn-based tactical series, XCOM Declassified is a fairly typical third-person shooter, albeit one with a cool setting and some tactical elements. Set during the 1960s, the story finds America under siege by aliens, which naturally forces the eponymous Bureau to step up to take care of business.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified shares quite a few things in common with Mass Effect, including squad-based combat that forces players to constantly command two partners during shootouts. While most of the campaign consists of linear levels, these sequences are spaced apart by interludes set within the Bureau's headquarters, which acts as a hub area. Here, players can mingle with other characters, and there are even dialogue trees.

Just to temper expectations, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified does not handle these elements as well as Mass Effect Andromeda, let alone the original trilogy. Nevertheless, the game is fine.

The Choice-Driven Diplomat Games (Story & Politics)

If you would like to decide the fate of an entire species and see the consequences 30 hours later

The Outer Worlds 2

Obsidian's World-Hopping Sci-Fi Adventure With Dialogue As Good As Mass Effect

Obsidian's The Outer Worlds games are very clearly inspired by Bethesda's Fallout formula, which is not a bad thing since they execute these ideas well. Mass Effect fans should prioritize these games over something like Fallout: New Vegas, just because they are sci-fi epics that involve traveling to different worlds. While they don't take themselves as seriously as BioWare's trilogy, The Outer Worlds still showcases Obsidian's talent for crafting great dialogue and banter, so the storytelling is different but not necessarily worse.

Although the first entry is solid enough, The Outer Worlds 2 improves upon its predecessor in pretty much every way, providing a far more enjoyable overall experience. The first-person gunplay is not amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but it is solid enough to never get in the way. Also, you can play The Outer Worlds 2 in third-person if you prefer that option.

Cyberpunk 2077

A Brilliant FPS Open-World Game With Great Storytelling

Cyberpunk 2077's launch was a bit of a disaster, hurting the game's reputation. CD Projekt Red's title had plenty of problems on the PS4 and Xbox One, but it fared better on PC or current-gen hardware. The game has also come far since its debut, and it is now far better. A first-person shooter set in the detailed Night City, a futuristic urban hub dominated by corporations and overrun with violence, this RPG has a lot of positives, despite its technical issues.

Like Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077's story and world-building are its crowning achievements. Night City is packed with fascinating and well-written characters, memorable side content, and environmental storytelling. This is a universe that people can get lost in, immersed in the world's vibrancy, sociopolitical undertones, and strangeness.