Mass Effect: Andromeda - EA Access Users Play Early

By Dalton Cooper 11 January 2017

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The official Mass Effect Twitter page responds to a fan’s question, revealing that the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda will be playable early for EA Access subscribers.

One of the perks of being an EA Access subscriber is the opportunity to play EA’s biggest games before they’re released to the general public. Some EA titles skip out on this early access period, but Mass Effect: Andromeda fans that want to experience Commander Ryder’s adventure as early as possible should know that the game will be playable early through EA Access.

What’s unclear is just how far in advance players will be able to get their hands on Mass Effect: Andromeda through EA Access or what other limitations there will be. Perhaps the EA Access trial for Mass Effect: Andromeda will only let players play the game for 10 hours like other games on the service, or maybe it will only let them progress so far in the story before they’re cut off and have to wait for it to officially launch to see what happens next.

Alternatively, players may be blocked out of playing the story entirely. In the interest of saving fans from spoilers, BioWare may allow EA Access subscribers to try out the multiplayer mode instead of the story, which should give fans a taste of the game without risking spoilers for people that aren’t EA Access subscribers. And since PlayStation 4 owners don’t even have the option to sign up for EA Access, that seems like a fair alternative.

@sedaspade Yes, EA Access members get to play Mass Effect: Andromeda early for a limited time.— Mass Effect (@masseffect) January 7, 2017

With Mass Effect: Andromeda releasing on March 21st, fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer for concrete details on what to expect from the game’s EA Access trial. EA and BioWare are planning to release longer gameplay videos of Mass Effect: Andromeda in mid-February, to coincide with an onslaught of marketing, so that seems like an opportune time to reveal more details on the game’s early access trial period.

Another time BioWare could reveal more about Mass Effect: Andromeda is whenever the studio decides to unveil the game’s multiplayer component. At this point, all we know about Andromeda‘s multiplayer is that it exists, and it will most likely be something similar to Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer mode. BioWare has promised that multiplayer news is coming “soon,” and if the EA Access trial is multiplayer-only as speculated, one has to imagine that news on it will come during the Andromeda multiplayer reveal.

Speaking of multiplayer, Mass Effect: Andromeda may have a beta testing period for the feature at some point before launch, which could give PS4 owners the chance to try out the game early as well. Time will tell, but anyone that wants guaranteed early access to Mass Effect: Andromeda will need to sign up for EA Access on PC or Xbox One.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be available on March 21st for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.