Mass Effect 4has been anticipated for a long time now, and BioWare’s other IP,Dragon Age, required patience from fans when it came to the wait between entries. There’s no telling whenMass Effect 4will finally be ready, but when looking at this project and the recently releasedDragon Age: The Veilguard, the former may be ready to beat the latter in an exciting way.

Dragon Age: InquisitionandDragon Age: The Veilguardhad players wait a whole decade between the two. Because of this gap, a lot of fans are expectingthe same treatment fromMass Effect. The last entry,Mass Effect: Andromeda, was released in 2017, and while it’s definitely closing in on a decade, there is still a chance that the sci-fi series will outpace its fantasy counterpart.

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Mass Effect 4 Still Has the Potential to Arrive Sooner Than Veilguard Did

There is Still Very Little Known About Mass Effect 4

All thatMass Effectfans have to nibble on at the moment are breadcrumbs, and 2025 will hopefully bring forth a feast of news.Mass Effecthas been incredibly influentialon the industry, which has left many gamers desperate for more information. However, if BioWare wants to beat the gruelingly long wait cycle of itsDragon Agefranchise, then there isn’t much time left to act.

N7 Day is a special occasion in theMass Effectcommunity that is celebrated every year on November 7. This is usually when BioWare releases new information about the franchise.

If Mass Effect 4 Wants to Avoid a Decade-Long Wait, it Needs to Launch by Next Year

The dreaded 10-year gap is quickly creeping up onMass Effect 4. The highly-anticipated sci-fi RPG has to either release this year or sometime next year, and right now, this feels unlikely. BioWare has barely shared any substantial information besides the Game Awards trailer, leaving one to wonder ifthe wait forMass Effect 4could actually end up being even longer than the wait forDragon Age: The Veilguard. Right now, 2025 is stacked with major releases, so this year may be a bad time for BioWare to surprise fans, considering there is already a treasure trove of games on the horizon.

However, next year could be the perfect moment to launchMass Effect 4. Big game announcements keep popping up, andthe 2026 video game release calendaris finally starting to get some names added to it. BioWare could offer a great one-two punch by revealing a full-length trailer and release date in one big announcement. It’s possible that this beloved RPG could appear at events like Summer Game Fest, Gamescom, or the 2025 Game Awards, but this is purely speculation. Despite nothing being set in stone, these are the most likely stages BioWare would want to showcase such a reveal, especially the Game Awards, since that’s where the first trailer was shown.

A Nine-Year Wait is Still Better Than Ten

IfMass Effect 4is released in 2026,it only beatsDragon Age: The Veilguardby one year, but that at least means it gets here quicker. Of course, it’s important for games to have ample time in the oven, so players can have a strong product, but the increasingly long wait between game releases is also becoming fatiguing.

Game development has evolved leaps and bounds in the last decade, and that hopefully meansMass Effect 4is worth the wait.Only time will tell whenMass Effect 4is ready, but as the wait continues, there is still hope for exciting news on the horizon.