Mass Effect 5's release date is horrendously far off by any measure

Some BioWare fans have become concerned with the lack of updates for Mass Effect 5, a game which was announced a few years ago and we’re still yet to see any gameplay, let alone a release date.

Mass Effect 5 was announced during The Game Awards in 2020 with a very cryptic and teasing trailer. The trailer suggested that the crew of the Normandy may return after a piece of the crashed ship was discovered by the popular character, Dr. Liara T’Soni.

Check out the Mass Effect 5 trailer below!

Details are so vague on the next Mass Effect, that we don’t know for sure what its full name will be, whether it will feature the number ‘5’ or drop it entirely, which could suggest that the BioWare sci-RPG is a soft reboot. Other reports have also led us to believe that the return of Commander Shepard isn't even set in stone.

The only thing that we know for sure, is that it will arrive after the next Dragon Age game, which recently not only received the new game of Dragon Age: The Veilguard but were we also treated to a stunning gameplay reveal that may or may not have resulted in a certain member of the GAMINGbible team getting a tad emotional.

While we don’t have a set release date yet, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is expected to be released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. So what about the next Mass Effect, when can we expect that to be released?

Fans have been speculating when we might expect the next Mass Effect to arrive. “Any predictions of the Mass Effect 5 release date?” asked a Reddit user. Unfortunately, if fans' estimates are even slightly in the ballpark, the release date could be horrendously far off.

“Considering BioWare teased the game three years ago, you'd think they’d have a big chunk of pre-production done already,” suggested kebusebu. Adding the COVID pandemic into the mix, they believe that a 2027 release is likely.

“I think 2027(ish) is also a reasonable estimate. Which honestly means it might straddle the next console generation,” replied Jicnon. However, another Reddit user had another damning take.

“For tN7 day in 2023, BioWare showed a very short teaser of the next Mass Effect, and according to a report by Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb, it'll have a similar development timeline to Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” they said. “This means that it'll likely be a very long time before the game will be released, as it looks like it may not arrive until 2028 or 2029 if it has a six-year development cycle.”

Of course, all of the above is mere hearsay and we should take it with a pinch of salt until proven otherwise. BioWare has been taking its sweet time developing Dragon Age: The Veilguard and judging by the recent gameplay reveal, that patience looks to be paying off.

So when the time comes for the next Mass Effect to be released, I just hope it arrives when it's good and ready, and it will put this beloved franchise on the map following the disappointing 2017 launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda (which is now a much better game, by the way).