The original Mass Effect was released on November 20, 2007, for the Xbox 360, and later for PC and PlayStation 3.

The series is available on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Xbox One, PS4, and modern consoles via backward compatibility. The Legendary Edition is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The series was developed by BioWare, a Canadian studio famous for RPGs like Baldur's Gate and Dragon Age, and published by Electronic Arts (EA).

Mass Effect is a science fiction action role-playing game (ARPG) played from a third-person perspective, featuring cover-based shooting and deep dialogue choices.

It follows Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier who must unite the galaxy's diverse alien races to stop the Reapers, an ancient machine race that harvests organic life every 50,000 years.

A playthrough of the entire trilogy in the Legendary Edition typically takes between 60 to 100+ hours, depending on how much side content and DLC you complete.

You should play them in chronological order: Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3. Mass Effect: Andromeda is a standalone story set later but can be played separately.

Commander Shepard is the customizable protagonist of the trilogy. Players can choose Shepard's gender, appearance, background, and first name, though 'Shepard' remains constant.

Yes, one of the series' defining features is that save files can be imported into the next game, meaning decisions made in the first game can affect events and character fates in the third.

Released in 2021, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is a remastered collection of the original trilogy featuring updated 4K graphics, improved gameplay mechanics, and almost all single-player DLC.