Mass Effect 5 Commander Shepard Replacement Leaves Gamers Torn

Published Oct 19, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

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As far as video game trilogies go, it really doesn't get much better than the first three Mass Effect games. While Andromeda admittedly failed to build on the loft heights of the original trilogy, it also did nothing to tarnish the legacy of Commander Shepard's battle against the Reapers.

Of course, we now know that a fifth game in the series is on the way from BioWare. While we have no idea exactly when this new entry will see the light of day, all signs point to the new game taking us back to the Milky Way once again, to deliver more of a continuation of Mass Effect 3 than we might've gotten in Andromeda.

What happens at the end of Mass Effect 3 obviously depends on the choices you make as a player, but the "good" ending sees Commander Shepard take a breath, leaving him with the potential to be canonically alive. Despite this, it's unlikely they'll be the character we take control of in Mass Effect 5. For one thing, I think the cleanest way to get around the choices from the Mass Effect 3 ending mattering will be to set the new game so long after Mass Effect 3 that they can't really matter. And doing that would mean Shepard is long dead no matter what.

Over on Reddit, one user shared a post explaining how they really do not want Shepard to return in the next game, as their story is done. Personally, I agree. We need a new character avatar, maybe even one that could be different alien races? Instead of just playing as another human, imagine having the option to be a Krogan, or a Drell?

"Honestly, I'd like to see a game where Shepard assumes the role that Anderson did in the original Trilogy. Advising a new Specter character. Would potentially lead to stories of "too big shoes to fill" for the new MC but that might be the growth they will need," one comment read.

While another added, "I assume Shepard will be mentioned, possibly regularly but as some kind of heroic figure from the past."

Another post put forward an alternate wish, confirming they did want Shepard to return as protagonist next time out, "I want Shepard to return, but I want Shepard's story to be detailed if they do. Mass Effect 5 should be welcoming to noobs and fill in details for us OG's. Not sure how to make it work. I just hope the story and characters are good at the end of the day. Dragon Age for the most part does a good job of introducing new protagonists but we do have a strong connection to Shepard."

Whatever BioWare does decide to do with the next Mass Effect game, we are realistically still a long, long, long way away from being able to play it. My only hope is that EA stands back and allows the studio to properly cook this time. By which I mean, don't force them to spend years on a live service game that then has to be hastily turned into a single-player RPG.

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