Mass Effect Is Officially Switching Genre In 2027

Published Oct 1, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

Mass Effect fans are in for a huge year in 2027, as BioWare's sprawling space opera that helped redefine the modern RPG is returning in a major way. Beloved for its cinematic storytelling, player-driven choices, unforgettable companions, Mass Effect exists in a galaxy packed with political conflict, ancient mysteries, and unforgettable alien civilizations that has kept fans coming back for years. Commander Shepard's original trilogy remains the high point for many fans, while later entries expanded the universe in new directions and ensured the Mass Effect legacy continues.

Attention has now turned toward Mass Effect 5, with players eager to see how BioWare continues the series and what familiar characters, locations, and storylines could return. With expectations surrounding the next major video game understandably high, however, fans will not have to rely solely on that project for something new. In 2027, Mass Effect will officially switch genres, offering a very different way to return to its universe.

Mass Effect Returns To Hagalaz In A New Type Of Adaptation

Mass Effect may be best known as one of gaming's defining action-RPG franchises, but Priority: Hagalaz takes Shepard's adventures into an entirely different genre. Instead of directly controlling the Commander and their squad on a console or PC, players experience the series as a cooperative, story-driven tabletop game for one to four players. Its campaign retains several staples of the video games, including branching decisions, Paragon and Renegade choices, character progression, and optional Loyalty Missions, while translating combat and exploration into tabletop mechanics.

The game also provides an interesting link to Mass Effect 2 and 3, a series high point, with the story actually taking place during the events of Mass Effect 3 in 2186. Shepard travels to Hagalaz, the storm-ravaged planet previously associated with the Shadow Broker storyline in Mass Effect 2, where a Cerberus research cruiser has crashed. Shepard must investigate the vessel alongside familiar squadmates Liara, Tali, Wrex, and Garrus before an enormous storm arrives.

Priority: Hagalaz is both a significant genre departure and a return to familiar territory, revisiting a location tied closely to one of Mass Effect 2's most memorable storylines while telling an entirely new mission during the Reaper War.

The Mass Effect - Priority: Hagalaz Expansion Arrives In 2027

Mass Effect's tabletop era is getting a major new adventure for Priority: Hagalaz players. Modiphius has confirmed that a new expansion for the board game is scheduled to arrive in early 2027, giving fans another opportunity to return to Shepard's corner of the galaxy while the wait for the next mainline Mass Effect game continues.

The expansion appears poised to broaden the original game's concepts. Most notably, it will introduce six additional squadmates, greatly expanding a playable roster that currently centers on the aforementioned iconic characters. Modiphius has also promised new ways to play, additional Loyalty Missions, and new enemy groups, potentially giving returning players more variety beyond the slate of new playable characters.

Exactly what form those additions will take remains under wraps. Modiphius has yet to reveal the expansion's official name or exact price, with further information expected closer to launch. That nevertheless makes early 2027 another confirmed stop on the Mass Effect calendar. With Mass Effect 5 still on the horizon, Priority: Hagalaz gives fans something to keep busy in the meantime.

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