Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

'Mass Effect: Andromeda' PC requirements revealed ahead of March launch

mass effect andromeda system requirements andromedareq
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Electronic Arts outlined its system requirements for BioWare’s upcoming action-RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda, revealing that players will need an Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB or AMD RX 480 video card to achieve maximum in-game performance.

Players eager to jump back into the galaxy of Mass Effect don’t necessarily need an expensive gaming rig to run the game at an acceptable framerate, however, as the game’s minimum system requirements demand a fraction of the hardware horsepower required for peak performance.

Recommended Videos

Mass Effect: Andromeda is the latest entry in developer BioWare’s galaxy-trekking sci-fi series, following up on a trilogy of releases for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms over the past decade. The upcoming sequel features an entirely new cast and its open-world framework will allow players to explore multiple planets and star systems.

PC players will need a 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 setup in order to run Mass Effect: Andromeda, along with 55 GB of free hard drive space. The game requires an Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350 processor and 8GB of system RAM to run at minimum settings, along with an Nvidia GTX 660 2GB or AMD Radeon 7850 2GB graphics card or equivalent.

EA’s recommended settings bump processor requirements up to an Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD FX-8350 at a minimum. Players with high-end rigs will also need at least 16 GB of system RAM and an NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB or AMD RX 480 4GB video card or better to achieve smooth framerates at high resolutions.

Veteran players at gaming forum NeoGAF specifically recommend a multi-core CPU such as those featured in AMD’s Ryzen lineup, as the game’s underlying Frostbite engine typically sees improved performance when running on a multi-core processor.

Mass Effect: Andromeda drops for the

PlayStation 4

,

Xbox One

, and

Windows PCs

on March 21.

Danny Cowan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Everything we know about Mass Effect 4
A frozen piece of N7 armor.

We only just got confirmation that Mass Effect 4 even exists at last year's Game Awards, but the short trailer was more than enough to inspire a lot of hope, as well as questions, for fans of the series. The original trilogy was one of the most ambitious trilogies of that generation and managed to grow a massive fanbase for a new franchise. The final game's conclusion, regardless of how divisive it was among gamers, was a fairly conclusive wrap up to that entire universe. Since then BioWare has put out another spin-off entry in the form of Mass Effect: Andromeda. This title had a lot to live up to and, bugs and glitches aside, didn't satisfy many of the fans who adored the deep sci-fi lore, intricate character relationships, and meaningful choices found in the first three games.

We only have the one trailer to work off of so far, but here is everything we've been able to piece together about Mass Effect 4.

Read more
Mass Effect trilogy redo delayed to early 2021?
mass effect trilogy remaster early 2021 3 ending

Electronic Arts has reportedly pushed back the release of the unannounced remastered Mass Effect trilogy, supposedly titled Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, to early next year.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was initially planned to launch in October, but publisher Electronic Arts and developer BioWare have delayed the release to early 2021, VentureBeat reported, citing sources familiar with the game's development.

Read more
BioWare reportedly in early stages of developing next Mass Effect game
bioware early stages next mass effect andromeda ryder

The next Mass Effect game is reportedly in development at BioWare, though fans of the space RPG should not expect to get their hands on it any time soon.

The rumor comes from Kotaku's Jason Schreier, in his report that claims BioWare and Electronic Arts are planning a major overhaul for Anthem. The changes, which may come as one large update or a series of smaller ones, will reportedly include the structure of missions, the loot system, and the third-person shooter's world itself.

Read more