BioWare games in order: every release from Shattered Steel to Dragon Age: The Veilguard

BioWare games in order: the full release list

BioWare games in order, by original release year: Shattered Steel (1996), Baldur's Gate (1998), MDK2 and Baldur's Gate II (2000), Neverwinter Nights (2002), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), Jade Empire (2005), Mass Effect (2007), Sonic Chronicles (2008), Mass Effect Galaxy and Dragon Age: Origins (2009), Mass Effect 2 (2010), then Dragon Age II, Dragon Age Legends and Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011).

The list continues with Mass Effect 3 (2012), Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017), Anthem (2019), Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021) and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024). Years come from the games table on BioWare's Wikipedia page, read on October 22, 2026, which gives years rather than exact dates. The list is now closed: EA announced on October 21, 2026 that BioWare is closing.

The early years, 1996 to 2005: from Shattered Steel to Jade Empire

BioWare was incorporated on February 1, 1995 in Edmonton by three recently graduated doctors, Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. Its first game, Shattered Steel, arrived in 1996 and was published by Interplay. Baldur's Gate followed in 1998 and set the template that the studio kept for the next two decades: party based role-playing with heavy dialogue and companions.

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and the action game MDK2 both arrived in 2000. Neverwinter Nights (2002) kept to the Dungeons and Dragons tradition, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) took the formula into a licensed universe. Jade Empire (2005) followed, and then the studio turned to the series that would define its next era. We keep this section short because this desk has not replayed these games for this guide; the dates are the point.

The Mass Effect games in order

Mass Effect games in order are Mass Effect (2007), Mass Effect 2 (2010), Mass Effect 3 (2012) and Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017), with Mass Effect Galaxy, an iOS spin-off, listed for 2009. The first three form one story starring Commander Shepard. Andromeda is a separate game set in another galaxy with a new cast, so you do not need the trilogy to follow it, though it is richer with the context.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021) is the easiest way in. Steam's own description says it includes the single-player base content and over 40 DLC from the first three games, remastered and optimised for 4K Ultra HD. A fifth main game was in early development when EA announced the closure, and that project is now ending.

Order matters less than people think for Andromeda, but it matters a lot inside the trilogy, because the three games carry choices forward. If you only own the original console releases, the Legendary Edition bundles all three games, and the Steam listing shows a release date of May 14, 2021. The Andromeda Deluxe Edition on Steam is dated June 11, 2020 and was $39.99 on October 22, 2026.

The Dragon Age games in order

Dragon Age games in order are Dragon Age: Origins (2009), Dragon Age II (2011), Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024). Dragon Age Legends, a 2011 social game on Facebook and Google+, also appears in BioWare's list, but it is no longer the way to approach the series.

Origins is a dark fantasy, party based role-playing game, and Inquisition is the larger, more open entry. The Veilguard, released October 31, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S, was the final BioWare game. EA said it engaged 1.5 million players in the three months to December 31, 2024, about half its expectations, which is the context for the January 2025 restructuring that followed.

At launch the game ranked first on Steam's global top sellers chart and reached over 85,000 concurrent players on its opening weekend, a record for a BioWare game on Steam, according to its Wikipedia entry. It was added to Xbox Game Pass in August 2025. Critics gave it generally favourable reviews on Metacritic, while user scores there were generally unfavourable, so opinion on it is split and you should judge it yourself.

Star Wars, Anthem and the games that do not fit a series

Outside the two big series, BioWare made Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) and the online game Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011), the Nintendo DS title Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008) and the action role-playing game Anthem (2019). Anthem was revealed on June 10, 2017 at EA's pre-E3 press conference, according to BioWare's Wikipedia entry.

Knights of the Old Republic is the one most players still ask about. Its Steam page lists a release date of September 5, 2009 and a price of $9.99 as of October 22, 2026, years after the 2003 original in the Wikipedia table, so the Steam date is the PC listing, not the first launch. We did not check Anthem's current availability, so look at your own platform's store before planning around it.

Where to buy them: prices and platforms in October 2026

Steam US prices read on October 22, 2026: Mass Effect Legendary Edition $59.99, Mass Effect: Andromeda Deluxe Edition $39.99, Dragon Age: Inquisition $39.99, Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition $29.99, Dragon Age: The Veilguard $59.99 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic $9.99. The Steam release dates shown beside Andromeda and Inquisition are June 2020 and reflect their Steam listing, not their original console launches.

Two of the oldest games are sold in versions BioWare did not make. Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition ($19.99, January 16, 2013) and Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition ($19.99, March 27, 2018) are listed on Steam with developer Beamdog, the studio led by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster. Prices change, so treat these as a snapshot.

BioWare's timeline: founding, EA and the final years

BioWare was incorporated on February 1, 1995 and formally launched on May 22, 1995, with each of its three founders putting in $100,000, for $300,000 in capital. EA bought VG Holding Corp., the parent of BioWare and Pandemic Studios, on October 11, 2007 for US$775 million, according to BioWare's Wikipedia history. That is the deal that put Mass Effect and Dragon Age under EA's roof.

The last chapter is short. On January 29, 2025 BioWare restructured to focus on Mass Effect, with staff not assigned to it loaned to other EA studios, and EA later said the moves were permanent. On October 21, 2026 EA announced the closing of the studio and its Edmonton workspace. Co-founder Trent Oster estimated about 40 people were left at the end, which is his estimate and not an EA figure.

What order should you play them in?

If you want story, play each series in release order. For Mass Effect that means the Legendary Edition (games one to three), then Andromeda. For Dragon Age it means Origins, II, Inquisition, then The Veilguard. The series are not connected to each other, so you can start with whichever tone you prefer.

If you only want one, pick by taste, not by history. Knights of the Old Republic is the cheapest and the easiest to appreciate as a classic. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is the strongest single purchase for story. These are our editorial pointers, not a review verdict, since this desk has not scored any of these games.

A practical note on budget: the six Steam titles priced above total $239.94 at the US prices we read, so a bundle sale is worth waiting for if you want the whole Mass Effect and Dragon Age run. Check each store before buying, because prices and regional availability change and we only read Steam US on one day.

What the closure means for the list

BioWare is closing, per EA's letter to staff on October 21, 2026, and the next Mass Effect, then in early development, is cancelled. That makes Dragon Age: The Veilguard the last game on any BioWare list. The studio's Edmonton workspace is closing with it, and about 50 BioWare roles are among the roughly 400 EA cuts reported by Bloomberg's source.

EA's letter does not say what happens to the Mass Effect or Dragon Age rights. For news on that and on the cuts, see our report on the BioWare closure. The games above remain on sale where listed, and none of the sources we reviewed said any of them are being withdrawn.