Is Mass Effect: Andromeda Really that Bad? The 10-hour Trial Lets You Find Out for Free!

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 17 Jul 2017

After having spent some five years in development, Mass Effect: Andromeda released to lukewarm reviews and the internet mocking its cringe-inducing facial expressions and broken animations. As it stands right now, BioWare has put Mass Effect on ice and the consensus in the gaming community is that Andromeda is a mess that isn’t worth your time and money.

But is that really the case and does Andromeda really suck that bad? Well, yes it does, but don’t take my word for it because EA and Bioware are giving you the chance to make your own mind. They're letting you play Andromeda for free for 10 hours on PC, PS4 or Xbox One. So if you’ve yet to experience Mass Effect: Andromeda and you want to do it for free, now you can!

Mass Effect: Andromeda Free 10-hour Trial

Although Andromeda has already been labeled a disappointing Mass Effect title and although it is generally viewed as one of the most controversial and polarizing triple A games to come out in 2017, EA and BioWare are still hoping that you might be interested in playing it. And because you’re going to need a nudge to do that, they’ve recently announced a free 10-hour Andromeda trial for Origin, PS4 and Origin.

The trial, which is available until November 1st, lets you play unlimited Multiplayer but restricts you to the first planet in Single Player Mode. If you’ve already taken part in the Origin 10-hour Play First Trial, "you can still join this free trial and play the time you have remaining," says the official Andromeda Trial webpage.

Should you decide to buy Andromeda once the 10-hour trial is over, all your game progress will carry over so you can pick right up where you left off. Speaking about buying Andromeda….


Mass Effect: Andromeda Is Half Off

Andromeda is discounted by 50% at the time of writing this on Origin, PS Store and Microsoft Store. The Standard Edition is priced at $30 instead of $60 and the Deluxe Edition is priced at $35 instead of $70. For an extra five bucks, the Deluxe Edition throws in the Pathfinder Casual Outfit, Scavenger Armour, Pathfinder Elite Weapon Set, pet Pyjak, digital soundtrack, and Multiplayer Deluxe Launch Pack.



The third version, the Super Deluxe Edition that used to be priced at $100 seems to have been pulled from Origin.


Mass Effect: Andromeda System Requirements

If you’re going to play the 10-hour trial on your PC, then you need to make sure that your system can actually handle the game. That being said, here are Andromeda’s minimum and recommended system requirements.

Mass Effect Andromeda – Minimum requirements
  • CPU – Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX 6350 processor.
  • GPU – NVIDIA GTX 660 or AMD Radeon 7850 graphics card with 2GB VRAM.
  • RAM – 8GB of RAM.
  • HDD – at least 55GB of free storage space.
  • OS – 64-bit version of Windows 7 or newer.
Mass Effect Andromeda – Recommended requirements
  • CPU – Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD FX 8350 processor.
  • GPU – NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB or AMD RX 480 4GB graphics card.
  • RAM – 16GB of RAM.
  • HDD – at least 55GB of free storage space.
  • OS – 64-bit version of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10.
If your PC meets the recommended system requirements above, you’ll be able to play Mass Effect Andromeda at a high level of detail at 1920x1080, the most popular gaming resolution.




Humanity sets off to find a new home, so they leave the Milky Way and travel to the distant Andromeda galaxy. You are the Pathfinder, the ultimate adventurer in a vast, unexplored galaxy, on a mission to find a new home for humanity. Unravel the mysteries of the Andromeda galaxy as you discover alien worlds in the search for humanity’s new home.


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