Mass Effect guide: How long is the game?

The Mass Effect Legendary Edition finally brings all three games in the trilogy together in a single package. This collection ushers in a host of changes to the gameplay and even updated visual consistency across the franchise. If this is your first time diving into the series or just curious about the length of the first game, this guide will have answers for you.

In this Mass Effect length guide, we’ll tell you how long the first game in the trilogy is. We’ll also share some tips to make your playthrough of this new version easier.

How long is the first Mass Effect?

In our playthrough of the first game in the Mass Effect trilogy, the game took about 20 hours to beat.

During our time with the game, we completed the main story, spent time pondering some of the choices and consequences, and took on a few character-focused side missions. Our time to complete the game lines up with the estimates on the aggregate time tracking site How Long To Beat, which states the main story of Mass Effect takes about 17 hours to complete. The users on their site also collectively clock the time to beat Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 at 24 hours.

If you’ve never played Mass Effect — or you just need a refresher on the series — check out our Mass Effect Legendary Edition beginner’s guide, where we teach you how to pick the right class, how to unlock new skills, explain how dialogue works, and the best ways to control your squad.