8 Sci-Fi RPGs To Scratch Your Mass Effect Itch

Published Jul 24, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT Ben Brosofsky has been writing for Screen Rant since 2022 and editing since 2024. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's in Cinema & Media Arts. Writing serves as a much-needed distraction from tackling a backlog of Steam games that will never be surmounted. The RPG genre often comes hand-in-hand with fantasy, but Mass Effect is one shining example of how great sci-fi RPGs can be. Luckily, this is still a popular pairing in its own right, and those looking to scratch the same itch with other games have plenty of options. Mass Effect fans still have a while to wait until the next entry in the franchise, and there's no guarantee that it will avoid all the disappointment that plagued Mass Effect Andromeda. Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn are two other upcoming options that could pick up the slack, as both feel like perfect Mass Effect successors. In the meantime, it's the perfect opportunity to explore the genre at large, from choice-based sci-fi RPGs in the Mass Effect vein to more linear JRPGs that share the same fascination with space exploration. Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Roleplaying Game can be an intimidating game to take on, with tactical gameplay more reminiscent of old-school PC RPGs like Fallout than of Mass Effect. For complex, branching choices that create a sense of true role-playing, however, this party-based RPG is hard to beat. Rather than looking outward in Mass Effect's space opera fashion, Colony Ship turns inward, telling the story of struggles aboard a generation ship that won't reach its destination for centuries to come. All the same, its ideas certainly aren't insular, and there's more than enough for any RPG fan to chew on as they struggle through tough encounteres in a playthrough of Colony Ship. Starfield Starfield is far from Bethesda's finest roleplaying game, and if you're looking for an experience that feels more consistently bespoke in the Mass Effect vein, something like the oddball The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind would be a better bet. As far as sci-fi space exploration goes, though, Starfield offers something on a scale that can't really be found elsewhere. Look outside the main story and shrug off the more repetitive parts of its procedural generation, and there are plenty of opportunities for interesting immersion in Starfield. It isn't likely to blow you away like Mass Effect can, but it can be a fun way to make your own story in a game that offers something closer to a sandbox experience. Star Ocean: Till The End of Time The Star Ocean series started off as top-down, pixel art RPGs, but they leaped into full 3D with the PlayStation 2 release of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. With a similar emphasis on party dynamics and space exploration, Till the End of Time doesn't need the same degree of a branching story to deliver a lot of what Mass Effect is known for. A real-time battle system hews slightly closer to Mass Effect gameplay than typical turn-based JRPG combat, and a massive plot twist makes the story memorable, although fans are still divided on whether it's for better or worse. The Xbox 360 title Star Ocean: The Last Hope is another very Mass Effect-like option, but Till the End of Time is the better game overall. Citizen Sleeper Citizen Sleeper might not have the scale of Mass Effect, but this indie sci-fi RPG is more directly connected than you might think. Courtesy of Nintendo Life, Citizen Sleeper developer Gareth Damian Martin called the game "his own take on the Mass Effect series," referring to Mass Effect 2 as his "main touchstone" as far as video game inspiration. Citizen Sleeper, however, approaches things in a very different way. Like Mass Effect, it's very interested in the personal stories of a ship's crew, but it focuses on smaller affairs rather than a grand scheme to save the universe. If you're looking for a way to dive deeper into intimate storytelling rather than cavort across the galaxy, this is the perfect option. The Outer Worlds 2 The Outer Worlds clearly has more in common with Fallout than anything else, but the outer space setting gives it a solid dash of Mass Effect's sensibilities. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the studio behind Fallout: New Vegas and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, The Outer Worlds 2 is the perfect example of a more consistently comedic take on a sci-fi RPG. Rather than attempting to build a particularly realistic world, The Outer Worlds 2 goes all-in on satirizing hypercapitalism on a planet overrun by several absurd factions. You can talk your way through plenty of its troubles, but there's also plenty of action at hand, whether you choose to embrace stealth or go in guns blazing. While the first Outer Worlds is also a solid option, skeptics should start with the sequel, which features plenty of improvements and a disconnected story. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader Like BioWare, developer Owlcat Games is known for its story-rich, choice-heavy RPGs, and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a perfect one for Mass Effect fans. The grimdark world of Warhammer is much more science-fantasy than true sci-fi, but with a focus on space-faring, it might actually feel closer to Mass Effect than some hard sci-fi games will. The biggest draw here for Mass Effect fans is the emphasis on compelling characters and relationships with party members, offering the opportunity to form some powerful bonds over the course of a lengthy journey. Rogue Trader's turn-based combat and isometric perspective are also great in their own right, even if they don't fall in line with Mass Effect's third-person cover shooting. Xenosaga Part of the beauty of Mass Effect is its status as a trilogy, which gives the games room to explore a level of ambition truly befitting of a sci-fi adventure. Another story that benefits from the same approach is Xenosaga, a trio of JRPGs that's equally full of gleaming spaceship hallways and futuristic cities on other planets. It's also surprisingly cinematic, delivering an almost comical amount of large-scale cutscenes. Creator Tetsuya Takahashi is now more well-known for the Xenoblade games, which could also be a great way to relive Mass Effect's sense of exploration and discovery. The sci-fi flavor of Xenosaga remains a closer overall match, though, and the philosophical undertones that suffuse the trilogy set it apart from plenty of lighter JRPG fare. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic If you love Mass Effect, you have Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to thank for it. After rising to fame with the Baldur's Gate games, developer BioWare moved to outer space with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and managed to deliver what might very well be the greatest Star Wars game ever made. While the Star Wars flavor of sci-fi is a bit less technical than Mass Effect, they're both space operas at their core, and the similarities don't end there. From recurring voice actors to suspiciously familiar story elements, a lot of Knights of the Old Republic's DNA clearly carried over to Mass Effect. The same can be said for Baldur's Gate, but if you want to embrace another sci-fi experience, it's hard to imagine something more likely to satisfy Mass Effect fans than Knights of the Old Republic. Network Prime Video Showrunner Daniel Casey, Doug Yung Writers Daniel Casey