You can snag some of the best, most influential RPGs for under $5 during Steam’s Autumn Sale

The Steam Autumn Sale is here, and in addition to almost every Final Fantasy game going on sale, you can grab three of the best, most influential RPGs for less than a cup of coffee

EA/BioWare

The Steam Autumn Sale is here, and in addition to almost every Final Fantasy game going on sale, you can grab three of the best, most influential RPGs for less than a cup of coffee. Well, if the coffee is rather expensive and large. Anyway, it’s the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition trilogy, and it’s going for $4.79 on Steam.

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EA usually discounts it to around $10 for major sales, so this is quite the price reduction. Console owners also get a hefty discount. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is going for $5.99 on the PlayStation Store and the Xbox store. 

Most modern RPGs can trace at least part of their lineage back to Mass Effect. Its binary decisions that endear or alienate party members; deep relationships between squad mates; black-and-white morality where you’re either good or bad, but nothing in between; even how it blends traditional RPG elements with action-oriented battles – it’s not just Dragon Age The Veilguard that draws on Mass Effect. Everything from Starfield to Baldur’s Gate 3 owes at least part of its identity to the trilogy.

That’s all well and good, but here’s what it’s actually about. The Mass Effect trilogy stars Commander Shepard, a human commando looking to help Earth’s representatives gain more influence among the interplanetary galactic council that governs the stars. Humans are newcomers to the interstellar scene, and they’ve also uncovered a grand conspiracy involving an ancient evil, one the ruling government is keen not to acknowledge.

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It sounds like typical sci-fi stuff, but what gives Mass Effect its identity is the rugged crew of companions who travel with Shepard. Their viewpoints, biases, loves, hates, and dreams add much-needed nuance and personality to the trilogy and, depending on your choices, could lead to some pretty big surprises as you progress through Mass Effect 2 and into Mass Effect 3.

If that sounds like something you’re keen on, you’ve got a few days to make your choice. The PlayStation and Xbox sales end on Dec. 3, 2024, and the Steam sale ends at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET on Dec. 4, 2024.