Each installment is a third-person shooter with role-playing elements. The franchise originated in a series of video games developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts.

The franchise depicts an alternate universe where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the Milky Way galaxy using technology seemingly left behind by an advanced precursor civilization. Mass Effect is a science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk.