Mass Effect: Andromeda's Early Access Period Starts Early, It Seems

Mass Effect: Andromeda isn't officially slated to arrive until March 21, but EA/Origin Access subscribers on Xbox One and PC can play early, with EA saying the pre-release period will begin on March 16. As it turns out, the Origin Access trial on PC is actually starting today, it seems.

PCGamesN found evidence that suggests the Origin Access trial begins today at 2:30 PM PT, which comes out to 5:30 PM ET and 9:30 PM GMT. Whether or not the Xbox One EA Access trial will also start today remains to be seen. GameSpot has contacted Electronic Arts in an attempt to get more details.

The Battlefield 1 EA/Origin Access trial also started one day before its officially announced date.

Andromeda's 10-hour EA/Origin Access trial lets you try the campaign and multiplayer. The single-player is limited, though you can play as much multiplayer as you want within the 10 hours.

In other news, BioWare today announced a companion app for Andromeda's multiplayer. Apex HQ, as it's called, will track your progression in the mode, displaying information like which characters you've unlocked and what items and rewards you've collected.

The app launches on March 20 for iOS and Android devices.

GameSpot will have a lot more on Andromeda in the coming days. The first part of our new video series, The Story of Mass Effect: Andromeda, airs this Saturday, March 18. You can watch a trailer above.