Third game in the Mass Effect series.
Third game in the Mass Effect series.
Try the alternatives. Watch them while the latest one is released soon.
I began on ME2 because I was a console gamer back then, and PS3 didn’t have ME1 available. If you're playing on PC, you might run into problems with ME1. It doesn't really play well with Windows 10 either. You could get stuck in elevators and doors won't open—it's quite annoying... So if it bothers you a lot, it might be fine to skip it if necessary. Still, it's a great series overall.
I’d suggest trying ME2 first. That’s how I began with it, then I revisited ME1 once—enough to feel comfortable. ME2 offers some narrative reasons for characters frequently asking about your background and past actions, which at least makes it a stronger starting point compared to ME3 in my view. ME3 assumes a lot about your personal connection to the series.
It's a good idea to try Mass Effect 2 first. You'll need to understand the story details for ME3 to work properly.
Before attempting a Trilogy Run (starting ME1 and ending ME3), search for MEUITM or comparable mods on NexusMods for each game. Apply these before beginning your run. I’ve followed this approach and can play the trilogy smoothly on W10Pro 64-bit with 2560x1440p at 120Hz, though I don’t need to enable v-sync/framelock since it limits performance to around 60fps on PC.