EA Access is a gaming subscription service available both on the Xbox One and the PS4 – and, from 2020, it's going to be available on Steam. It comes with its own collection of EA games, many of which are highly rated by our community. Members have access to early trials, and can play new EA games before they're released, with their progress carrying over if they then purchase the full game. They get 10% off EA digital purchases, including full games, season passes and DLC, and can access the entirety of the games available in EA's Vault. Members can play the EA Access games for as long as their membership is in use. Plus, unless a title's servers close, EA Access games don't switch out of the collection after a period of time, so players can always access them.
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As rated by our community, here are the best Xbox games and game series in the EA Access Vault.
The Mass Effect series
Average score for the series: 4.4 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Best game: Mass Effect 2
The Mass Effect series ranks highly, with Mass Effect 2 being the highest-rated EA Access game by our community – in fact, it's in the community's top 10 games on the entire site. Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 are set in the 22nd century. They follow the efforts of Commander Shepherd, an elite human soldier entirely customisable by the player. The first features Shepherd's attempts to stop an invasion by the Geth army as the human race starts to get embroiled in intergalactic politics. The second takes place several years later, when human colonists begin disappearing. Throughout the first two games, a larger threat begins to take shape – the Reapers, biomechanical behemoths intent on wiping out galactic civilizations every 50,000 years. The final game in the trilogy centres on a devastating war against the Reapers. These three games were always planned to be a trilogy as evidenced by the narrative threads and player choices that carry from game to game. Mass Effect 2 was the clear favourite, likely thanks to improved combat compared to the first game, and satisfying story beats compared to the final instalment's attempts to tie all the threads together.
Mass Effect: Andromeda was the first not to feature Commander Shepherd. It distinguishes itself from the previous trilogy in a few ways; it's set much later, in the 29th century, and focuses on humanity's search for new home worlds as part of the Andromeda Initiative. While plagued with gameplay and animation issues at launch and some fan-favourite series staples missing entirely, many consider Andromeda to be a worthwhile experience even if it's nothing like as engaging as the original trilogy.
Mass Effect 2
Across the galaxy, entire human colonies are vanishing. As Commander Shepard, you will recruit an elite team of the galaxy’s most dangerous and skilled experts, and lead them on an assault into the most dangerous area of the galaxy - from which you might not return. Download new equipment and missions to continue your adventure even after the main story is complete. They say the mission is suicide. Prove them wrong.
The Dead Space series
Average score for the series: 4.3 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Best game: Dead Space 2
The games of the Dead Space series are survival horrors set in the 26th century, centring on Isaac Clarke, a systems engineer. In the first Dead Space game, Isaac's called to a mining ship which had gone radio-silent after encountering an alien artifact. Upon arriving, Isaac finds that the ship has been invaded and infested by an alien parasite, and the crew have been transformed into reanimated corpses called necromorphs. Dead Space 2 takes place a few years later and finds Isaac in a mental hospital. It's a different place and a different time, but the necronorphs still find him. Dead Space 3 finds the necromorph invasions still at large, with Isaac setting off to discover their source. The Dead Space trilogy were all very highly praised, with Dead Space 2 rating the highest according to our community and critics in general; for the most part, it beats the original Dead Space just through being a more solid experience with lots of quality-of-life improvements. The series is also remembered for some pretty intense horror and moments of grotesque imagery – if you're squeamish, you might want to give these a miss.
Dead Space™ 2
Engineer Isaac Clarke returns for another blood-curdling adventure in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Dead Space™. After waking from a coma on a massive space city known as “The Sprawl”, the lone survivor of a horrific alien infection finds himself confronting a catastrophic new nightmare. Battling dementia, hunted by the government, and haunted by visions of his dead girlfriend, Isaac will do whatever it takes to save himself and dominate the gruesome onslaught. With an arsenal of tools to dismember Necromorphs and new determination, an engineer will bring the terror to space. The nightmare returns in 2011.
A Way Out
4.3 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Co-op action-adventure game A Way Out is about two prisoners, Leo and Vincent. They're in an uneasy alliance, forced together as they plan their breakout from prison. A Way Out can only be played with two people, as one person each controls one of the main protagonists. It comes from the same creative minds behind Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and was a surprise hit for EA – it helped that only one player needed to buy the game, and their chosen co-op partner could play for free. It was also praised for its uniquely tense gameplay moments, as one player is often left to cause a diversion while the other does something unlawful in order to escape the authorities. A Way Out's achievements aren't too tricky, but naturally you need a co-op partner to obtain every one of them. You'll find plenty of guides for each achievement to help you on your way.
A Way Out
A Way Out is an exclusively co-op adventure where you play the role of one of two prisoners making their daring escape from prison.
Play the entire experience with your friends using the friends pass free trial feature.
Titanfall 2
4.3 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Titanfall 2 was a popular sequel, though sadly it never saw the commercial success that players felt it deserved – one reason why developer Respawn were moved on to projects like Apex Legends and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order rather than creating Titanfall 3. One stand-out surprise was the single-player campaign, focused on Jack Cooper, a rifleman in the Militia. He teams up with Titan BT-7274 to save their planet, Harmony, from the threat of a superweapon. The campaign was highly praised for the inventiveness of its level design, with many breathtaking moments which we won't spoil here. Well worth a play through, even if you don't fancy the multiplayer – especially since the Titanfall 2 achievements list barely requires you to touch it.
Titanfall® 2
From Respawn Entertainment comes Titanfall® 2.
Featuring the debut of a singleplayer campaign and a deeper multiplayer experience, Titanfall® 2 delivers more of the innovative, fast, fluid gameplay fans expect from the series.
The Dragon Age series
Average score for the series: 4.2 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Best game: Dragon Age: Inquisition
In Dragon Age: Origins, the player is one of the last Grey Wardens; a forgotten order sworn to protect Thedas from a regular demon invasion known as the Blight. The kingdom of Ferelden has forgotten this history while embroiled in a local civil war, and it's up to the player to raise the banner of the Wardens, unite the land and take on the terrifying Archdemon. Dragon Age II is a total change of pace, spanning a decade as the player wades through political intrigue in the city of Kirkwall – while a war between mages and Templars centuries in the making finally reaches boiling point. Dragon Age: Inquisition opens the action up to the entire land of Thedas, overrun with demons and dragons as a result of the conflict between magic-users and their hunters.
Origins is remembered fondly despite being a little clunky by modern standards thanks to a lively cast of characters and an intriguing lore to drive the story. The majority hold the more open-world and fluid Inquisition in the highest regard. The second game remains the most controversial – while some enjoyed the change of pace and the intense political intrigue, others wondered why the game felt so small, confined as it is mostly to one city. Still, the entire Dragon Age series is worth playing – in order, if you want to get the best experience of the narrative. Like Mass Effect, your actions can have consequences across the series, though in this case you roll a new protagonist for each outing. We're still waiting for firm news on Dragon Age 4 – it's definitely in the works, but thanks to BioWare's controversial turns in recent years we don't have a clue when it'll actually appear.
Dragon Age™: Inquisition
The epic role-playing series from BioWare takes a thrilling leap forward with Dragon Age™: Inquisition. Beautiful vistas and incredible new possibilities await you.
The Battlefield series
Average score for the series: 4.2 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Best game: Battlefield 1
The Battlefield series tackles a century of warfare in diverse theaters across the world. It's renowned for its large online multiplayer battles, its tactical class system and for giving players vehicle combat options. Battlefield 1, the community's favourite, traipses across France, the Italian Alps and Arabia with urban combat, fort sieges and all-out battles. Gripping story vignettes providing a meaningful insight into every aspect of the First World War and the gameplay mechanics to come as players jump into the expansive multiplayer.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a pretty big contrast, featuring near-future warfare as the "B" squad track down a deadly EMP weapon. Battlefield 3 carries on directly from Battlefield 2 – which is not the same as Bad Company 2, and is also not a sequel to Battlefield 1. Battlefield games and Xbox consoles share an illogical approach to numbering. Anyway, Battlefields 3 and 4 revolve around fictional wars in 2014 and 2020 respectively, featuring the same Middle Eastern and US-Russia tensions as found in the real world. These later Battlefields were unfortunately plagued with issues at release, particularly around server stability, though they remain mechanically decent. The return to historic battles in Battlefield 1 was a welcome relief to long-time fans, as was its relatively stable multiplayer experience. For a real blast from the past, players can go all the way back to Battlefield 1943, released way back in 2009 when the Xbox 360 was still young.
Battlefield™ 1
Experience the dawn of all-out war in Battlefield™ 1. Discover a world at war through an adventure-filled campaign, or join in epic multiplayer battles with up to 64 players. Fight as infantry or take control of amazing vehicles on land, air and sea, and adapt your gameplay to the most dynamic battles in Battlefield history.
The Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare series
Average score for the series: 4.2 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Best game: Garden Warfare
The Plants vs Zombies games are always popular, and the Garden Warfare series is no exception. What seems to be a pastiche on modern military shooters turns out to be a suprisingly deep tactical class-based experience, with a really addictive sense of progression – plus, as with Splatoon on the Switch, it's nice to have some colour and fun in a shooter. Iterations between GW1 and GW2 allowed plants to go on the attack and the Zombies to have a marginally more meaningful campaign, and those ideas have been explored even further in Battle for Neighborville. Yet the original Garden Warfare still beats its successor to the most popular Garden Warfare game by a small margin – perhaps because that intial idea was so novel in the first place. Or maybe it's those blasted event-limited Trials of Gnomus DLC achievements that keep the second game's score a little bit lower...
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare
Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare digs into the trenches with an explosive new Co-op and Multiplayer action experience. Blast zombies and plants across a mine-blowing world that delivers the depth of a traditional online shooter blended with the refreshing humor of Plants vs. Zombies.
KEY FEATURES:
24-player multiplayer
4-player online co-op Exclusive Modes for Xbox One
Burnout Paradise Remastered
4.1 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Burnout Paradise Remastered is a cleaned-up re-release of the arcade racer set in Paradise City. Players could race through the city streets or across mountainous roads, performing stunts and generally wreaking havoc. The remaster included all of the add-ons from the Year of Paradise, including the Big Surf Island update. Sadly this is the last we have seen of the Burnout franchise which used to be a major player in the arcade racing scene, supplanted in later years by the likes of Need for Speed and Forza Horizon. No one else ever managed to capture the carnage of a cross-traffic takedown, though – we still hold out hope for a revival, but in the meantime this last open-world spin on the series is well worth a try. Just be wary if you are trying to complete the Burnout Paradise Remastered achievements list – there's some online grinding to be done, and with EA you never really know how long the servers are going to stay up on their legacy games.
Burnout™ Paradise Remastered
Welcome back to Paradise City! Make action your middle name as you rule the streets in Burnout™ Paradise Remastered! Tear it up in the ultimate driving playground, from hectic downtown avenues to the wild mountain roads. Relive the high-octane stunts and wanton destruction of one of the greatest arcade-driving games ever!
FIFA 15
4.0 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
FIFA 15 distinguishes itself from the other titles in the FIFA franchise by its high score on our list of EA Access games. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why – it could be that this was the first FIFA game to feature Emotional Intelligence, which connected the 22 players on the field and caused them to react with each other; with opponents and teammates, and to react to the match as a whole. FIFA 15 also had the Living Pitches feature, which made the grass of the field become realistically worn down as the match progressed. Our own reviewer praised its visuals on Xbox One, as well as its continued improvements on physics and gameplay features. It's worth noting that 2015 was the year that many players started making the upgrade to new consoles; implementation of the extra power alone may have played a factor in 15 being the community's favourite. The FIFA 15 achievements list is pretty standard – unfortunately there is one discontinued achievement related to its defunct Match Day Live feature.
FIFA 15
FIFA 15 brings football to life in stunning detail so fans can experience the emotion of the sport like never before. Next Generation Visuals put fans on Living Pitches with grass that wears as the match progresses. Player Control heightens the responsiveness of player movement, and makes Man-to-Man Battles more rewarding than ever before.
The Unravel series
4.0 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community for Unravel and 3.9 for Unravel Two
Unravel's protagonist is Yarny, a creature who gradually unravels throughout the game. He uses his yarn to get across a land inspired by Scandinavia, but the underlying themes of memory and loss really tugged at player's heart strings; the unusual platforming style, with Yarny effectively using his own body to swing across gaps and solve puzzles, also charmed a lot of critics. Unravel 2 stealth launched during an EA press event at E3 – not just a sequel, but a new way of playing. Co-operative play was introduced for the first time, and players could make their own Yarny as well. The original Unravel is marginally better rated by the community, perhaps because it had more exposure before and during its release – the stealth launch of the second game during as busy an event as E3 may have harmed its visibility.
Unravel
Unravel introduces Yarny, a character made from a single thread of yarn. Inspired by environments of Northern Scandinavia, Unravel is a physics-based puzzle platformer. Yarny is a representation of the ties that bind loved-ones together. Embark with Yarny on a larger than life adventure to reconnect the long-lost memories of a family.
Peggle 2
3.9 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Peggle 2 is a colourful arcade game which was a launch title for the Xbox One – part of a classic series from Pop Cap Games, the minds behind Plants vs. Zombies. The concept is maddeningly simple and overwhelmingly addictive – it's a little bit like pinball, but with far more player control. With a limited amount of ammo, players need to clear the screen of all orange pegs using tricky bounce shots. Between punishing high scores and a whole host of brilliantly conceived power-ups locked to each Peggle Master you encounter, Peggle has captured the attention of more than one TA staffer for unhealthy amounts of time. In addition to the single-player, Peggle 2 brought 4-player Peg party mode and a Duel mode against a single opponent. Just don't expect to get All the Cheevos! easily – the game's Optional Challenges are frustratingly hard, and you need to get through 180 of them.
Peggle 2
Peggle 2 is a magical game full of bouncing balls, magical pegs and bricks made of pure compressed joy! Discover 5 magical Peggle Masters and use their preposterous powers over 120 levels and trials to shatter expectations and acquire high scores beyond the realm of plausibility ! And then, once you've honed your talents, deploy them against others in 4-player Peg party mode, or against a single opponent in Duel mode.
Skate 3
3.9 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Skate 3 is, as you probably guessed, a skating game. Skate 3 takes place across the streets and parks of Port Caverton. There's single-player options and also team-based game modes in which players can build a team to go up against rival teams online. Eight of the 63 Skate 3 achievements are discontinued, meaning it's probably not the best choice for those looking for pure achievement-hunting, but it's a fan favourite. Aside from rating highly on our site, it also got a Metascore of 80 on Metacritic, so it's still more than worth checking out – especially considering the uncertain future for the Skate franchise.
Skate 3
The award winning SKATE™ franchise is back and rolling into new territory as SKATE™ 3 heads to the brand new city of Port Carverton. Get ready to team up and throw down as you build your own customized dream team to shred the streets, parks, and plazas and change the face of the city. New tricks, improved off-board actions, and gnarly Hall of Meat carnage mixed with exciting new team-based game modes take SKATE 3 to a new level of skateboarding fun. The Games on Demand version supports English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Download the manual for this game by going to https://help.ea.com/en/tag/manuals and selecting your title from the Product drop down menu.
Alice: Madness Returns
3.9 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Alice: Madness Returns is a grim platformer about Alice's return to Wonderland, which has been less than wonderful in her absence. Alice had been trapped inside Rutledge Asylum ever since the fire which took her parents' lives and traumatised her. Ten years later, and she's out, but unable to come to terms with what happened all those years ago. She tries to retreat to Wonderland, only to find that it too has suffered in the decade she'd been gone. An evil is spreading across the land, and Alice now has to find a way to save herself and all of Wonderland. This dark and unusual sequel is miles ahead of the original American McGee's Alice in terms of depth and visuals – you can sample the original too, for free, as part of Madness' Returns DLC offerings. McGee is still working on a third game in the series, apparently – but with a capricious approach to starting projects and opening companies, we're not holding our breath for the proposed October 2021 release date.
The Alice: Madness Returns achievements list does require a playthrough on Nightmare difficulty, though some of our intrepid achievement hunters have found a way to cheese it.
Alice: Madness Returns
The Games on Demand version supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish. Eleven years ago a horrific fire took Alice’s family from her and left her mind horrifically scarred. Afterwards she was confined to Rutledge Asylum, where she struggled to confront her demons by slipping further into her fantasy world of Wonderland. Now, after ten years, she has finally secured her release—yet she still bears the heavy psychological burden of that tragic event. With her mind in tatters, she is unable to resolve the fear prompted by her strange memories, dreams, and visions. Perhaps she’ll do better in Wonderland. She always has. She travels there, seeking what the “real” world can’t provide: security, knowledge, and the truth about the past. But in her absence, Wonderland too has suffered. Something has gone horribly wrong, and now a great evil is descending upon what once was her beautiful refuge. Can Alice save Wonderland—and herself—from the madness that consumes them both?
Shadows of the Damned
3.9 out of 5 from the TrueAchievements community
Shadows of the Damned is a bizarre mash-up between the minds of Resident Evil director Shinji Mikami and No More Heroes and Killer7 director Suda51. The results are suitably chaotic, a mixture of the over-the-top action and grotesque horror peppered with crude humour and demented ideas. Demon hunter Garcia Hotspur is trying to rescue the love of his life from the City of the Damned, aided by a former demon called Johnson – who just happens to be Garcia's bike, gun and torch. Some critics called the game brainless, but a lot of people – our community included – enjoyed its lack of inhibitions and sense of fun. There's a lot of debate in the achievement guides here on TA about how to tackle Hard difficulty – when there's that much chatter, it's a sign that getting 100% of the Shadows of the Damned achievements isn't going to be simple.
Shadows of the Damned
The Games on Demand version supports English, French, Italian, German, Spanish. Shadows of the Damned follows a demon hunter named Garcia Hotspur deep into a re-imagining of hell where he must rescue the love of his life by defeating the armies of darkness with the power of the light. Shadows of the Damned delivers shocking and unique gameplay experiences that includes over-the-top action, grandiose boss battles, demented puzzles, grotesque enemies, heart-pounding moments and psychotic imagery. Working his way through the City of the Damned to get his love back, Garcia is aided by Johnson a former demon with the ability to transform into an array of vicious weapons, Garcia will rip apart the horrific forces of the underworld to protect what he loves most. Throughout the game players must utilize the power of the light to fight the army of the dark in unique light versus darkness gameplay that will forever change the way gamers perceive puzzles, combat, and action. Brace yourself for one hell of a trip to the city of the damned.
There you have it – our top games available in the EA Access Vault right now. We're looking forward to more of EA's recent catalogue getting the EA Access treatment very soon.