Anthem Is Officially Dying, BioWare Shuts Down Servers for Good in 2026

After years of limping along in limbo, BioWare has announced the final nail in the coffin for Anthem. The troubled sci-fi looter-shooter will go dark permanently on January 12, 2026, when its online servers are officially shut down — rendering the game completely unplayable. 💥

🎮 Effective July 3rd, players can no longer purchase Anthem or its premium in-game currency. If you’ve still got coins left, spend them fast — they’ll only be usable until the shutdown. EA also confirmed Anthem will be removed from EA Play on August 15.

However, if you already own a copy of Anthem, you’ll still be able to download and play the game until the servers go offline.

“We deeply appreciate your dedication, passion, and support over the years and we’d like to thank you for that,” BioWare wrote in a farewell blog post.

The studio also confirmed that no staff were laid off as part of the sunsetting process.

🚨 Anthem’s Rise and Fall: A Timeline of What Went Wrong

Originally revealed during a spectacular E3 2017 showcase, Anthem promised players the thrill of becoming Freelancers — elite warriors piloting customizable mech suits known as Javelins on a dangerous alien world.

The idea? Seamless co-op action, loot-driven progression, and an expansive online universe. It sounded like BioWare’s answer to Destiny. Instead, it became a cautionary tale.

💔 Anthem launched in February 2019 in a buggy, unfinished state. While it scored a 7/10 from Game Informer, fans and critics were quick to criticize its lack of meaningful content, repetitive gameplay, and long loading times. Reports later revealed the game’s chaotic development process — despite being in production since 2012, the core experience came together in just one final year before launch.

Hoping to fix its reputation, BioWare announced Anthem NEXT (aka Anthem 2.0) in 2020 — a bold reboot meant to rework the game from the ground up. But that dream also died. In February 2021, the revamp was officially canceled as BioWare shifted focus to upcoming heavy-hitters like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the next Mass Effect. 🚀

🧬 Legacy of a Fallen Giant

While Anthem had potential, it now joins the list of ambitious live-service games that couldn’t live up to the hype. From bold promises to brutal execution, its story serves as both a warning and a what-could-have-been in modern gaming.

If you're looking to take one last flight in your Javelin, do it soon — the skies of Anthem will close forever in January 2026. ⌛