Anthem Shutting Down Forever on January 12

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I’m really sad to hear that BioWare’s Anthem is officially ending. The game’s servers are going offline on January 12, 2026. It was supposed to be this huge online, shared-world action game, a big push by EA into online experiences. I was so excited for it, as a big BioWare fan, but sadly, it just didn’t quite live up to the hype and now it’s time to say goodbye. It’s a shame, but I guess all good things come to an end.

Keeping older video games playable is a growing concern for many gamers. Increasingly, online games like Anthem face disappearing forever when their servers are turned off. In 2024, a campaign called Stop Killing Games began after Ubisoft removed its racing game, The Crew, from sale. The campaign successfully raised awareness with a petition and even received support from politicians, including European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Stefanuta. Despite fan efforts to save Anthem in 2025 through a petition, the game is now officially unavailable.

Anthem Shutdown Date

  • January 12, 2026

It’s really hitting me that Anthem is almost over. EA is shutting down the servers for good on January 12, 2026, and that’s it – the game will be completely unplayable. It’s a shame, especially since it’s an online game, so even trying to play offline isn’t an option. As someone who followed the game, it feels like a big loss, and honestly, it shows exactly why game preservation is so important – even for games people have mixed feelings about. January 12th will be a tough day for anyone who cares about keeping gaming history alive.

The cancellation of the major game Anthem marks an unfortunate end to its run. BioWare, known for successful franchises like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, tried something new under Casey Hudson’s leadership with Anthem. This online game featured players flying around an open world in customizable suits called Javelins, completing missions and using special abilities.

Image via BioWare

Despite high expectations, Anthem wasn’t the success EA and BioWare anticipated. While players generally enjoyed the flying and combat, the game received mixed reviews due to technical problems, repetitive tasks, and a lack of engaging content after completing the main story, making it feel incomplete. Although the developers tried to fix issues and add new content after launch, these efforts were ultimately stopped after just a few months.

Image via BioWare

Despite the initial issues, Electronic Arts (EA) tried to revive Anthem, assigning Christian Dailey, the director of BioWare Austin, to lead a small team. Although development appeared to be progressing slowly with few public updates, EA cancelled the reboot less than a year later. They stated servers would remain online for the time being, but eventually announced a final shutdown date: January 12, 2026, confirmed on July 3, 2025.

Image via BioWare

With just a few days left to play, it seems unlikely that an offline mode will ever be added to Anthem, despite many requests from fans. While it’s uncertain if EA will create a new game in this universe, many players hope the popular flight system of the Javelins will be included in any future projects. This feature has consistently been a favorite part of Anthem since its release.

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2026-01-07 19:38