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What Happens When Anthem Servers Close in January 2026? (Devastating Impact Explained)
I need to tell you something important about Anthem. The game is going away forever. EA just told us the servers will close on January 12, 2026. This is big news for anyone who plays this game.
Let me explain what this means for you. Right now, you have about six months left to play. That’s not very long when you think about it. Once those servers shut down, the game stops working completely. You can’t play it anymore, even if you bought it.
What’s Happening Right Now
The company stopped letting people buy premium currency today. That means no more spending real money on in-game items. But here’s the good news – if you already have credits saved up, you can still use them until the shutdown happens.
I want you to understand something important. This game doesn’t have an offline mode. When the servers go dark, everything stops. Your progress, your gear, your time spent playing – it all becomes worthless. This is different from games you can play by yourself on your computer.
The Timeline You Need to Know
Here are the key dates to remember:
- August 15, 2025 – Game leaves EA Play and Xbox Game Pass
- January 12, 2026 – Servers shut down forever
- Today – No more premium currency purchases
If you use EA Play or Xbox Game Pass, you have even less time. The game disappears from those services in about a month. That’s much sooner than the final shutdown date.
Why This Happened
Anthem never worked the way BioWare wanted it to. The game came out in 2019 with big dreams. BioWare thought they could make a great online multiplayer game. But players didn’t like it much. Critics gave it bad reviews too.
The company tried to fix things with something called Anthem NEXT. This was supposed to be a complete remake of the game. But that project got canceled in 2021. The team working on it got moved to other games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
What This Means for Players
I know this news hurts if you enjoyed playing Anthem. Losing a game you paid for feels terrible. But I want to help you understand your options right now.
You still have time to play. Six months might seem short, but you can still enjoy the game while it lasts. Maybe you want to finish some missions you never completed. Or perhaps you want to try different armor sets.
Think about what you want to do with your remaining credits. You can’t buy more, but you can spend what you have. This might be your last chance to get items you always wanted.
The Bigger Picture
This shutdown shows us something important about online games. When you buy a game that needs servers to work, you’re not really buying it forever. You’re more like renting it until the company decides to stop supporting it.
BioWare says no jobs were lost because of this decision. The people who worked on Anthem already moved to other projects years ago. This tells us the company gave up on fixing the game a long time ago.
What You Should Do Now
Here’s my advice if you own Anthem:
- Play while you can – You have about 180 days left
- Use your credits – Spend any premium currency you have saved
- Take screenshots – Save memories of your favorite moments
- Play with friends – Make the most of your remaining time together
Looking Forward
This situation teaches us to be careful about online-only games. When you buy them, remember they won’t last forever. Companies can shut them down whenever they want.
BioWare is focusing on single-player games now. They’re working on new Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles. These games will likely work offline, so you can play them even years from now.
The end of Anthem marks the end of BioWare’s experiment with live-service games. They learned that making great single-player stories is what they do best.
If you’re thinking about buying online-only games in the future, remember Anthem’s story. Ask yourself if you’re okay with the game disappearing someday. Sometimes the answer is yes, and that’s fine. Just go in with your eyes open.
The clock is ticking for Anthem players. Six months sounds like a lot, but it goes by fast. Make the most of your time in those Javelin suits while you still can.