EA has confirmed that it is shutting down Anthem‘s servers on January 12, 2026. Anthem was first released in 2019 and marked a significant departure for developer BioWare. Whereas most of BioWare’s games are narrative-driven RPGs, Anthem is an action-focused, online-only third-person co-op shooter. Following a rough development cycle, Anthem released to mediocre reviews and was quickly abandoned by fans.
There was an attempt by BioWare to revitalize Anthem, but the damage was done. Anthem support effectively ended in 2021, and while the lights stayed on, BioWare announced that it would not be releasing any substantial new content for the game from that point forward. With no new content to enjoy, it’s highly unlikely that all that many people have kept playing Anthem, but soon, no one will be able to play the game at all.
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EA Has Shut Down 61 Games Over the Past 2 Years
In the span of only two years, EA has shut down the servers for a long list of games, and that list is likely to grow in the future.
EA has confirmed that Anthem servers are shutting down on January 12, 2026. Anthem is an online-only game, meaning it will effectively cease to exist on that day. BioWare and EA have ended sales of Anthem‘s in-game currency in anticipation of the server shutdown, but those that already have some can still spend it before the game sunsets on January 12, 2026.
When Are the Anthem Servers Shutting Down?
At the time of this writing, Anthem is playable through EA Play, in turn meaning it’s also a part of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service. Anyone interested in playing Anthem through one of those avenues should be sure to do so now, as the game will be removed well before its servers are shut down. Anthem will be getting the boot from EA Play and Game Pass on August 15, giving fans little over a month to check the game out that way.
The announcement of Anthem‘s servers being shut down come at a tumultuous time in the gaming industry. Microsoft has laid off roughly 9,000 people, with many people from the Xbox division impacted. Considering this, there may be some worry that Anthem shutting down will lead to layoffs at BioWare, but EA addressed those concerns. Anthem shutting down will not result in layoffs at BioWare. Since Anthem hasn’t received any significant support for years, this isn’t all that surprising, but it’s still nice to have that reassurance.
BioWare has had a rough go about it for almost a decade at this point. Mass Effect: Andromeda launched to significantly weaker reviews than other games in the series, while Anthem flopped upon release. Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to live up to commercial expectations as well, and now all eyes are on the new Mass Effect game. Here’s hoping that the next Mass Effect sees BioWare get back to its winning ways as the studio puts failures like Anthem behind it.
Anthem
- Released
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February 22, 2019
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Language, Mild Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts
- Engine
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Frostbite 3