Dragon Age 4: Everything We Know

Dragon Age 4, the next fantasy RPG from Bioware, has a lot to prove.

Bioware hasn't had a solid time with the public after their recent creations - Mass Effect: Andromeda put that beloved franchise on ice, and Anthem crash-landed into the games-as-a-service genre with a whimper, the studio needs a win.

Now, the game has been officially revealed and is simply called 'Dragon Age'.

Here's everything we know about the game, what to expect, and when you'll be able to play it. 

Latest News

Game on Track for 2023 - July 23

According to a report from Venturebeat, Dragon Age 4 is slated for 2023.

Multiplayer Removed - February 25th

Jason Schreier has reported via Bloomberg, that EA has now cancelled their plans to include a multiplayer game mode within the new Dragon Age.

Time for some news that is going to make BioWare fans really happy.

Following the success of Jedi Fallen Order and the failure of Anthem, EA has allowed BioWare to make the next Dragon Age a single-player RPG. Previously, it was planned as a service game

What is Dragon Age 4?

It seems crazy to think that the Dragon Age franchise began all the way back in 2009 with Origins.

As popular as the game was, its sequel proved Divisive, while the third game in the franchise, Dragon Age: Inquisition, was launched in 2014 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Offering a single-player, narrative-focused experience with an emphasis on player choice and repercussions, in many ways it feels like a high fantasy version of Mass Effect.

Expect spells, distinctive party members, and, of course, dragons.

What's Dragon Age 4 Called?

The new Dragon Age game is just called 'Dragon Age' and seems to be a spiritual reboot of the franchise.

Release Date

According to an EA earnings call, the franchise's publisher, Dragon Age 4 will "probably" launch after fiscal year 2022 – so don't expect it before April of that year.

According to a report from Venturebeat, Dragon Age 4 is slated for 2023.

Development

According to Alexis Kennedy, who revealed he had started writing content for the next game, we know it has been in development since roughly May 2017.

Mark Darrah confirmed back in July that the next Dragon Age game is under development and being worked on at home.

Thanks to using Anthem’s tech, development on Dragon Age 4 should be more smooth, as devs won’t need to start from scratch.

Bioware also gave us a sneak peek at what it's like to work on a Dragon Age game.

Confirmed Platforms

With the game landing in two years time, expect it on next-gen systems and PC only. We'd be very surprised to see it land on PS4 and Xbox One, and the chances of it coming to Switch feel slim to none.

Gameplay Reveal

We don't have a gameplay reveal yet, but we do have an official teaser trailer from the Game Awards 2018.

There's also this new tease from EA Play 2020:

Narrative

We don't have anything concrete surrounding Dragon Age 4's narrative so far.

However, Bioware's behind the scenes video revealed at Gamescom 2020 did give us some hints.

The narrative will focus on the characters and people that surround you in-game.

On top of that, players can expect to develop relationships with key characters in the lore.

It looks like choices and decision making will be a key part of Dragon Age 4.

Players choices will have consequences that will affect the story and their companions.

New Artbook Reveals Tevinter - 26th January 2021

A new book called "BioWare: Stores and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development" has revealed that Dragon Age 4 will take players to Tevinter (thanks, Eurogamer).

Tevinter hasn't been explored in-game yet, but it has formed a part of the franchise's narrative – particularly in the Trespasser DLC for Dragon Age: Inquisition.

“Artwork of a glittering city surrounded by water almost certainly shows Antiva City, the capital of Antiva, an area which borders Tevinter to the east,”Eurogamer's Tom Phillips reports.

“Concept art for an Antivan Crow is also shown; a theatrical assassin ‘celebrated for their mastery of stylish slaying’ who wears an elaborate mask, wields a glowing sword, and has several actual crow sidekicks.”

Solas

At the 2020 Game Awards, a shorter teaser was shown of the new Dragon Age game that showed off Solas.

Solas is an elven apostate hedge mage that is an expert on the Fade and one of the companions in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Solas’ description of the player character is one to take note of: “No magic hand, no ancient prophecy. The kind of person they’ll never see coming”.

The Dread Wolf Rises

Take it back two years prior, The Game Awards gave us a short teaser that ended with #TheDreadWolfRises.

The trailer, again, features Solas, suggesting the game will take place after Inquisition.

You can also spot the Lyrium idol that appears in Dragon Age 2.

Gameplay Features

According to a Kotaku report, Dragon Age 4 is likely to add some "live service" elements to the franchise.

"The idea was that Anthem would be the online game and that Dragon Age and Mass Effect, while they may experiment with online portions, that’s not what defines them as franchises," one developer told Jason Schreier. "I don’t think you’ll see us completely change those franchises." 

Concept Art

Courtesy of EA