As Anthem's servers prepare to go offline on January 12, 2026—following EA's July 2025 announcement—some owners report barriers to downloading the game via the EA app, potentially denying last play sessions for BioWare's failed looter shooter.
This follows reports from the ongoing Anthem shutdown saga. On January 5, users on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube highlighted issues: Streamer DansGaming shared an EA app error claiming he "don’t own" the game despite purchase. YouTuber Luke Stephens echoed, "EA won't let me download Anthem, even though it shuts down a week from now… Crazy that I bought the game and can't even download it while it's still, allegedly, alive…" An EA Play subscriber saw: "this game is no longer offered in our catalog."
The problem is inconsistent; Kotaku's Ethan Gach downloaded successfully via EA Play. Anthem stopped sales post-announcement, but owners expected access until end. No response from BioWare or EA as of January 5.
Anthem remains online-only, unlike offline patches for other live-service flops (Redfall, Suicide Squad). Development insights from ex-producer Mark Darrah note disruptions like director Casey Hudson's exit (now on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic) and a scrapped reboot amid COVID-19. BioWare eyes Mass Effect 5 with a slimmed staff under 100.