Mass Effect has become a household name in the gaming industry, not only for revolutionizing the RPG genre but for its sense of scale and immersion, as well. Over the course of the series, players encounter and befriend several humans and aliens alike, who then offer to assist them in their mission.
But Mass Effect takes this a step further, allowing players to become romantically involved with their companions and giving them a more personal stake in the mission. While all of these romances shine in their own way, there are some that stand out among the rest as truly touching and memorable.
10 Miranda Lawson
In Mass Effect 2, Miranda approaches Shepard and asks them to assist with getting her sister to safety. Their father, a madman bent on creating the perfect dynasty with the two daughters he genetically engineered, is hunting her down and Miranda fears for her safety.
After Oriana Lawson has been rescued, a male Shepard can pick up on Miranda's interest in him and the opportunity to pursue a romance will become available. It's a nice love story, simple and to the point.
9 Kaidan Alenko
Kaidan is quite the unpopular squadmate and his story brings little to the table compared to the others Shepard can recruit for their mission, but a female Shepard can still decide to become involved with him if she so wishes. It is in Mass Effect 3 where Kaidan really shines, though.
After a crisis of faith in Mass Effect 2 regarding Shepard's allegiances, Kaidan returns to the Normandy with a restored loyalty for his Commander. What's more, BioWare has now made him an available romantic interest for a male Shepard after cutting this from the first game, making Kaidan one of the LGBTQ-friendly romances in the series.
8 Vetra Nyx
Players learn during Andromeda that Vetra and her sister were abandoned at a young age by their father, whose shady background gave little away about what he actually did for a living.
As a result of confiding this in Ryder - provided the Tempest's captain has helped to get Vetra's sister out of trouble beforehand - the two can become lovers, regardless of Ryder's gender, and it's an effective romance given Vetra's trust in her captain and loyalty to them after what they did to help her family.
7 Samantha Traynor
Kelly Chambers' replacement when Shepard returns to the Alliance is Samantha Traynor, a bubbly comm specialist who is overjoyed to have been assigned to the famous Normandy.
If a female Shepard is friendly and supportive of Traynor during the game, she can invite her up to her cabin for some R&R, but it is clear Traynor has other things on her mind. If allowed to use the shower, Shepard can join her moments later and a heartwarming relationship ensues between the two women.
6 Jaal Ama Darav
A member of the Angara species, Jaal joins Ryder and the crew of the Tempest as they attempt to discover what is happening in the Andromeda galaxy. Once his loyalty mission has been completed and the situation with the Roekaar is resolved, Jaal will express interest in a relationship and bring Ryder to meet his family.
Their ensuing romance is heartening, and the quiet, lonesome Jaal suddenly feels a lot less solitary. While Jaal could originally only be romanced by a female Ryder, a patch later introduced the ability for males to do so as well.
5 Garrus Vakarian
Garrus has always been recognized as one of Mass Effect's best characters and is often chosen as players' favorite squadmate. Appearing in the first game to help Shepard hunt down Saren, it isn't until Mass Effect 2 that he becomes available as a romantic interest for a female Shepard.
The friendship between the two is incredibly strong, with Garrus often insisting he would follow her anywhere. His awkwardness during the romantic scenes is very endearing to see and it makes the involvement between him and Shepard all the more believable and wholesome. Given the pain Garrus has been through, it's nice to see him find some peace.
4 Thane Krios
Formerly a ruthless assassin who killed without mercy, Thane sees Shepard's suicide mission as the perfect chance to atone for his sins and find an honorable death against the Collectors. Through dialogue, players can discover more about Thane's past and how he met his wife when she stepped into his line of sight during a contract to save the would-be victim.
After helping him reconnect with the son he has grown apart from, a female Shepard can pursue a romance with him. Considering his previous wife and mother of his son was murdered in retaliation for an assassination years ago, there is something quite lovely about watching this cold and reserved hitman let his guard down and allow himself to love again.
3 Tali'Zorah
One of only two characters along with Garrus that can be recruited as a squadmate in all three original games, Tali begins the series as an innocent, impressionable young Quarian on her pilgrimage. Like Garrus, she cannot be romanced until the second game, but it is definitely worth the wait for players with a male Shepard.
Hinting that she has always harbored some feelings for the dashing Commander who saved her on the Citadel two years ago, she explains that acts of intimacy among Quarians can lead to infection and illness due to their compromised immune systems, but she trusts Shepard enough to want to risk it. Their moving partnership has all the makings of a perfect love story, and it is definitely one of the best in the series.
2 Liara T'Soni
After her mother is revealed to be working with Saren, Liara is recruited onto the Normandy due to her expertise on the Protheans. When her mother must be killed during the course of the main story, she insists she is fine and that the real Benezia died a long time ago. Still, she is left grieving in her own way (Mass Effect 3 reveals she told the other squadmates stories about her mother for weeks after Benezia's death) and she will suspect the Commander is interested in her if they consistently check on her and ask how she is doing.
When the Normandy is grounded and Saren gets a head start on bringing back the Reapers, Liara realizes time is short and they may not survive their pursuit of the rogue Spectre, urging her to find Shepard and propose they find comfort in one another's arms. The romance can be rekindled in all three games, like most of the original trilogy characters on this list, and her relationship with Shepard is something truly special.
1 Jack
Dubbed Subject Zero during her time at a secret Cerberus facility, Jack is severely traumatized as a result of the horrific experiments performed on her as a child. As an adult, her biotic abilities are unmatched, but her hatred of Cerberus and a bleak outlook on the galaxy, in general, make her a difficult person to get to know. She spent most of her life as a criminal and lived outside the law, doing anything she could to survive. Tragically, though, there was more pain waiting for her still and she is endlessly cold and aggressive when Shepard meets her as a result. Though a same-sex romance was cut from the game, a male Shepard can still romance her if he completes her loyalty mission and consistently speaks to her in her hidey-hole below the Normandy's engineering deck.
Jack is naturally against letting her guard down in case she gets hurt again. Despite this, if Shepard is genuinely interested in her, she opens up to him and agrees to consider becoming involved with him. The scene that ensues is heartbreaking as Jack breaks down in tears, feeling real love for the first time in her life, and she finds some peace in Shepard's arms before they launch the suicide mission, content to possibly go to their deaths together.