Like most EA published games, Mass Effect Andromeda will be playable for Xbox One and PC Origin owners about a week before release, via EA’s Access service. Usually, this early access to the game is a carte blanche early access to the full game, with no restrictions placed on the player’s progress beyond a hard 10 hour time limit.
However, Bioware, it seems, will be restricting exactly what the player can and cannot do in the game on EA Access. Fernando Melo, producer for the game, revealed that there will be point in the game beyond which players on EA Access will be unable to proceed until the release of the full game. He also confirmed that only one planet will be explorable in single player mode- although players do at least get full access to that.
If all this bums you out, there is some good news- there will be absolutely no restrictions on multiplayer. I guess this gives you a chance to get a headstart on everyone else, if nothing else. Mass Effect Andromeda launches on March 21 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.