Steam – Can Steam be used to Launch Mass Effect 3

mass-effect-3originsteam

I own Mass Effect 3 on Origin, but I very much prefer launching games from Steam (largely for the overlay, since I've got hundreds of Steam friends). I know that non-steam applications can be launched from Steam by mapping their executables, but I'm not sure how the interaction with Origin works. Is it possible to use Steam to launch Mass Effect 3? If so, are there any adverse symptoms to be aware of? Will doing so enable the Steam overlay?

Best Answer

It is possible to launch Mass Effect 3 through Steam, but you still need Origin to load the game. I just tested this myself by:

  1. Clicking Add A Game in the bottom left of the library tab
  2. Add a Non-Steam Game
  3. Browse...
  4. Local Disk --> Program Files (x86) --> Origin Games --> Mass Effect 3 --> Binaries --> Win32 --> MassEffect3.exe

Now when I launch the application from Steam, it launches Origin which then launches Mass Effect 3. Launchception.

Note that I am playing from a Windows Computer running Windows 7 64-bit, so the names of your exact directories will differ by OS/depending on how you set up your Origin installation.

If you were hoping to access your Steam Overlay within the game, this will require a bit of a workaround.

Instead of having a direct shortcut to ME3, you will have to create a shortcut to Origin:

  1. Clicking Add A Game in the bottom left of the library tab
  2. Add a Non-Steam Game
  3. Browse...
  4. Local Disk --> Program Files (x86) --> Origin --> Origin.exe

Make sure Origin isn't currently running, then launch it from Steam. Now, when you launch any game from this instance of Origin, you will be able to access the Steam overlay. Screenshot of my ME3 with the Steam Overlay here.

If you want to get fancy, you can also rename the shortcut (to Mass Effect 3) as well as change the icon to ME3's to replace the default Origin one:

enter image description here

enter image description here

Both overlays will be available (assuming they are on different key bindings). Be aware, however: opening the Origin overlay will pause the game, but opening the Steam overlay will not. Further, when both overlays are opened at the same time, the steam overlay cannot be interacted with (the origin overlay pops up on top of it).

Related Topic