This mod turns Stellaris into the Mass Effect strategy game you've dreamed of

pcgamer.com:

If, like me, you've always wanted to see a more strategic, zoomed-out take on the Mass Effect setting, you're in luck: the Binary Helix mod group (cheekily named for a genetic engineering corporation in Mass Effect) is creating the Beyond the Relays(opens in new tab) project for Stellaris—a  total conversion of the space strategy sim to the Mass Effect setting.

Stellaris has a history of great total conversion mods, with previous efforts bringing Star Trek(opens in new tab) and Warhammer 40K(opens in new tab) to life in the setting. Additionally, talented modders have, in the past, made individual addons based on Mass Effect to Stellaris, but Beyond the Relays looks to recreate the entire setting down to its political climate and rules of space travel.

In its current 0.7.0 release, Beyond the Relays offers a selection of 24 civilizations to choose from, including sub-variants of major races like the Asari and the Turians, as well as second-string favorites like the Volus or Vorcha. The project also includes unique ship and location models like the Citadel and Omega deep space stations.

In an especially exciting move, Binary Helix has recreated the star systems and Mass Relay networks from Mass Effect, with the mod's galaxy map containing 400 solar systems based off those in the games and official lore. The star systems are organized into clusters connected by Mass Relays, and the map can be played in a basic sandbox mode, or in a scenario that replicates the factions' relative positions and prestige at the time of the Mass Effect series.

Binary Helix has some big plans for the mod's future—a major near- and medium-term priority is adjusting the various factions' AI so Beyond the Relays' political simulation more closely