Assassins Creed Shadows release time and pre-load details announced
With just days to go until the launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows, we've been given the last few details on the release.
The Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 versions of Assassin's Creed Shadows will be available to play at the very start of March 20, at midnight in the UK.
PC players can get a jump on them, via Ubisoft Connect, where access opens at 10pm on March 19. That's six hours before Steam users' version of Assassin's Creed Shadows unlocks at 4am on March 20.
Of course, to actually play the game anywhere near those unlock times, you'll have to get it pre-loaded. Xbox Series S and X owners can do that right now, but will have to free up a good amount of space as it's a 107GB install (or 115GB according to the Xbox store).
PlayStation 5 players can pre-load from March 18, while PC users can do so from 4pm on March 17.
Not pre-ordered yet? Assassin's Creed Shadows costs £59.99 on PC, £69.99 on console. And the Deluxe versions are an additional £15. You can find cheaper deals on PC and Xbox version of the game at third-party retailers like CDKeys
Is the Deluxe Edition worth it? Not by our estimation, as all pre-orders get the substantive bonuses of an additional Thrown to the Dogs quest and the Claws of Awaji DLC.
Over and above that, Assassin's Creed Shadows Deluxe Edition nets you some in-game items and five Mastery Points, used to level up your character. You could even say it will unbalance the early part of the game. But perhaps Assassin's Creed Shadows will be nothing if not a power fantasy anyway, to some.
Assassin's Creed Shadows sees the series make its long-awaited trip to Japan. It's set in the 16th Century (at the beginning, anyway) and lets you pick between playing as a a ninja or a samurai.
It's the successor to Assassin's Creed Mirage from 2023, but given that game was initially envisioned as an expansion pack, it's as much a direct follow-on from 2021's Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
The pressure is on for Assassin's Creed Shadows and its publisher Ubisoft. The publisher saw a 31% drop in revenue in 2024 according to Gamesindustry.biz, and the company's leaders reportedly considered taking the company private late last year following several years of poor performance.
It's not all bad news, though. Metacritic just announced its publisher rankings, rating them by the review average of their games output. Ubisoft came a solid 18th, with a commendable average score of 75.5.
This means Ubisoft beat Nintendo, EA, Konami and more.
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