Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a 2025 action role-playing game developed by Ubisoft Quebec and published by Ubisoft. The game is the fourteenth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series and the successor to Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023).
Set in 16th-century Japan towards the end of the Sengoku period, the game focuses on the millennia-old struggle between the Assassin Brotherhood, who fight for peace and liberty, and the Templar Order, who desire peace through control, from the perspective of two protagonists: Fujibayashi Naoe, a kunoichi (a female shinobi), and Yasuke, an African samurai inspired by the historical figure of the same name. The two characters have a different gameplay style, allowing quests to be approached in multiple ways.
Shadows was released for macOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 20, 2025, with a version for iPadOS to be released at a later date. Upon release, the game received generally positive reviews from critics.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is an action-adventure stealth game similar to its predecessors. It is developed on an upgraded version of Anvil, using dynamic lighting and environmental interactions. Improvements include the addition of breakable objects and the ability to manipulate shadows and use a grappling hook for parkour. The game's open world, whose size is comparable to that of Assassin's Creed Origins, progresses through seasons, each affecting gameplay, including frozen water and icicles in winter, long grass and blooming plants in spring. Missions are non-linear, encouraging players to track and eliminate targets freely; in a change from previous games, vantage points exist to help the player look for points of interest, not to mark objectives. The player can also bribe officials to ascertain the whereabouts of targets, or recruit and train a spy network to gather intelligence.
New gameplay features include the ability to crawl along the ground, helping the player avoid detection and pass through small openings. The character can venture into shallow water, breathing through a bamboo stick. Eagle vision makes a comeback, but unlike Assassin's Creed Mirage, it does not reveal NPCs through the walls; as enemies are denoted in red, while allies are highlighted in orange. Naoe and Yasuke can enter a new mode called "Observe", a fast and easy way of gathering information about targets. This mode is also available while crouching on high vantage points, enabling players to closely examine newly discovered places. Hiding in shadows makes a player character invisible to her enemies, both indoors and outdoors, so players may choose to destroy lit lanterns with Shurikens. Moving while crouching enables a player to move silently across creaking nightingale floors.
Players can switch between characters as they progress through missions. A diverse selection of historically accurate weapons is available, from katana and the kanabō war club to yari spears, shuriken, kunai, and the kusarigama. Each weapon comes with its own skill tree, enabling players to improve their proficiency. Yasuke's combat features destructible environments and realistic weapon impacts, providing a cinematic fighting experience, in addition to using arquebuses, giving him a powerful long-range capability. Meanwhile, Naoe brandishes the iconic hidden blade with its pivot feature to serve as a tantō, as well as using a kusarigama to fend off attackers, swinging its chain in wide arcs to create distance. Moreover, she employs stealth tactics with an agile and lethal playstyle, hiding in the rafters and ambushing enemies through Shoji paper doors.
Assassin's Creed Shadows is set in feudal Japan, specifically starting in 1579 during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. This era marks the final stage of the Sengoku period, a time of intense civil war in Japan. The game features the historical figure Oda Nobunaga at the height of his power following his victory over the Takeda clan using arquebus firearms. Key historical events include Nobunaga's assault on the Iga province in 1581, a significant battle involving the Iga ikki, known for their ninjutsu arts. Like previous Assassin's Creed titles, characters based on historical figures are present in the game, including samurai Yasuke, one of the main characters, missionaries Luís Fróis and Alessandro Valignano, daimyō Oda Nobunaga, samurai Hattori Hanzo, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Ise Sadaoki, Kyōnyo [jp], merchants Imai Sōkun and Imai Sōkyū, and tea master Sen no Rikyū, amongst others.
The game explores central Japan, including regions like Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, and the Iga province, with historically-accurate castles such as Takeda and Fukuchiyama, along with detailed historical landmarks and strongholds designed as intricate dungeons. This setting reflects the urbanization of Japan at the time, bustling ports, samurai districts, and ornate architecture, all significant for parkour and exploration in the game. The influence of Portuguese traders and Jesuit missionaries, who introduced Christianity and new technologies like cannons and long guns, also plays a role in shaping the game's environment and narrative.
In 1581, the bodyguard Diogo arrives in Kyoto with a delegation of Jesuit priests to negotiate with Oda Nobunaga for the safe passage of all Jesuit priests through Japan. Nobunaga decides to grant the request, but only on the condition that Diogo be transferred under his service as a warrior, as he has taken an interest in him. Six months later, Diogo, now renamed Yasuke, accompanies Nobunaga on his assault against the Iga Province to exterminate the Iga ikki. During the battle, shinobi Fujibayashi Naoe is tasked by her father Nagato to take his Hidden Blade and use it recover a special box hidden in a nearby kofun, which she must protect at all costs. However, the box is stolen by group of masked samurai dubbed the "Shinbakufu", leaving Nagato mortally wounded. With his last breath, Nagato instructs Naoe to "follow the blade".
After recovering from her wounds, Naoe seeks her old family friend Tomiko for assistance. Tomiko agrees to allow Naoe use her farm as a base to gather supplies and allies, and directs her to head to the city of Sakai to follow the trail of the Shinbakufu. Upon arriving in Sakai, Naoe gathers additional allies and manages to track down and kill two of the Shinbakufu. She is then approached by Akechi Mitsuhide, who requests that she help him assassinate Nobunaga, who is the leader of the Shinbakufu. With Mitsuhide's help, Naoe infiltrates Honnoji Temple and attacks Nobunaga, only to be stopped by Yasuke. Nobunaga claims that Mitsuhide lied to Naoe and that he has no ties to the Shinbakufu. Confused, Naoe leaves the temple while Nobunaga commits seppuku to prevent his head from falling into Mitsuhide's hands, leaving Yasuke a ronin.
In order to take revenge on Mitsuhide, both Naoe and Yasuke converge on Katano Castle to find him. Yasuke then tells Naoe he wants to join her cause, recognizing the Hidden Blade she carries and hoping that he can find a new purpose following her. He reveals that when he killed the leader of Iga, Momochi Sandayu, he also carried a Hidden Blade and instructed Yasuke to help Naoe if he found her. Naoe considers killing Yasuke in revenge, but is convinced otherwise by one of her followers, Junjiro, whose father was one of the Shinbakufu she killed but he eventually chose to forgive her. Working together, Naoe and Yasuke continue their quest to track down and kill more of the Shinbakufu, eventually encountering and allying with Hattori Hanzo and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hanzo warns Naoe to forget about the box, as both Nagato and her mother Tsuyu died protecting it. However, seeing that Naoe will not back down, Hanzo instructs her to head to a kofun in Settsu to find out the truth about her parents. There, she finds an Assassin hideout and journal, revealing the Assassin Order was instructed by Emperor Go-Nara to build a new Brotherhood in Japan, with Tsuyu being one of the Assassins given the task.
Eventually, Naoe and Yasuke manage to kill all of the Shinbakufu except for Mitsuhide himself. They head for Shoryuji Castle where Mitsuhide is besieged by Hashiba Hideyoshi and join Hideyoshi's army, intending to reach Mitsuhide first to find the box's location. They defeat Mitsuhide, who reveals the true leader of the Shinbakufu is Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who possesses the box. In addition, the box contains a special artifact called "The Jewel". Having learned what she needed, Naoe kills Mitsuhide to avenge her father. Hideyoshi claims victory and promises to reform Japan, with Naoe warning him to keep to that promise or face the wrath of the Assassins. Naoe and Yasuke then confront Yoshiaki, who surrenders and offers to trade both the Jewel and information for his life. He reveals that an Assassin was last spotted in Yamato, while a member of the Templar Order that Yasuke is searching for, Duarte de Melo, can be found in Port Obama. The pair spare Yoshiaki's life, but not before Yasuke points out that Nobunaga has made his mark in history while Yoshiaki will be forgotten.
Naoe travels to Yamato, where she finally recalls the story Nagato told her about Tsuyu. Many years ago, the Japanese Assassins led by Tsuyu were entrusted to protect the three Imperial Regalia. While the Brotherhood prospered for many years, they were suddenly attacked by Shinbakufu forces and massacred with two of the Imperial Regalia being stolen, leaving only Nagato, Tsuyu, and Sandayu as the remaining survivors. Tsuyu left to recover the stolen Imperial Regalia, but never returned. Naoe finds the Assassins' original hiding place for the Imperial Regalia and returns the Jewel, fulfilling her promise to her father. Hanzo then arrives to return the Mirror, which Ieyasu had taken back from the Templars. Hanzo admits that he betrayed the Assassins out of jealousy of Tsuyu choosing Nagato over him, revealing the location of the Imperial Regalia to the Shinbakufu. Naoe defeats Hanzo in battle and convinces him that the only way to earn redemption is to join the Assassins and help her search for Tsuyu.
Meanwhile, Yasuke tracks down Duarte, who is revealed to be a slaver involved in Yasuke's past. Yasuke kills Duarte and begins searching for Nuno Caro, the leader of the Templar Order in Japan. He confronts Nuno and reveals that years ago, he and his mother were slaves aboard Nuno's ship. Nuno executed Yasuke's mother for being a suspected spy and was about to execute Yasuke as well when an Assassin intervened and sacrificed himself to buy Yasuke time to leap overboard and escape. Yasuke then attacks Nuno and kills him despite his warning that his death would be a declaration of war to the Templars.
Assassin's Creed Shadows was announced at Ubisoft Forward in September 2022 under the working title Assassin's Creed: Codename Red along with its planned successor Assassin's Creed: Codename Hexe. There, Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed would be entering a third period related to shifts in design philosophy and approaches to future games, all connected by a working concept called Assassin's Creed Infinity (later renamed to the Animus Hub). The first major gameplay details were announced on May 15, 2024, along with the final name and release date. It was also later revealed that Ubisoft Quebec who previously developed Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Syndicate would be developing the game. Development began in 2020, following the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
Shadows is the first game in the series to be aimed at the ninth generation of video game consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S), dropping support for the eighth generation consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One). Lead producer Karl Onnée said the hardware available in the newer consoles was necessary to support the new version of their engine that supplies effects like light, shadows, and dynamic weather.
Upon the release of the video game's premiere trailer on May 15, 2024, the decision to feature Yasuke as a central character prompted criticism online. Conservative critics and fans on social media reacted negatively to the inclusion of a Black samurai protagonist instead of an indigenous Japanese one, accusing Ubisoft of "going woke", or stating that Yasuke was "not a 'real' samurai." Others noted that Ubisoft has never made a game with a male East Asian protagonist. The online backlash led to harassment and threats directed at the game developers, Laurence Russell of Wired likened the backlash to the Gamergate harassment campaign and the alt-right. Elon Musk criticized Assassin's Creed Shadows and Ubisoft for "woke" content, claiming that "DEI kills art" and specified the inclusion of Yasuke as offensive. Ubisoft responded by saying that Musk's comments were "just feeding hatred" and that they were focused on producing a game not pushing politics. Ubisoft has defended their position on their choices for Yasuke in response to the criticism. Game director Charles Benoit said that Yasuke was chosen because players could discover Japan at the same time as Yasuke, "through his eyes, the eyes of a foreigner". Matt Kim of IGN praised the choice of Yasuke to differentiate itself from other samurai games featuring Asian protagonists. Scholar Thomas Lockley defended Yasuke's portrayal as a samurai, and stated that no reputable Japanese historian had questioned Yasuke's samurai status.
Assassin's Creed Shadows was initially scheduled to release for iPadOS, macOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on November 15, 2024. In September 2024, Ubisoft announced that, despite the game being feature complete, they opted to delay the release to February 14, 2025, for further polishing, citing insights gained from the Star Wars Outlaws launch in August. The company also cancelled the game's season pass and refunded existing pre-orders, with future pre-orders set to include the first expansion for free. In a shift from Ubisoft's previous release practices, the PC version would launch simultaneously on Steam, Epic Games Store, and Ubisoft Connect. In January 2025, Ubisoft postponed the release once again to March 20, as the company explored its sale options and to provide developers with more time to implement additional changes.
Shadows was rated as "CERO Z" in January 2025 by Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), which legally limits sale of the game to adults; CERO issued its rating based on the amount of gore that was present in the game such as body dismemberment. While the game will be released internationally with an in-game toggle to show or disable the gore, Ubisoft said that they are working to make a Japan-specific version of the game which will not include the toggle and eliminate the gore from the game to achieve a less strict CERO rating. A collectible figure was scheduled to be released in promotion for the game. The figure used a design similar to the damaged one-legged Torii gate Sannō Shrine in Nagasaki, located less than a mile from the epicenter of the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki. It was removed from sale following claims of cultural insensitivity. In February 2025, leaked gameplay footage showed Yasuke being able to enter the Itatehyōzu Shrine and destroy the altar, causing controversy. Shrine officials said they were not consulted about the shrine's usage in the game and that they would take "appropriate action" against the game.
In February 2025, Ubisoft stated that pre-orders for the game were in line with those of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the series' second best-selling game. In that same month, it was reported that physical copies of the game for PlayStation 5 leaked.
Following complaints from Hiroyuki Kada of the Japanese House of Councillors and Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan, Ubisoft removed the ability to destroy certain objects within temples, as well as reducing the "amount of blood shed by NPCs in the various shrines and temples across Assassin's Creed Shadows". Just prior to release, Ubisoft offered guidance and resources to its developers in regards to their social media accounts and potential harassment.
Shadows was released for macOS, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on March 20, 2025.
Assassin's Creed Shadows received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic, and 82% of critics recommend the game according to OpenCritic.
Giovanni Colantonio from Digital Trends praised the game for its "memorable characters and peaceful exploration" but criticised its "messy story and thin content". Eurogamer's Tom Phillips wrote that it "honours the beauty of feudal Japan, even if its strongest moments are saved for the personal stories of its two protagonists." Wesley LeBlanc of Game Informer wrote that "Shadows, like its predecessors, has now yielded its own memory for me to store in my personal Animus: a reminder that when it comes to this medium, gameplay is king. In Shadows, playing as Yasuke and Naoe is as powerful as the Shoguns that ruled during this era of Japan." GameSpot's Jordan Ramée said that it "messes with a good thing by including one too many playable protagonists, but Naoe is a valuable new addition to the legacy". GamesRadar's Andrew Brown said that it "thrives on boldness. Its dual protagonists improve on the series' stealth-driven roots and modern RPG leanings, though they're let down by a vague story that fails to make full use of either character." Kevin Dunsmore of Hardcore Gamer thought it "had a lot of elements on paper that made it sound like it could be the best Assassin's Creed game in years." but said "it also falls short on nearly as many." IGN's Jarrett Green wrote it "creates one of the best versions of the open-world style it's been honing for the last decade". Echo Apsey of NME said "A fantastic story and well-developed characters ground the game in a believable era of Japan that is fun to explore. It confidently sets the standard for the next games in the franchise."
Morgan Park of PC Gamer criticized the game's "dull story, bland cast, and barrage of quests", and Fraser Brown said that there was "a lot to like" but criticized the RPG elements. Reid McCarter of PCGamesN said "While its open world is stunning, its combat is robust, and its dual-protagonist design is somewhat novel, Assassin's Creed Shadows proves too repetitive and dramatically flat to wholeheartedly recommend taking its trip back in time." Push Square's Robert Ramsey praised the game for its "intriguing yet twisted story, great protagonists, solid combat and striking soundtrack" but criticised its "forced RPG elements and rough English dub". Aidan O'Brien from Shacknews praised the game for its "interesting characters and fun combat" but criticised it for its "awkward traversal and weak voice acting from the NPCs". The Guardian's Daniella Lucas praised the game's "Excellent performances and emotionally resonant moments". Video Game Chronicle's Jordan Middler called it "the best Assassin's Creed game in 10 years". Dom Peppiatt from VG247 said "it's so fun to play, it's telling a gripping story, and there is so much sense of progress and reward for every little thing you do that it actually feels like an open world game".
Ubisoft announced that Assassin's Creed Shadows surpassed a million players on its launch day, two million players on its second day after release, and three million players within a week. The Steam concurrent player count peak was 41,412 on launch day and grew to 64,825 during the first weekend after launch. The feat established the game as the highest Assassin's Creed game by concurrent players on Steam to date.
Assassin's Creed Shadows was nominated for the Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joystick Awards 2024.