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Assassin’s Creed Shadows pairs a stealth-focused shinobi with a combat-oriented samurai in a Sengoku-era Japan open world. Here are 50 useful details about its characters, gameplay, platforms, expansion, New Game+, and official guide.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Sale
Assassin's Creed Shadows Standard Edition for Playstation 5
- ENTER FEUDAL JAPAN - Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- MASTER COMPLEMENTARY PLAYSTYLES - Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
- MAKE INFORMATION YOUR WEAPON - Travel the world and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions
- BUILD A PLACE TO CALL HOME - Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s buildings layout, decorations, and accessories.
Rank #3
Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Limited Edition (Amazon Exclusive), Xbox Series X
- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content includes the base game and Sekiryu Character Pack
- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
Rank #2
Assassin’s Creed Shadows - Limited Edition (Amazon Exclusive), PlayStation 5
- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content includes the base game and Sekiryu Character Pack
- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
#1 Best Overall
Assassin's Creed Shadows | Premium Edition | Xbox Series X|S Digital Code
- PREMIUM EDITION CONTENT — Includes the full Assassin’s Creed Shadows base game plus premium gear, weapons, mount, trinket, and the expansive Claws of Awaji story expansion.
- CLAWS OF AWAJI EXPANSION — Continue your journey with a major expansion featuring a new region, a new weapon type, new skills, and over 10 hours of additional story-driven content.
- DEEPEST STEALTH GAMEPLAY — Master the most advanced stealth systems in the series as Naoe, using light, sound, shadows, parkour, grappling hook traversal, and classic Assassin tools.
- COMPLEMENTARY HEROES — Play as Naoe, a stealth-focused shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a powerful legendary samurai, and master their contrasting playstyles.
- FEUDAL JAPAN OPEN WORLD — Explore a vast, reactive open world featuring castle towns, shrines, ports, dynamic weather, and changing seasons in a time of chaos.
Setting, characters, and how you play
The world and its two protagonists
- It is set in sixteenth-century Japan. The game takes place during the Sengoku era, a period of political conflict and shifting power.
- The story follows Naoe and Yasuke. Naoe is an Assassin shinobi from Iga Province; Yasuke is an African samurai inspired by historical legend.
- One campaign offers two different character fantasies. Their contrasting skills and approaches shape how players experience missions and encounters.
- Naoe is the stealth-focused Assassin. Her role emphasizes quiet movement and infiltration.
- Yasuke is the armored, combat-oriented samurai. His playstyle centers on taking on opponents directly.
- Naoe uses classic Assassin techniques. Quiet movement and stealth are central to her approach.
- Yasuke can fight openly. He can attack, block, and parry in direct combat.
- Yasuke is not restricted to open combat. With careful positioning, he can get behind enemies and perform melee assassinations.
- Naoe is the parkour specialist. Her mobility is a key part of navigating the world.
- Traversal routes reflect the characters’ differences. Ubisoft Québec says it designed routes with greater attention to where Naoe can go and where Yasuke cannot.
- Naoe can use rooftops and elevated routes. These offer ways through cities and castle areas.
- Naoe has infiltration gadgets. Her shinobi toolkit supports stealth approaches.
- Light and darkness matter to stealth. They are gameplay considerations when moving through an area undetected.
- Weather can affect the environment and strategy. Ubisoft describes weather as more than a visual change.
- The world changes through dynamic seasons. Seasonal shifts are part of the game’s open-world design.
- Plants and trees react to conditions. Ubisoft also describes leaves and petals responding to weather and the world.
- The game has an open world of landscapes and settlements. Exploration ranges across Japanese environments and populated places.
- Castles are a major infiltration activity. Ubisoft’s gameplay demonstrations feature castle incursions.
- Players can choose between Naoe and Yasuke for many encounters and missions. That choice lets players approach suitable content with the character whose style they prefer.
- Yasuke’s weapons and armor support a forceful battlefield style. His equipment complements direct combat.
- Naoe offers the hidden-blade-and-shadow approach. Her role draws on the series’ classic Assassin fantasy.
Platforms and features
Where to play and what is listed
- Ubisoft describes the game as built for current-generation hardware.
- PlayStation 5 is an official platform.
- Xbox Series X|S is an official platform.
- Nintendo Switch 2 is listed on Ubisoft’s current game page.
- PC versions are listed for Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store.
- Macs with Apple silicon are supported through the Mac App Store.
- Amazon Luna is listed as a supported option.
- Ubisoft+ is listed as an access option. Subscription availability and terms may vary by region.
- Photo mode is part of the game’s community-facing features. Ubisoft promotes creations made with it.
Updates and the Claws of Awaji expansion
Post-launch content
- Ubisoft planned regular free content and feature updates for Year 1.
- Story Drops add free quests. Ubisoft describes these as adding allies, abilities, activities, and character backstory.
- Claws of Awaji takes the story to Awaji Island.
- The expansion launched on September 16, 2025.
- Ubisoft’s update notes describe more than 10 hours of additional content. This is Ubisoft’s stated content estimate, not a guaranteed playtime for every player.
- Awaji brings new threats and the Sanzoku Ippa faction.
- The expansion adds equipment and abilities. Ubisoft lists new armor, gear, skills, and weapon abilities.
- Naoe can obtain a Bo staff through the Awaji content. It is tied to a related quest.
Accessing the expansion
- Access requires completing specified story arcs. Ubisoft’s update notes say players must complete required Naoe, Yasuke, and league arcs.
- The DLC begins at the Hideout through the “News from Hattori Hanzo” sequence.
- Ubisoft made the expansion free for players who pre-ordered the game. Check your account or platform listing to confirm the entitlement is present.
- Players without that pre-order entitlement can buy the expansion separately, according to Ubisoft. Availability and price can vary by region and storefront.
New Game+ and completion planning
What carries over and what resets
- New Game+ unlocks after completing the main story and credits.
- Several forms of progression carry over. Ubisoft lists character level, gear, skills, Knowledge rank, Allies, and Hideout progression.
- Story and exploration progress do not all carry over. The story, objective-board progress, and discovered locations reset.
When an official guide may help
- Ubisoft promotes Piggyback’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows Complete Official Guide in two editions.
- The guide is most relevant for players who want structured completion help. Its advertised uses include maps, walkthroughs, collectibles, and completion planning.
Buying and checking current details
- The main purchase decisions are platform, expansion ownership, and whether you need a guide. Check the platform version and expansion entitlement before buying, then decide whether maps, walkthroughs, or collectible tracking justify a guide.
- No suitable official sales, player-count, or map-size statistic is established in the sources cited here. Avoid treating an unattributed number as an official figure.
- Recheck availability before purchasing. Platform listings, DLC access, prices, and retail inventory can change by region and date.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
