When is the Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date? One of the most highly-requested settings for an Assassin’s Creed game over the years has been Japan, and finally, fans’ prayers will be answered when the AC Shadows release date arrives.
Formerly known as Assassin’s Creed Red before its full reveal, here you can find everything you need to know about Shadows, which is angling to be one of the best RPG games of the year when it drops. While its predecessor, AC Mirage, took things back to basics with a smaller, stealthier experience, AC Shadows is bringing back the RPG formula with some interesting gameplay twists.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date
The Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date has been locked in for Friday, November 15, 2024 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.
However, those who pre-order the Gold or Ultimate Edition of the game will be granted three days of early access, so Tuesday, November 12, 2024 will be the absolute earliest fans can dive into the new PS5 game and new Xbox game.
This release date lines up with what we expect from the Assassin’s Creed franchise, as every mainline AC game that came before Shadows has dropped in either October or November.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the 14th game in the series.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows setting
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set in Feudal Japan in the 16th century. Specifically, it takes place at the turning point between the combative civil war of the Sengoku period and the peaceful Edo period.
While Ubisoft is yet to officially reveal the open-world game‘s map, it has released some teasers that appear to suggest Shadows will take place in the Kansai region of Japan, which includes key cities like Osaka and Kyoto. The latter was the capital of Japan during the time period the game is set in.
This was unearthed by the sleuths over at ‘Access The Animus’, who turned a series of numbers into X and Y axis coordinates, which when connected appear to produce the outline of the Kansai region.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows protagonists
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will let players switch between two protagonists: Naoe and Yasuke.
Naoe plays like your more traditional Assassin’s Creed character. She is small and agile, championing a stealthy playstyle. Her arsenal includes shurikens, smoke bombs, a grapple hook, and the iconic Hidden Blade.
Yasuke, meanwhile, is a samurai who is all about head-on combat. He’s not fussed about sneaking and being detected. He has the ability to wield swords, heavy melee weapons, and even early firearms to allow for ranged attacks as well.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay
The best way to understand what Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ gameplay will be like is to watch the extended gameplay walkthrough that Ubisoft has released. The 13-minute showcase features gameplay segments of both Naoe and Yasuke, as well as some general footage of exploration and a sizzle reel of its vast open-world.
Shadows’ map will change as seasons come and go, so that bush you were able to hide in during the summer months may not provide the same kind of cover in the winter, and that frozen river you walked across in colder weather may have thawed in the warmer seasons.
For the first time, AC Shadows also lets players go completely prone, which will should add a new dynamic to stealth and sneaky entries into buildings.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows latest news
Aside from the big, full reveal of AC Shadows, there hasn’t been too much in the way of new information since. However, here are a couple of things you may find interesting.
Ubisoft announced a dubbing challenge on TikTok, where it would judge the best dub and give the winner the chance to voice an NPC in AC Shadows.
It was also confirmed that Shadows won’t force you to always be online, despite previous concerns from fans. Despite not having any multiplayer modes, more and more single-player games are forcing players to stay connected to the internet while they play. Luckily, Shadows isn’t one of them.
That’s everything we’ve got right now on Assassin’s Creed Red. Wait, we mean Assassin’s Creed Shadows – those codenames can be hard to shake! We’re hopeful that Shadows is going to be one of the best Xbox games and best PS5 games of 2024, but we’ll have to wait until November to find out for sure.