Summary
- Assassin's Creed Shadows surpassed one million players on launch day.
- The game's successful start outperformed previous entries in the series.
- The positive reception could be significant for Ubisoft after previous underwhelming releases.
Assassin's Creed Shadows has already raced past one million players on its launch day, adding to its remarkably promising early performance. After months of anticipation and multiple delays, Assassin's Creed Shadows recently landed on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 20, 2025.
The highly requested Feudal Japan setting in an Assassin's Creed game is a reality at last, thanks to the much-awaited release of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Besides the fascinating time period, the action RPG also features an intriguing pairing of two very different protagonists, a samurai named Yasuke and a shinobi known as Naoe. The saga of these dual main characters has been received fairly well at launch, with the action-adventure title earning an average score of 81 on OpenCritic. Now, it has also been shared that the strong reception goes beyond critics' reviews, with a multitude of players checking out the game at present.
Assassin's Creed Shadows: 7 Tips & Tricks for Beginners
Here are some tips to consider for a solid start to Assassin's Creed Shadows.
On Twitter, Assassin's Creed Shadows announced that its player base had already crossed the one million mark, just around 15 hours after rolling out across platforms. A few hours prior to this update, it was also revealed that the Ubisoft Quebec-developed title had topped Steam's Top Sellers chart in next to no time, leapfrogging other recent hits such as Monster Hunter Wilds and Split Fiction. Moreover, at the time of writing, the well-received Assassin's Creed sequel also boasts a peak of 41,412 concurrent players on Steam, per SteamDB data.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Achieves Major Player Milestone
- Over one million players on launch day
The initial response from fans to Assassin's Creed Shadows has been quite incredible so far, getting the latest entry in the long-running historical series off to a solid start. Its 41K+ peak concurrent player count on Steam is more than that of the previous two Assassin's Creed titles, Mirage (7,870) and Valhalla (15,679), combined. On the critical front, the 81-rated Shadows is well ahead of its 2023 predecessor, which has an average score of 76. However, the newly released game is still marginally behind Assassin's Creed Valhalla's score of 83.
The strong kickoff for Assassin's Creed Shadows is undoubtedly a big relief for Ubisoft, which endured a particularly underwhelming year in 2024 with its big releases, such as Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant, falling short of the company's expectations. Importantly, if the new game's successful run continues in the long term, it may also prove crucial for the eventual fate of the French gaming giant, which has been shrouded in mystery amid takeover speculations.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience an epic historical action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi Assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos. Switch seamlessly between two unlikely allies as you discover their common destiny. Master complementary playstyles, create your shinobi league, customize your hideout, and usher in a new era for 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.
• 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 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.
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
