Скриншот Assassin's Creed Shadows / Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Shadows had a strong start — in just 15 hours after its release, the game attracted more than a million players.
For Ubisoft, this is one of the best launches in the history of the franchise. Even though the game was delayed several times, it seems to have benefited from it. Reaching 1 million players is a major success, especially against the backdrop of a not-so-great year for Ubisoft, when Star Wars Outlaws and XDefiant did not meet expectations Company.
The success of Assassin’s Creed Shadows was also noted on Steam. The game instantly became the best-selling game, outselling Monster Hunter Wilds, Split Fiction and Helldivers 2. Online play on Steam reached a peak of 41,412 players, which is significantly higher than the results of the previous installments in the series. For example, Assassin’s Creed Mirage was able to attract only, 7870 players at the same time, and Valhalla — 15 679.
«It’s not even 4 p.m. here in Canada, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already surpassed 1 million units! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us on this adventure in feudal Japan. We are extremely excited to start this journey with you!”» — wrote the developers in X (Twitter).
It’s not even 4PM here in Canada and Assassin’s Creed Shadows has already passed 1 million players!
Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for joining this adventure in Feudal Japan. We are beyond excited to start this journey with you! 💝 pic.twitter.com/1cqwABrQfN
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) March 20, 2025
Average rating Assassin’s Creed Shadows currently has a score of 81 on OpenCritic. This is more than in Assassin’s Creed Mirage (76), but slightly lower than in Valhalla (83). At the same time, ITC.ua reviewer was satisfied with the game (7.5/10) despite some nuances.
On Steam, users have already shared their impressions, which were very favorable. At the time of writing, the game has 80% positive feedback out of almost 2000 reviews. Among the main advantages, players mention a well-developed combat system, an atmospheric world, and optimization, while among the disadvantages are forced ray tracing and an excessive number of cutscenes.
«This is the game I’ve been waiting for. I really liked Odyssey. Plus, I like Japanese culture: samurai, ninjas, and all that. I personally give it 9/10. Nine because the animations are a bit wooden. It’s a very good game. If you liked Odyssey or Valhalla, Japan will definitely not disappoint you. I liked the gameplay for Naoe much more than for Yasuke. Ninjas are our everything», — they write on Steam.
Many players praise the game for the setting and new mechanics, and also gave «optimization a special» like. The graphics look better than Valhalla, and the «combat system is probably one of the best in the» series. Shadows also praised that it goes well on Steam Deck, although at first, there were doubts that the console would receive support.
But it was not without criticism. Some players complain about the boring presentation of the plot, additional load on «iron» due to forced ray tracing and uninspiring protagonists.
«The characters are uninspiring in terms of their narratives—oh no, my father died; now I must kill 12 people to uncover some mystery», — players write.
Also, Ukrainian gamers are outraged that Assassin’s Creed Shadows did not receive a Ukrainian localization. There are many comments on Steam regarding this issue.
To summarize, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has started confidently, and if Ubisoft can keep the audience interested, the game has every chance to become one of the most successful releases in the series. So far, the company has not revealed plans for future updates and DLC, but given the scale of the game and the setting, additions are likely to come soon.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released on March 20, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. The game takes the series to feudal Japan and offers two main characters at once: the samurai Yasuke and the shinobi Naoe.
