We shouldn’t be surprised to discover that an Assassin’s Creed game is good. Admittedly, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was beset by development problems and missed its release date any number of times, but as a series, Assassin’s Creed has earned its place as one of gaming’s key tentpoles. Shadows was originally released earlier in 2025, and proved to be another excellent action-adventure, its Japanese setting opening up a new set of features for the long-running series. Now, it’s arriving on the Nintendo Switch 2, and we’ve had the opportunity to discover whether Ubisoft have managed to stuff the huge experience onto Nintendo’s latest hybrid console.

There’s no getting away from the fact that you can immediately tell Assassin’s Creed Shadows is running on less powerful hardware, but what has been achieved with this port once again shows the level of polish that Ubisoft are capable of delivering and the adaptability of the Anvil engine. Just as with Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft have managed to bring across the core experience across in a deeply playable form by making smart decisions with regard to the visual nips and tucks they’ve had to make.

Clear signs include less-detailed floor textures, simplified water effects, static bodies of water, and mild pop-in, which seemed particularly prevalent in shadows. There’s also the tell-tale sign of anti-aliasing shimmer, and at times there’s a distinct line a few feet away from your character where it almost seems to present as screen tearing. That’s only visible under certain circumstances, though, and only when you’re not in motion.

All that considered, Assassin’s Creed Shadows still looks great on Switch 2. When the sunlight is shimmering through the trees, fronds of grass sway in the breeze, and fallen leaves shuffle underfoot, you can’t help but be impressed by the organic, vibrant world that Ubisoft have created. There’s baked in puddle reflections, which still carry a real sense of quality despite losing the ray tracing of the beefier consoles, while birds and beasts populate every scene, albeit with less definition than elsewhere. It looked incredible elsewhere, and still looks arresting here.

The real key is the frame rate. Assassin’s Creed Shadows aims for 30fps on Switch 2, and that does feel clearly slower and less immediate than its 60fps brethren. Depending on how sensitive you are to such things, that, in itself, might ruin the experience for you. It can dip from there at times too, especially through night scenes with an excess of burning flame effects such as in the opening battle, and even some of the cutscenes struggle to maintain a locked frame rate.

However, it mostly sits at or around 30fps, and in this context, that is a strong start. Given the continual patches we’ve seen for Star Wars Outlaws, you have to assume that Ubisoft will be refining the experience further in the coming weeks, but overall it’s absolutely playable at launch. It feels hugely impressive to have Assassin’s Creed Shadows in the palm of your hand, especially given the size and scope of the game, and I’ve really enjoyed returning to the world, even with the reduced graphical fidelity and lower frame rate. It was a good game originally, and it remains a good game now.

Of course, if you have the option of playing elsewhere, whether on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S or PC, Assassin’s Creed Shadows does look, play and perform better. That said, you can’t carry those out the door, and the core experience remains in place on Switch 2, whether you’re playing docked or handheld.

If anything, this is a game that works remarkably well in handheld, as you complete the odd mission here or trek across the map there, breaking the game’s huge number of quests and side missions down into something more manageable. Thanks to Ubisoft Connect, you can also carry saves over across platforms, so if you want to double-dip, grabbing the game to continue on the go is well worth considering.

There is one underlying issue here at launch, and that’s crashes. I experienced a series of hard crashes after the first couple of hours with the game, but at intermittent points, so there was no clear trigger for them happening. Restarting my Nintendo Switch 2 seemed to remedy the issue, but I made sure to perform manual saves afterwards, just in case. Here’s hoping that a day-one patch will wipe out the issue, especially as I’ve not been the only player to experience them.

Following the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2, Digital Foundry has taken a closer look at the port with a new technical analysis, which goes over frame rate, resolution, and more. Ubisoft clearer made some changes and cuts here, but it seems the game holds up well – though things aren’t perfect. Here’s the roundup of details:...

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Nintendo Switch 2 tech analysis, including frame rate and resolution appeared first on Nintendo Everything.

Microtransactions are often argued to be one of the worst aspects of modern gaming. They are the primary drive behind "games as a service," and a way for publishers to rake in billions without actually adding to games. And it's fundamentally a good thing, or so Ubisoft would say.

Assassin's Creed: Shadows has just received its first batch of Isu-related content in the form of a new quest, A Puzzlement, that ties into the game's main story. And, what's most important, the content is free, added to Shadows with no extra charge as an expansion to the overall narrative. This, apparently, would not have been possible without microtransactions, which Ubisoft argues help enable these content expansions.

"Microtransactions, for all the flak it gets, it allows us to do the Isu stuff, the quest stuff, the parkour updates, all of it," said Simon Lemay-Comtois, AC: Shadows' associate game director (via IGN). Post-launch earnings, which are obtained via microtransactions (usually cosmetics that most Assassin's Creed games of the last 10 years have had), seem to be fundamental to the creation of these free updates and expansions, as well as keeping the games alive for longer than usual.

So it would seem microtransactions can be good after all, despite many players, myself included, holding a grudge against them in almost every way, shape, or form.

I'd even argue microtransactions in the form of paid DLC or expansions, like Phantom Liberty in the case of Cyberpunk 2077, are a much better way of utilizing additional paid content and accumulating extra funds for expanding the game's content and size. Though, in that case, we would just call them transactions, since they are by no means micro.

It's a divisive topic, and one that's been at the center of discussion regarding all of Ubisoft's outputs over the past however many years. Do cosmetics and skins have a place in single-player games, especially paid ones? Should someone who forked over $70 be asked to give more money lest they be barred from that cool-looking armor and weapons? Lots of questions, few answers, but it seems that, no matter what, they do play a significant role in ensuring these games get post-launch support.

Alas, such are the ways of quarterly-oriented developers.

The post Microtransactions are good, actually, Ubisoft claims appeared first on Destructoid.

Following the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2, Digital Foundry has taken a closer look at the port with a new technical analysis, which goes over frame rate, resolution, and more. Ubisoft clearer made some changes and cuts here, but it seems the game holds up well – though things aren’t perfect. Here’s the roundup of details:...

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Nintendo Switch 2 tech analysis, including frame rate and resolution appeared first on Nintendo Everything.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is finally coming to Nintendo Switch 2, and its official eShop page has revealed a key detail players have been waiting for: the file size. The number is much larger than anyone expected and even surpasses some of the console’s biggest recent releases. Here’s what this means for the hybrid system and for the future of Ubisoft’s long-running saga.

Ubisoft today unveiled a special Attack on Titan collaboration for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is bringing a new quest to the game. It will be available when the Nintendo Switch 2 version launches next week. Here’s what’s included: A strange encounter draws Naoe and Yasuke into a new quest, where whispers of forbidden rituals and monstrous transformations echo through the...

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows reveals Attack on Titan collaboration appeared first on Nintendo Everything.

Ubisoft announced that an Assassin’s Creed Shadows update will arrive on November 24, 2025, and it will bring a permanent “A Puzzlement” story drop quest and a temporary Attack on Titan crossover event with optional paid in-store packs. Each involves both Naoe and Yasuke. 

In the case of the Attack on Titan event, that will only run until December 22, 2025. It unlocks after Yasuke is available as a playable character. Both Naoe and Yasuke will investigate experiments and a cult with a person named Ada, who they’ll meet northeast of Yamashiro. A katana and objects will be able to be earned for free. The in-store items will let someone dress Naoe up as Mikasa ackerman and Yasuke as a Titan. 

The story drop features both an environmental puzzle and new skills. Basically, it will involve each character learning signature sorts of moves from the other. 

Here’s the full trailer for the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Attack on Titan crossover event.

It isn’t uncommon for this kind of crossover to appear in an Assassin’s Creed game. The Origins installment involved one with FFXV that led to themed content appearing in both games.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, with a Switch 2 version arriving on December 2, 2025, and the Attack on Titan crossover runs between November 25, 2025 and December 22, 2025. Kodansha handles the Attack on Titan manga, and the anime is streaming on services like Crunchyroll. 

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows Gets Attack on Titan Event appeared first on Siliconera.

In a strange crossover that surely wasn't on our 2025 bingo cards, Ubisoft has announced an in-game crossover event between Assassin’s Creed Shadowsand with Attack on Titan, because the war between Marley and Eldia just screams "holiday season." The event, which runs Nov. 25 to Dec. 22, also comes with free additional story content for Shadows.

Ubisoft today unveiled a special Attack on Titan collaboration for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is bringing a new quest to the game. It will be available when the Nintendo Switch 2 version launches next week. Here’s what’s included: A strange encounter draws Naoe and Yasuke into a new quest, where whispers of forbidden rituals and monstrous transformations echo through the...

The post Assassin’s Creed Shadows reveals Attack on Titan collaboration appeared first on Nintendo Everything.

Ubisoft has stated its transaction with Tencent is "on track to close in the coming days", as the Chinese conglomerate acquires a minority stake in its new subsidiary Vantage Studios.

Read more