Get Ready! Assassin’s Creed Shadows Launch Countdown and Preload Details Revealed!

Ubisoft, known for creating and distributing games such as Rainbow Six Siege, Far Cry, Star Wars Outlaws among others, has faced challenges in recent times. Several of their projects have not met financial expectations or failed to retain public interest. However, the company is making efforts to improve its situation, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows being one of its major upcoming releases that they are hopeful about.

The newly released Assassin’s Creed game from Ubisoft is undeniably its most daring venture yet, and has been receiving rave reviews from both critics and content creators for its open-world RPG. My coworker Zachary Boddy hasn’t finished it yet, but they’ve already given it glowing praise in their work-in-progress review, describing it as “an action-RPG adventure with stunning visuals, varied gameplay that never grows old, and meticulous attention to detail.

As the launch draws near, there’s a significant amount of excitement surrounding Shadows. Many gamers are eagerly awaiting their chance to play it. Fortunately, the release date and launch times for Assassin’s Creed Shadows have been disclosed prior to its debut. I’ve collected all that information here for you. Keep reading to discover details such as the release schedule, preloading instructions, and more.

What is Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

If you’re familiar with games within the Assassin’s Creed series, you’ll get an idea of what to anticipate in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For those who haven’t played any of these games, here’s some information for you.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is Ubisoft’s latest addition to their open-world action RPG series, sequel to 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage. In terms of gameplay, Shadows builds upon both Mirage and 2020’s Valhalla, offering players the flexibility to favor stealth, as Mirage did, or focus on intense action combat, like in Valhalla.

In this game, you’ll find yourself assuming control of two distinct characters as they journey through the tumultuous war-ravaged Japan of the Sengoku era: the legendary samurai Yasuke and the stealthy and deadly shinobi Naoe. Each character has their unique storylines and separate side quests, yet they are bound together by a larger, interconnected plotline.

In the initial chapter, players will find themselves switching between Naoe and Yasuke at will. Yasuke, as one might anticipate, is best for frontal combat, favoring raw power over stealthy tactics, while Naoe caters to those who prefer a sneaky approach, staying hidden to dodge detection and launch calculated assassinations. Both characters come equipped with diverse weaponry and tools, allowing players to tailor their gameplay significantly.

It’s worth mentioning that the open world of Shadows is captivating and supposedly more interactive than past series settings. Since I haven’t played the game myself, I can’t provide a personal account, but from what I understand, Ubisoft has focused on streamlining the experience by minimizing the use of map icons and instead creating intriguing and distinctive secrets for players to uncover during their adventure.

Upon release, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be playable on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. The standard price for this game across all platforms is $69.99. Yet, you can find discounted versions of the Xbox and PC editions at CDKeys (links provided below). Another option to experience Assassin’s Creed Shadows is by subscribing to Ubisoft+ Premium, which allows you to play it on both Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date and launch times

Exciting news! If you’re reading this, it means that Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available for play within the next 24 hours. It’s possible that the game has already been released. This is because Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to debut on March 20, 2025, which is tomorrow as of this writing. The earliest you can start playing it is at 8:00 p.m. in China, specifically on a Windows PC.

It’s worth noting that the game “Shadows” is planned to launch at various times for PC users, while console players can expect it to release at midnight in their respective time zones. Essentially, when you can start playing will depend on your time zone – you might even begin on March 19 in the evening – and within the same region, someone using a different console may gain access earlier or later than you.

To fully understand when you can enjoy Assassin’s Creed Shadows in your region and on your device, I recommend checking out the provided chart or the detailed visual graphic above. Both sources contain all the necessary details about release times and platforms.

Does Assassin’s Creed Shadows have Early Access?

In contrast to several contemporary single-player games that offer Early Access as a bonus for higher-priced editions like Deluxe or Ultimate to encourage pre-orders, Ubisoft has not followed this trend with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Consequently, there is no option to obtain Early Access to the game by purchasing its Digital Deluxe Edition.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows launch countdown

The clock here is set to tick down to 12:00 am on March 20 (Pacific Time Zone), marking the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows in most regions across multiple platforms. For exact launch times tailored to your region, please check out the information provided above.

https://free.timeanddate.com/countdown/i9tayiqz/n137/cf12/cm0/cu4/ct0/cs1/ca0/co1/cr0/ss0/cac000/cpc000/pc09f/tcfff/fs100/szw320/szh135/tatAssassin's%20Creed%20Shadows%20launch/tac000/tptTime%20since%20Event%20started%20in/tpc000/iso2025-03-20T00:00:00/pa18

When can you preload Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

As video games continue to grow in size, it has become more beneficial for developers to incorporate preloading – a feature that enables you to install games prior to their release dates. This way, you won’t have to wait to download them once they’re available and can start playing immediately (provided there aren’t any day-one patches required).

Many popular AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed Shadow offer preloading, which is also true for Shadows itself. Preload options for the game are now available across all platforms, enabling you to initiate the installation process immediately after your preorder. Therefore, don’t hesitate to kick off that download right away.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows download size: How big is it?

Although Assassin’s Creed Shadows might not be the biggest game ever, let me clarify that it still requires a substantial amount of storage on your device. Approximately 115GB is needed across its platforms to install this game. So, if your drive is already packed with numerous games, you may need to free up some space. Moreover, it’s important to note that an SSD (Solid State Drive) is necessary for a smooth gaming experience with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as conventional hard-disk drives might not be fast enough for Ubisoft’s latest creation.

A practical approach to creating more space could involve uninstalling games or apps that you haven’t used in a while. Alternatively, consider upgrading your gaming device by investing in high-quality solid-state drives (SSDs). Given the affordability of these drives today, I strongly suggest this option for long-term storage solutions.

Are you in search of an engaging open-world RPG? It’s highly probable that one of the standout games of 2025 across both Xbox and PC platforms will be Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This exciting game is slated for launch on March 20, available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PlayStation 5.

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2025-03-20 00:11