Imagine scaling misty Japanese castles and slicing through samurai hordes on your Switch 2 during a commute—Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers a jaw-dropping handheld take on Ubisoft’s epic that rivals console thrills, but with some docked caveats.
Overview
Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Ubisoft’s long-awaited feudal Japan entry, launched on Nintendo Switch 2 on December 2, 2025, at $59.99. The port includes all post-launch updates (except the upcoming 2026 Claws of Awaji DLC) and supports handy touchscreen map controls.
Players control dual protagonists—Yasuke, a towering African samurai, and Naoe, a stealthy shinobi—in a sprawling Sengoku-era open world of warring clans, seasonal changes, and morally complex tales. With an 81 Metacritic score on Switch 2, it’s hailed as one of the series’ strongest modern chapters, now fully portable.
Gameplay
Switch freely between Yasuke’s devastating katana combat—featuring brutal finishers and elemental upgrades—and Naoe’s agile stealth toolkit of kunai, grappling hooks, and kusarigama for acrobatic parkour and silent assassinations. The world feels alive with recruitable allies, customizable hideouts, scout networks, and side contracts amid vibrant villages and serene mountains.
Dynamic seasons and weather add tactical depth: heavy rain creates mud that slows enemies for Yasuke’s charges, while dense fog aids Naoe’s ambushes. Narrative choices shape both protagonists’ intertwined stories, delivering classic Assassin’s Creed depth with refined progression and weapon crafting.
Cross-Progression and Saves Across Platforms
Assassin’s Creed Shadows fully supports Ubisoft Connect cross-progression, allowing you to seamlessly carry your save data between Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Simply link your Ubisoft account, and your story progress, collected gear, hideout upgrades, and recruited allies transfer instantly.
This makes the Switch 2 version an ideal companion port—play the visually stunning PS5 version at home with higher fidelity and smoother performance, then pick up exactly where you left off on the go. Cloud saves ensure no loss of progress, giving hybrid owners the best of both worlds.
Performance on Switch 2
The port targets a rock-solid 30 FPS in both handheld and docked modes, leveraging DLSS upscaling, variable refresh rate smoothing, and baked global illumination for impressive stability. Handheld play shines with minimal dips during exploration and combat, making feudal Japan feel truly epic on the smaller screen.
Docked mode shows occasional frame-pacing judder (despite VRR support), though upcoming patches aim to resolve this. Visuals remain strong with vibrant colors, dynamic weather effects, and dense crowds—just at lower resolution and draw distances compared to higher-end versions.
PS5 vs. Switch 2 Comparison
On PS5, Shadows earned glowing praise (including a 9/10 from us) for its “stunning graphics” that rival Ghost of Tsushima—ray-traced reflections, crisp 60 FPS performance, and breathtaking detail in misty landscapes and lantern-lit villages. The console version offers the definitive visual and performance experience for home play.
Switch 2 aligns closer to Xbox Series S fidelity: baked lighting replaces ray tracing, with cuts to reflections, shadow quality, and texture sharpness. Yet the port’s real triumph is portability—handheld 30 FPS often feels smoother than PS5’s occasional crowded-area dips, trading raw power for the freedom to play this massive open world anywhere.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Incredible portable open-world scale with contrasting protagonist styles; deep stealth and combat systems; strong 30 FPS performance in handheld; rich, authentic Japan setting; full cross-progression with other platforms; highly acclaimed core gameplay intact.
Cons: Docked frame-pacing issues (patches incoming); noticeable visual downgrades vs. PS5 (textures, reflections, resolution); some early stability bugs now largely fixed; familiar series resource grinding.
Final Verdict
Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Switch 2 is a remarkable technical achievement, cramming a gorgeous, ambitious open-world epic into hybrid form—ideal for portable play despite minor docked quirks.
PS5 owners get the prettier, smoother version at home, but nothing beats experiencing feudal Japan on the go—with seamless cross-progression making it easy to switch platforms. If portability and flexibility matter to you, this is an essential Switch 2 showcase—highly recommended!
9
Assassin’s Creed Shadows review code provided by publisher and reviewed on a Nintendo Switch 2. For more information on scoring, please read What our review scores really mean.
