Ubisoft has been hard at work hammering away at Assassin’s Creed: Shadows ahead of the game’s release date, and after a handful of delays, the studio is ready to share it with the world. The game has an official release date, and start time so you can start playing it.
Set in feudal Japan in 1579, Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes you back to a classic setting during the late Sengoku period. You can choose from one of the two protagonists—Naoe, Fujibayashi Nagato’s daughter and a trained shinobi, and Yasuke, a samurai under Lord Oda Nobunaga—as you play through the history-rich campaign. Shadows look like it preserves every bit of what makes Assassin’s Creed so popular but with a modern twist. We’re sure you’re excited about its launch, so let’s get to the countdown.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows release time and date
The exact time you can start playing the game does depend on your region, though. However, well ahead of the release date, those who have pre-ordered the game on the Xbox Series X|S can start preloading the game on March 4. For those who purchased Shadows for your PC, the preload date is set for March 17. If you bought it for the PlayStation 5, your preload is available on March 18. Hopefully March 17 and 18 are enough time for players to prepare enough download space and get ready to play.
Our countdown timer reflects the exact time Assassin’s Creed: Shadows should be available to everyone worldwide. Some players might be able to access the game much earlier, depending on their time zone and where they’re playing the game.
The release time varies depending on whether you’re playing on a console, through Steam, or on Ubisoft’s Ubiconnect application. For consoles, it appears to be a universal time, whereas, through Ubiconnect and Steam, the release time varies for your time zone.
Here’s a full breakdown of the exact release date for Assassin’s Creed Shadows in every part of the world.
| Timezone | Exact release date and time |
|---|---|
| Tokyo (JST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 9pm JST Steam: March 20, 1pm JST Consoles: March 20, 12am JST |
| Seoul (KST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 9pm KST Steam: March 20, 1pm KST Consoles: March 20, 12am KST |
| Sydney (AEDT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 11pm AEDT Steam: March 20, 3pm AEDT Consoles: March 20, 12am AEDT |
| Shanghai (CST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 8pm CST Steam: March 20, 12am CST Consoles: March 20, 12am CST |
| Abu Dhabi (GST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 20, 2am GST Steam: March 20, 8am GST Consoles: March 20, 12am GST |
| Johannesburg (SAST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 20, 12am SAST Steam: March 20, 6am SAST Consoles: March 20, 12am SAST |
| Warsaw (CET) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 11pm CET Steam: March 20, 5am CET Consoles: March 20, 12am CET |
| Paris (CET) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 11pm CET Steam: March 20, 5am CET Consoles: March 20, 12am CET |
| London (GMT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 10pm GMT Steam: March 20, 4am GMT Consoles: March 20, 12am GMT |
| Sao Paulo (BRT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 20, 1am BRT Steam: March 20, 1am BRT Consoles: March 20, 12am BRT |
| Montreal (EDT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 20, 12am EDT Steam: March 20, 12am EDT Consoles: March 20, 12am EDT |
| New York (EDT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 20, 12am EDT Steam: March 20, 12am EDT Consoles: March 20, 12am EDT |
| Mexico (CST) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 10pm CST Steam: March 19, 10pm CST Consoles: March 20, 12am CST |
| Los Angeles (PDT) | Ubisoft Connect: March 19, 9pm PDT Steam: March 19, 9pm PDT Consoles: March 20, 12am PDT |
If you pre-order the Gold or Ultimate edition of Assassin’s Creed Shadows or subscribe to Ubisoft+ Premium, you can start playing the game on March 20. Previously, Ubisoft did offer to release the game three days early. This has been retracted, and instead, players who pre-order the game can jump into DLC instead.
Published: Mar 12, 2025 01:42 pm