How to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows early access

Ubisoft’s taking you to Feudal Japan in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and if you’re looking to get in early, we’ve got you covered. 

Assassin’s Creed Shadows follows the story of two protagonists: Yasuke and Naoe, who share a common ground but have diverse playstyles. Naoe is a Shinobi assassin from Iga Province who specializes in stealth and ambushes her enemies, while Yasuke is an African samurai based on a historical figure who relies heavily on his strength and technique. 

Here’s how you can get your hands on Assassin’s Creed Shadows early to explore its stunning castle towns and Japanese landscapes.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ early access, explained

You can preorder Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Gold and Ultimate editions to get three days of early access. 

Apart from early access, the Gold edition, costing $109.99, includes a season pass with a bonus quest at launch and two upcoming expansions. If you want to go all-out, the Ultimate edition costs $129.99 and contains all the above benefits, plus the Sekiryu Character Pack, Hideout Pack, five skill points to give you an early game boost, and the Red Dragon filter in Photo mode.

Like other Ubisoft open-world titles, the game should take many hours to finish. Thus, a three-day head-start is probably worth the bucks if you want to stay ahead of the curve and finish the game without having anyone spoil the ending. 

Moreover, if you don’t want to rush through the title and want to savor the game’s lush, dynamic environment and take your time completing side-quests, the three-day head-start allows you to do that while keeping pace with everyone who starts playing on release day. 

Next, check out our article explaining how the Assassin’s Creed community put their brains together to solve a cryptic message leading up to the game’s launch.