The upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows looks far more appealing to me than the last few entries in the AC series thanks to its historic Japanese setting and dual protagonists. The game was initially scheduled to release on Nov. 15, 2024, but it has since been delayed to Valentines Day, Feb. 14, 2025. To get people excited for the release, Ubisoft is offering preorders for four different editions of the game: A Standard Edition, Gold Edition, Ultimate Edition, and Collector's Edition.
Not sure which one to buy? I'll go over what exactly is included in each edition to help you make the best choice for your playing desires.
- Buy Standard Edition: $69.99 at Best Buy (Xbox) | $69.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
- Buy Gold Edition: $109.99 at Best Buy | $109.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
- Buy Ultimate Edition: $129.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
- Buy Collector's Edition: $279.99 at GameStop (Xbox) | $279.99 at GameStop (PS5)
Assassin's Creed Shadows Standard Edition
- Buy Standard Edition: $69.99 at Best Buy (Xbox) | $69.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
INCLUDES: - Base game
- Preorder bonus
As you'd expect, the Standard Edition of Assassin's Creed Shadows simply comes with the base game. However, those who preorder Shadows will get an additional bonus quest entitled, "Thrown to the Dogs." The Standard Edition sells for $69.99 and is available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Gold Edition
- Buy Gold Edition: $109.99 at Best Buy | $109.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
INCLUDES: - Base game
- Pre-order bonus
- Season Pass
3 Days Early AccessEarly Access is no longer available now that the release date has shifted.
Those who want just a little bit more than the base game will be interested in the Gold Edition, which unlocks the Season Pass. Initially, purchasing this edition also gave players three days early access to Assassin's Creed Shadows, however, early access has now been removed with the delayed release date. According to Ubisoft, the Season Pass provides a bonus quest for players to access on day one as well as access to two expansions that will be coming to the game down the road.
The Assassin's Creed Gold Edition sells for $109.99 and is available for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Ultimate Edition
- Buy Ultimate Edition: $129.99 at Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, PS5)
INCLUDES - Base game
- Pre-order bonus
- Season Pass
3 Days Early AccessEarly Access is no longer available now that the release date has shifted.- Ultimate Pack
- The Sekiryu Character Pack including gear and weapon sets for both Naoe and Yasuke, the Sekiryu Beast, and Dragon Tooth trinket.
- The Sekiryu Hideout Pack including four unique ornaments to customize the hideout for your shinobi league.
- Five skill points.
- The Red Dragon filter in Photo mode.
The main difference between Gold Edition and Ultimate Edition is that the latter grants access to the Ultimate Pack, which gives players gear, a photo mode filter, and a leg up at the start of the game thanks to five skill points. It's the perfect buy for people who like to hit the ground running while playing RPGs.
Ultimate Edition sells for $129.99 and is available for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Collector's Edition
- Buy Collector's Edition: $279.99 at GameStop (Xbox) | $279.99 at GameStop (PS5)
INCLUDES: - Base game
- Pre-order bonus
- Season Pass
3 Days Early AccessEarly Access is no longer available now that the release date has shifted.- Ultimate pack
- The Sekiryu Character Pack including gear and weapon sets for both Naoe and Yasuke, the Sekiryu Beast, and Dragon Tooth trinket.
- The Sekiryu Hideout Pack including four unique ornaments to customize the hideout for your shinobi league.
- Five skill points.
- The Red Dragon filter in Photo mode.
- Diorama figurine with dual protagonists
- Hardcover artbook
- Shinobi's metal tsuba replica with stand
- Silk creed kakemono roll
- Set of 3 sumi-e lithographs
Ah, yes. The Collector's Edition. This purchase allows the biggest Assassin's Creed fans to show off their love of the series. From a goodies standpoint, this purchase gives you the Ultimate Edition plus several physical extras including a figurine depicting the game's two lead characters. As someone who loves concept art, it's great to see that there's also a hardcover artbook, a silk roll, and three lithographs.
The Assassin's Creed Collector's Edition sells for $279.99 and is currently only available for Xbox Series X|S and PS5 at GameStop.
Shadows is gearing up to be one of the best Assassin's Creed games yet
• Best Xbox / PC headsets in 2024
• Best upcoming Xbox / PC games
• Best Xbox controllers
• Best Xbox accessories
• Best small gaming PCs
• Best gaming laptops in 2024
I've been a fan of Assassin's Creed for a while now, but I definitely lost interest in the series after Odyssey. Valhalla looked too long and repetitive and Mirage was fun (as seen in my Assassin's Creed Mirage review), but didn't really offer anything new to spark my interest. However, Assassin's Creed Shadows has managed to reignite the fire inside of me thanks to its dual protagonists and historic setting in 1500s - 1600s Japan.
I love the idea of having two separate people with completely different fighting styles as the lead characters. Controlling them at different points in the story is sure to add variety, not to mention challenges, to each quest. While I would love to get the figurine and artwork provided in the Collector's Edition, I think I'll be settling for the Gold Edition. It gives me access to all of the quests I want to experience and isn't too costly on my hungry wallet.
Assassin's Creed Shadows looks like it might be one of the best PC games of 2024, as well as one of the best Xbox games of all time. It's slated to launch on the Ubisoft (PC, Xbox, and PS5), Xbox store, and PlayStation Store on Feb 14, 2025. Preorder now and snag your copy of the game.
