Assassin’s Creed Shadows is hands-down one of the best Assassins Creed games of the last decade, but does it run well on the Nintendo Switch 2?
The short answer is “Yes, but…”, because it’s hard to call this particular port an all-round win. At launch, my answer would have been “No”, as I was plagued by hard crashes and constant frame rate fluctuation that made the game near unplayable.
Platform reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: December 2, 2025 (Nintendo Switch 2)
Thankfully, Ubisoft has bucked the trend in more ways than one with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Not only did the Switch 2 port land mere months after the game’s console release, but a major patch arrived just two weeks later, fixing a vast majority of the game-breaking issues. I’m reviewing the (now broadly) fixed port, so I won’t languish on those early problems too much.
We reviewed the game itself earlier this year, scoring it an impressive 4.5/5 for its rich combat system, ample content, and dual-protagonist system, and all of these highlights naturally carry across to the Switch port.
The story pacing is a little slow in places, and as Managing Editor Rob Dwiar noted, it peters out the further you get along in Naoe and Yasuke’s journey, but broadly speaking, it’s a brilliant game worth picking up. If you want our full thoughts on the game’s story, combat system and beyond, check out our original review.
Performance, on the other hand, is naturally very different on Nintendo’s hybrid handheld console, and concerns over whether the Switch 2 could handle such a meaty game – especially in handheld mode – were clearly justified. Still, I’m impressed.
No man left behind
Shadows is the first Assassin’s Creed game to really capture my interest since Black Flag. However, being a Nintendo fan can spell disappointment when it comes to ports; not only do you have to wait longer for a well-optimized version, but the optimization process can also involve removing some content.
With this Switch 2 port, however, you get full access to the game in its entirety (barring, as of writing, the DLC) as well as cross-save, meaning you can pick up where you left off on your PS5, Xbox, or gaming PC.
You do benefit from a few further features fit for the Switch 2’s form factor – and, contain your excitement, that means touchscreen menus. Of course, the real benefit is being able to crack your way through the game’s many side quests and explorable regions without being glued to your TV or desktop.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a massive game with plenty to explore and do. This makes it a great fit for playing on the go, as it’s perfect to dip in and out of.
More than this, though, some elements of the game have been revamped to suit the Switch 2, and the game makes great use of the console’s hardware. Switching from docked to handheld mode is seamless, with automatic UI adjustments for easy transitions, for example.
Impressively, the Nintendo Switch 2 can convincingly render 16th-century Feudal Japan in great detail despite the obvious hardware limitations, achieving this feat with clever optimizations for both handheld and docked modes. In fact, having experienced how bad it could be pre-patch, I can appreciate all the more the ways Ubisoft has crammed this massive, sprawling game into such a small package.
A downgrade, but no downer
In part, that’s thanks to Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology, which works to upscale lower resolution images in the background. Although capped at 30fps, the game remains highly immersive and visually stunning, especially now that this framerate is more stable post-patch.
Where pre-patch, dense areas and busy combat could lead to huge stutters and even forced ejection to the menu, the game now runs impressively smoothly, though I wouldn’t quite go as far as to call it buttery. You’ll still occasionally find loading into a new area a bit choppy, and loading screens themselves can be quite intensive on the system.
You’re obviously not getting the fidelity of a more powerful console like the PS5 Pro’s Ray Tracing tech, but all things considered, the world is rich and immersive. When you hone in on the finer details, you’ll notice the cracks more; the lack of light and shade and textures like water look a little cartoonish, crowds of NPCs are thinner, the level of detail in distant objects is lower, and the movements of clothing and facial expressions all suffer a little, but it isn’t enough to prevent you from enjoying the game overall.
Docked and handheld mode respectively.
There are more glaring issues that break immersion, like the occasional pop-in and anti-aliasing shimmer. In docked mode, these feel more offensive, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows really shines in handheld mode, where the smaller screen can compensate for the game’s overall quality, plus a dedicated algorithm keeps variable refresh rate (VRR) enabled even at 30 FPS, according to developers.
Despite this, and that I preferred playing in handheld mode overall, the game can be almost blurry at times, and you’ll most certainly notice the difference in the level of detail.
Fundamentally, all the moments that really matter in an Assassin’s Creed game stick the landing in the post-patch version of the game; combat is snappy and rewarding, unlocking vantage points oozes grandeur and marvel, and naturally, the world is a delight to explore on foot, too.
If you’re coming across from a more powerful console, prepare for an adjustment period, but if it’s your first time playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you may come away thinking that’s how the game was always meant to play, and that’s a real testament to a well-made port.
Should you play Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2?
Play it if…
You want a huge open-world AC game to sink hours into
Shadows is the next big Assassin’s Creed game and if you’ve been after another experience like that of Odyssey or Valhalla then Shadows will not disappoint with its large world and the amount of things to do.
You’ve been pining for a Feudal Japan setting for Assassin’s Creed
The wait for Assassin’s Creed to take the adventure to Feudal Japan has been absolutely worth it. The landscapes, characters, and history of the place are perfect for the series and Shadows capitalizes on that well.
You enjoy different combat playstyles
If you’re an action-adventure fan who likes to constantly mix things up in combat or have multiplayer playstyle options, then those offered by Naoe and Yasuke could scratch quite the itch.
You want an open-world game with rewarding exploration
Shadows shakes up the series’ traditional exploration and offers something far more nuanced, immersive, and rewarding. Nothing is fed to you, and areas aren’t suddenly filled after reaching viewpoints; the world entices you to explore it and the satisfaction of doing it is excellent.
Don’t play it if…
You prefer the smaller Assassin’s Creed adventures
Assassin’s Creed Mirage this is not, and if you prefer the more focused, small-scale adventures that the series has been known for in the past, then Shadows might be a bit overwhelming.
You don’t want to devote hours to resource-gathering and location completing
While there’s so much to do across Shadows’ landscapes, you’ll need to spend a good while gathering resources to get the most out of the hideout mode and complete a lot of minigames and locations to unlock the top skills.
Accessibility
Ubisoft’s modern suite of strong accessibility options is available in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are multiple difficulty levels (all of which are described in full) that affect combat and stealth, and you can also change the game to have one-hit assassinations. If you want to make exploration easier, you can turn on guidance for that to make discovery more straightforward.
There are options to change or turn off graphic effects such as blood, as well as alter the camera, and change inputs for actions. There are also plenty of options for subtitles, text size, background color for text, and language options. The game also features modes to cater to Red-Green and Blue-Yellow colorblindness.
How I reviewed Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2
I’ve spent 20 hours in Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2, comparing my experience against that of our original reviewer and Xbox Series X performance to assess how well optimized the game is for the console.
In that time, I explored vast swathes of feudal Japan, engaged in plenty of combat sequences, developed my hideout and progressed through the storyline to make my comparisons.
I reviewed Assassin’s Creed Shadows on my Nintendo Switch 2 in both handheld and docked mode using a Corsair Void Max Wireless v2 headset and through the Switch 2 speakers.
First reviewed January 2026
