Exact launch time for Assassin's Creed Shadows and when you can pre-load

Assassin's Creed Shadows is around a week away with excitement for the anticipated title reaching fever pitch. Following several delays and some 'unfortunate' leaks, players that have dodged spoilers will finally be getting their hands on the game when it launches on March 20, 2025.

Although fans might have been looking at that release date tentatively waiting for it to slide backwards again, it seems more likely than ever that Ubisoft is set to hit its target. That's due to some players already able to pre-load the game and review copies already in the hands of journalists.

Those looking to really get ahead of the curve can jump onto the game the minute it launches in their territory, with a pre-load available to install days before the game is even out. Ubisoft has revealed all the details avid fans need to know, which are listed here:

Xbox fans are in the lucky camp as they're currently able to pre-load Assassin's Creed Shadows right now. This is fantastic news if you have slower internet as it means you're able to download the game's huge file size more than a week ahead of release.

Plenty of gamers will likely need that longer lead time, as the download size for the pre-load files is around 123.24GB. That's the largest Assassin's Creed game to date, with 2020's Valhalla only requiring 47GB of storage.

Those playing on PC and PlayStation will need to wait a little longer to start preloading their copies. PC players can start downloading on Steam, Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect from March 17, while PlayStation players will need to wait even longer until March 18.

The exact time you'll be able to jump in and play Assassin's Creed Shadows will also differ depending on your platform of choice. Console players have