Assassin's Creed Shadows free download officially confirmed ahead of launch

Those who pick up Assassin’s Creed Shadows can not only claim free mission DLC but also a full expansion episode as confirmed by Ubisoft.#It’s fair to say that pre-launch hasn't gone too great for Ubisoft’s next entry in its popular Assassin’s Creed series. Recently, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was delayed for a third time which will now see it launch next month (assuming it’s not delayed for a fourth time).

Check out the Assassin’s Creed Shadows trailer below!

Thankfully at least, recent hands-on previews have suggested that we have lots of reasons to be excited about Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

In our preview of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, GAMINGbible’s Ewan said: “The best thing I can say about Assassin’s Creed Shadows is that despite my minor reservations, I haven’t really stopped thinking about it. Ubisoft has created a stunning world, and a potential new fan-favourite Assassin in Naoe.”

As is the nature of a lot of AAA games, fans are encouraged to pre-order in the hope that the video game publishers have impressive launch numbers to share with shareholders. One such way to boost pre-orders is by offering pre-order incentives to consumers.

As reported by Dexerto, by pre-ordering Assassin’s Creed Shadows, not only will players be rewarded with the ‘Thrown to the Dogs’ bonus mission, but they’ll also be gifted with a story expansion for free which was previously only available with the season pass and is said to feature around 10 hours of additional content.

As an apology for the previous delay, those who pre-order will be gifted with the ‘Claws of Awaji’ expansion for free.“Embark on a completely new adventure as Naoe & Yasuke and travel to the mysterious Island of Awaji beyond Osaka Bay,” reads the synopsis of ‘Claws of Awaji’.

“As the pair scour this new region seeking to reclaim a lost treasure, they are hunted relentlessly by deadly new foes. Securing the object—and Japan's future—won't be easy, with all the traps and ambushes putting our protagonists at risk.”

‘Claws of Awaji’ will be available sometime after the launch of Assassin’s Creed Shadows while the ‘Thrown to the Dogs’ bonus mission will be available on launch.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on 20 March 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.