How Long Is Assassin's Creed Shadows? Campaign Hours Revealed

Assassin's Creed Shadows is now available worldwide, giving players of the long-running series another massive game to jump into. If you're wondering how long to beat Assassin's Creed Shadows, you're not alone. The game has already eclipsed a million players within hours of its release. This time, Ubisoft is finally giving players the Assassin's Creed premise they've clamored for going back decades: a sequel set in Japan. With two playable characters--one a shinobi and one a samurai--and another expansive map full of secrets, bosses, and quests, here's how long it takes to beat Assassin's Creed Shadows depending on your preferred playstyle.

How long it takes to beat Assassin's Creed Shadows

Like any gigantic action-RPG, Assassin's Creed Shadows can vary in its playtime hours, with completionists needing many dozens of hours to wipe the map of everything, while those focused on only the critical path will need far fewer (though still many) hours. If you're the type to just play the main storyline, you can expect to beat the game in roughly 40-50 hours. Because regions are level-gated, though, you'll likely want to spend at least some additional time doing optional quests, taking down the game's mini-bosses found at all Kabukimono locations, and upgrading your hideout, as these things will make the game much easier for you than if you simply try to brute-force your way through harder sections.

Therefore, a playthrough that spends time doing some but not all optional activities will take more like 50-70 hours. This might include completing all of Naoe's flashback missions to when she's spending time with her family, collecting all the game's pets who can live at your hideout, or unlocking high points and clearing enemy encampments.

For those most committed to the Hidden Ones, a full 100% completion will take at least 75 hours, and possibly as many as 100 depending on how much you veer off course to do some additional exploration or sight-seeing.

Assassin's Creed Shadows, like the last several games in the series (except for the intentionally smaller Mirage), is a massive game and wants to be your focus for weeks or months to come. Should you give it your attention, it'll give you plenty back to enjoy. You can read more about that in our Assassin's Creed Shadows review. If you've already made up your mind and bought the game, we can offer lots more help over in our Assassin's Creed Shadows guides hub.