How does Assassin's Creed Shadows really run on Nintendo Switch 2?

Assassin's Creed Shadows needed to sell well for Ubisoft and, according to its latest (delayed) earnings report, it has done exactly that.

While not providing specific sales figures, Ubisoft said Assassin's Creed Shadows is "over-performing" expectations and those admittedly unknown figures could get a lot better as the game releases imminently on another platform.

WHY NOT READ: indy100's Assassin's Creed Shadows review

Assassin's Creed Shadows is releasing on Nintendo Switch 2 and is expected to push the hardware hard given it has such a large open world and there is so much to do in the game.

Ahead of its release, I've been hands-on with Assassin's Creed Shadows on Switch 2 to find out how exactly it performs.

To be clear, this is not a full review of Assassin's Creed Shadows but focuses on how the game performs on this platform specifically ahead of its release. For the full review from when the game first released, click here.

The Switch 2 release of Assassin's Creed Shadows comes more than six months after it released on home consoles / Ubisoft

Let's start with some of the tech background. At launch on Switch 2, Assassin's Creed Shadows will have all of the latest content and feature updates with the exception of the Claws of Awaji DLC, which is coming later in 2026. Cross progression is enabled for those who connect a Ubisoft account.

Assassin's Creed Shadows targets 30 fps (frames per second) in both docked and handheld modes with some game assets having to be modified specifically for Switch 2 by developers.

Although the Switch 2 supports ray-traced Global Illumination, Ubisoft has used its own Global Illumination system to "preserve the overall experience as much as possible".

Level of detail, draw distances, texture resolution and element loading have been "adjusted" with the aim to maintain performance without compromising the world's depth. Upscaling technology Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) has also been used.

Assassin's Creed Shadows uses HDR to make colours more vivid and handheld mode's VRR (variable refresh rate) has been used to give a smoother gameplay feeling to players. Touch screen controls have been added too, meaning players can navigate maps and menus at the touch of a finger.

This all sounds promising on paper - but what's it like in practice?

Areas with high NPC density caused me a lot of stuttering / Jake Brigstock, indy100 & The Independent

To start, loading up Assassin's Creed Shadows for the first time and connecting my Ubisoft account, it was seamless being able to carry on my existing PS5 save if I wanted to.

Starting with docked, the resolution remained stable at what seemed to be 1080p - however my frame rate stuttered consistently below 30 fps in areas with higher NPC density. It wasn't much below 30 fps but was noticeable and rarely reached that target here.

However in open areas, it ran stable; frame rates were much more consistent here. Cutscenes also ran at a stable 30 fps even if details and facial animations on character models appear scaled down.

With the lighting, the shadows do not look great as they do not reflect where they are on your character, they look heavily pixellated on other buildings and lower lighting in general could be a lot better.

But lighter and brighter colours are fantastic, especially when out exploring in the open world, with HDR really coming to the fore here. Exploration is when Assassin's Creed Shadows is at its best on Switch 2 when docked.

Across both handheld and docked, as Ubisoft had already mentioned, Assassin's Creed Shadows NPC density has noticeably decreased to improve its performance - but it's not drastic.

Moving on to handheld, with the help of VRR, the frame rate was stable here across the board, I did not encounter any noticeable dips at any point in any environment.

The resolution is noticeably lower than docked and some detailing can look odd but being someone that usually puts more of a focus on fps than resolution, I didn't mind this as much.

However the colours are nowhere near as strong in handheld compared to docked and look a bit washed out in comparison.

Assassin's Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2 is at its best when exploring / Ubisoft

Having said all of that, it sounds like I'm being quite harsh and critical of the game's performance here (bear in mind I have also played through this game on PS5).

But absolutely do not underestimate how impressive it is that Ubisoft has got a game of the scale of Assassin's Creed Shadows running like this on Nintendo Switch 2.

It's quite simply remarkable and the seamless cross progression system should be massively praised. Ubisoft seemingly knows that if you've got a PS5, Xbox Series X/S or a PC then that's the ideal way to play.

But if you want to take Assassin's Creed Shadows on the go with you, this dedicated Switch 2 port is the best way to do so for me.

And even if your only option is to play Assassin's Creed Shadows on Nintendo Switch 2, with the game being a good experience, you won't be disappointed.

Assassin's Creed Shadows releases on Nintendo Switch 2 on 2 December. The game is already out now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Assassin's Creed Shadows review: The Ubisoft saviour?
• How does Star Wars Outlaws really run on Nintendo Switch 2?

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