Assassin's Creed Shadows' final PC specs suggest ray tracing and upscaling are the new standard

[midian182]

What just happened? You might not care much about ray tracing, but video game makers certainly do. The final PC requirements for Assassin's Creed Shadows have arrived, and, much like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, turning off ray tracing effects isn't an option. Also, the given resolutions are specified as "using dynamic resolution and upscaling."

Assassin's Creed Shadows' PC specifications come in three categories: selective ray tracing, standard ray tracing, and extended ray tracing. Selective ray tracing mode uses raytracing only within the Hideout portion of the game. Standard ray tracing uses real-time global illumination, and extended ray tracing uses both real-time global illumination and reflections.

For a game that appears very demanding, the bare minimum specs aren't too bad – though all the listed resolutions and frame rates are using upscaling. With graphics set to low, the game will work with a minimum GTX 1070 / Radeon RX 5700 8GB / Intel Arc A580 8GB (rebar on) and a Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 5 3600. You're stuck with 1080p at 30 fps, though.

Ubisoft explains that if your GPU does not support hardware raytracing, such as pre-RTX GPUs, "we have developed our own solution to allow competent, yet older, GPUs to run Assassin's Creed Shadows. The game will use a proprietary software-based raytracing approach developed specifically for that. This was made to ensure Assassin's Creed Shadows remains accessible to as many players as possible."

The recommended setting with medium graphics at 1080p/60fps, likely the target for many players, requires at least an RTX 3060 Ti / Radeon RX 6700 XT / Intel Arc B580 12GB with a Core i5-11600K / Ryzen 5 5600X.

High settings with selective ray tracing at 1440p/60 fps asks for a minimum RTX 3080 /Radeon 6800 XT with a Core i7-11600K/Ryzen 5 5600X.

If you're lucky enough to own an RTX 4090 and a Core i7-13700K, you can enjoy the highest setting: extended ray tracing with Ultra graphics settings at 4K.

A quick look at the Steam survey shows the most popular card is the RTX 3060. There are three 4000-series in the top five, though the GTX 1650 is still hanging on in fourth place.

Here is Assassin's Creed Shadows' full specs list:

SELECTIVE RAY TRACING

MINIMUM

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 30 FPS

• Visual Settings: Low
• CPU: Intel Core i7 8700k/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB/ Intel Arc A580 8GB (REBAR ON)

RECOMMENDED

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 60 FPS

• Visual Settings: High
• CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)

ENTHUSIAST

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440P at 60 FPS

• Visual Settings: High
• CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 4K at 60 FPS

• Visual Settings: High
• CPU: Intel Core i7 12700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 5800x3D
• GPU:Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB/ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB

STANDARD RAY TRACING

MINIMUM

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 30 FPS

• Visual Settings: High
• CPU: Intel Core i7 8700k/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)

RECOMMENDED

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440P at 60 FPS

• Visual Settings: High
• CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB/ AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB

EXTENDED RAY TRACING

ENTHUSIAST

• Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440p at 60 FPS
• Visual Settings: Ultra
• CPU: Intel Core i7 13700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3D
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB

EXTREME

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 4K at 60 FPS

• Visual Settings: Ultra
• CPU: Intel Core i7 13700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3D
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 24GB

Elsewhere, an SSD will be mandatory, which is pretty standard these days. You'll also need 16GB of RAM and Windows 10 or 11 with DirectX 12.

Ubisoft has listed some of Shadows' PC-specific features. Beyond the ray-traced global illuminations and reflections, there's support for all three upscalers – DLSS 3.7, FSR 3.1, and XeSS 2 – ultrawide support, and an in-game benchmark tool, among others.

The failure of Star Wars Outlaws worried Ubisoft so much that it decided to postpone the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows from its original launch date last year to February 14, then again to March 20.

Pre-orders for Shadows are open now, priced at $70 for the standard edition, $90 for the Digital Deluxe Edition, and $230 for the Collector's Edition. All pre-orders include the Claws of Awaji expansion.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows' final PC specs suggest ray tracing and upscaling are the new standard

 

[Jarenien]

RT and DLSS should be the new standard. If your PC can't handle either of those, then upgrade that fossil; or if you're too dumb in the melon to turn on DLSS, then you have no right to complain. It would be equivalent to whining about how long it takes to walk to work even though you have a perfectly fine vehicle you could be driving, but choose not to like a re-re.

 

[Badvok]

"You might not care much about ray tracing" - please stop saying this! Your audience is not just competitive gamers! There are many of us who are quite happy playing single player games at 60fps with beautiful graphics.

 

[yRaz]

RT and DLSS should be the new standard. If your PC can't handle either of those, then upgrade that fossil; or if you're too dumb in the melon to turn on DLSS, then you have no right to complain. It would be equivalent to whining about how long it takes to walk to work even though you have a perfectly fine vehicle you could be driving, but choose not to like a re-re.

This right here, folks, is a prime example of a consumer who is so disconnected from reality that they have no idea what the problem actually is, why people are mad and why the decline is not only inevitable, but accelerating.

In other news, this game will likely be a flop relative to its development costs.

 

[HardwareHunt365]

Ubisoft can add Path Tracing and 8K textures to the game, but those features alone won’t fix the underlying issues it seems to be facing. I really hope, for the sake of the Assassin's Creed franchise, that it manages to avoid becoming a disaster.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

Requiring ray tracing makes sense for new "AAA" games. It's been 6 years and (now) 4 generations of GPUs supporting it. (even consoles and mobile support it)

At this point either only do ray tracing or don't do it at all. The development cost of doing both no longer makes sense.

Many games don't need ray tracing, but for those that decide to use it, requiring it makes sense.

 

[Burty117]

I really hope, for the sake of the Assassin's Creed franchise, that it manages to avoid becoming a disaster.

I would argue the opposite, I hope this flops so the franchise can Rest In Peace.
It had its time, they've really just produced the same copy and paste slop since Black Flag (2013).

Based on sales figures for Ubisoft's last few games (Star Wars: Outlaws, Skull and Bones, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora) their sales figures were really bad, I think the world has finally caught on that corporate drivel may look pretty, but everything else is rubbish about it.

 

[Dreadcthulhu]

I would say that thankfully buying a dumpster fire of a game like this is also optional, but then I remembered that Ubisoft is the master of convincing governments around the world, from Montreal to Singapore, into funding their slop somehow. So a lot of people are effectively stuck paying for it (through taxes).

 

[NumberNine]

If "major" studios continue to overly rely on expensive gimmicks they will continue to have their lunches eaten by indie developers who are squarely focused on making objectively good, fun, affordable video games. Last time I checked, Ubisoft's future did not look promising.

Just remember, when someone is drowning the last thing that goes under is their mouth.

 

[Billybobjoey]

Gameplay-wise, the game seems great. Of the "modern" Assassin's Creeds I loved Odyssey, hated Valhalla. I am actually interested in checking it out, but boy do all these games requiring ray tracing suck. Tank performance so that the shadows are all fizzley when something moves in front of it. Great. I'll go to bat for RT reflections but everything else is unnecessary and looks worse in motion.

 

[Ohnooze]

Assassin's Creed Shadows also suggest that this may be the end of Ubisoft.

 

[redgarl]

Thank you Nvidia for the mess you created...

 

[AlexIL]

They don't want to get it. Because it would mean change in leadership and whole board. Better run the corp into the ground.

Great graphics but constant internet connection with DRM means a whole bunch of buyers bypass that. Add to it lousy story, chores of grind, ugly characters and you have a recipe for a flop.

 

[toooooot]

Come on Ubi, you can do it. One final flop and then the sale of the company to TenCent.

 

[Jarenien]

This right here, folks, is a prime example of a consumer who is so disconnected from reality that they have no idea what the problem actually is, why people are mad and why the decline is not only inevitable, but accelerating.

In other news, this game will likely be a flop relative to its development costs.

Lol, that's all I'm going to say here. Believe what you want folks, I honestly couldn't care less cuz I'll be playing games at 120+ fps and happy while you're still sitting here whining like little b's.

 

[scoffer]

Won't be a new standard in my house. Don't want it and don't need it. As simple as that. I'm perfectly happy with the state of my graphics sans all that BS, thank you. I reckon it's all an under-the table arrangement by Nvidia and sucker games companies. Of course, if you wish to make games where RT etc. is obligatory, then I simply won't buy your games. EVEN IF it is the latest DOOM incarnation. But that's life I guess. I have hundreds of perfectly good games WITHOUT obligatory RT etc. BS to keep me going for decades.

 

[Ashford]

RT and DLSS should be the new standard. If your PC can't handle either of those, then upgrade that fossil; or if you're too dumb in the melon to turn on DLSS, then you have no right to complain. It would be equivalent to whining about how long it takes to walk to work even though you have a perfectly fine vehicle you could be driving, but choose not to like a re-re.

I thought this post was parody when I first read it.

We've actually got a consumer advocating for locking everyone but NVidia owners out of new releases.

You are either woefully misinformed or paid by NVidia. Will stand by for your next post claiming DeepSeek being source is bad for consumers.

 

[Ashford]

Lol, that's all I'm going to say here. Believe what you want folks, I honestly couldn't care less cuz I'll be playing games at 120+ fps and happy while you're still sitting here whining like little b's.

From the guy who thinks he's getting actual frames versus artificially genetated "frame shadows".

I get that in some art styles it improves fluidity... but if you understood the technology, you'd understand why DLSS is just make-up. There are so many actual benchmarks now thats its one of those "people only believe it if they've made it part of their identity at this point"... a la MAGA.

 

[Jarenien]

From the guy who thinks he's getting actual frames versus artificially genetated "frame shadows".

I get that in some art styles it improves fluidity... but if you understood the technology, you'd understand why DLSS is just make-up. There are so many actual benchmarks now thats its one of those "people only believe it if they've made it part of their identity at this point"... a la MAGA.

It's hilarious that you think they are fake frames, when they are real ones. Fake would be a stutter-fest because the frames don't actually exist, but these do, and they make the framerate buttery-smooth and the gameplay freaking amazing. But as I said before, you continue to do you, because I couldn't care less, I just kind of am tired of the clueless posting that FG is fake frames, when it most definitely is not.

 

[Jarenien]

We've actually got a consumer advocating for locking everyone but NVidia owners out of new releases.

Well if AMD would actually be competitive in the market, then technology would be adapted to be used by all just like how all makers of SSD's are competitive, because they, #shock, all make products that are similar in quality and performance, but AMD just blows so much arse it isn't even funny, and while Intel shows promise, they are so far behind the game that it'll take them a good 5-10 years yet before they are even remotely competitive. Therefore, it really is either Nvidia or go home at this point. It's not Nvidia's fault that their competitors are just that bad...

 

[longjohn119]

RT and DLSS should be the new standard. If your PC can't handle either of those, then upgrade that fossil; or if you're too dumb in the melon to turn on DLSS, then you have no right to complain. It would be equivalent to whining about how long it takes to walk to work even though you have a perfectly fine vehicle you could be driving, but choose not to like a re-re.

Exactly ...... If you only need to have RTGI and not also support SSGI or other type of global illumination you can make the ray traced RTGI more performant because you don't have to make compromises inherent in supporting two completely different types of global illumination

 

[JupitersMoon]

RT and DLSS should be the new standard. If your PC can't handle either of those, then upgrade that fossil; or if you're too dumb in the melon to turn on DLSS, then you have no right to complain. It would be equivalent to whining about how long it takes to walk to work even though you have a perfectly fine vehicle you could be driving, but choose not to like a re-re.

This is a delusional take. This will just push people back to buying consoles. NVIDIA has the lions share of actual ray tracing that works and their GPU's are absurdly expensive. Why pay thousands of dollars for just one component to play this game when they can spend 5 to 600 on a console. This is why I switched to AMD because this hobby is getting way to expensive due to greed of corporations

 

[Tran Bronstein]

Did I read correctly that Ubisoft is implementing a software based ray-tracing approach for those whose older cards can't handle hardware based ray-tracing? Is this not a seriously important development? The idea that it be done via software and not just hardware acceleration?

 

[poohbear]

This right here, folks, is a prime example of a consumer who is so disconnected from reality that they have no idea what the problem actually is, why people are mad and why the decline is not only inevitable, but accelerating.

In other news, this game will likely be a flop relative to its development costs.

Care to explain then? Cause I honestly have no clue what you're referring to. What is the problem? And why are people mad?