3 Reasons to Pre-Order Assassin’s Creed Shadows & 4 Reasons to Wait

Assassin’s Creed Shadows pre-orders are live. And while you might want to buy a copy right now, there are some great reasons to wait.

The Assassin’s Creed series is leaving Norway, Britain, and ancient Baghdad and it’s headed to feudal Japan. The game will put you into the shoes of two protagonists, samurai Yasuke or assassin Naoe.

Shadows is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows, and silicon Mac models on November 15th though there’s a way to play it earlier than that.

Huge fans of the series, might want to pre-order a copy right now. If you buy a copy ahead of the release date, you’ll get a bonus and you’ll be able to play the game immediately.

There are also some reasons to hold off on a pre-order for the time being.

If you’re currently on the fence, let us take you through the best reasons to pre-order Assassin’s Creed Shadows right now and the best reasons to put your your wallet away and wait.

Pre-Order For These Bonuses

Pre-orders come with some bonuses. If any of them interest you, you should buy the game early.

Pre-ordering any version of the game nets you a bonus quest called Thrown to the Dogs. It’s unclear how long the quest is.

Amazon has an exclusive pre-order bonus dubbed Sekiryu Character Pack and it includes gear and weapon sets for Naoe, the Sekiryu Beast, and Dragon Tooth trinket.

Best Buy is also providing customers with a pre-order bonus though it’s a bit different. The retailer is throwing in a lithograph set which has a retail value of $9.99.

Pre-Order If You Want to Play ASAP

If you know you want to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows the second it’s released, you’ll want to pre-order.

Three versions of the game (Gold, Ultimate, and Collector’s) come with three days early access to the full game. So instead of playing on November 15th, those who pre-order one of these bundles can start playing on November 12th.

If you pre-order a digital copy of the game instead of a physical copy, you’ll be able to pre-load it ahead of the release date. Pre-loading will allow you to jump right in when the game goes live at 12AM Eastern.

This means those of you in western time zones who pre-order a digital copy will be able to start playing on November 14th.

If you pre-order a physical copy, you won’t get your delivery until the morning, afternoon, or night of November 15th. That may not be fast enough for some of you.

Pre-Order If You Really Want the Collector’s Edition

If you really want the Collector’s edition, and you don’t want to pay anything more than its exorbitant $279.99 price point, pre-order.

Ubisoft says the Collector’s Edition is available for pre-order at participating retailers in limited quantities which means it may sell out ahead of launch.

If that happens, we’ll see it go up on resales sites for ridiculous prices. If you don’t want to deal with resellers on eBay or other sites, and you really want this edition on your doorstep on November 12th, buy it now.

Wait for Assassin’s Creed Shadows Reviews

We’ve seen information about Assassin’s Creed Shadows trickle out and we’ll see more details drop in the weeks ahead.

That being said, some shoppers might want to wait for reviews, both short-term and long-term, before buying a copy.

With the game’s release coming much later in the year, it’ll be awhile before critics and fans of the series will get to go hands-on with a finished copy of the game.

If we’re lucky, reviews will go live shortly before the game’s release date in November.

Huge fans of the Assassin’s Creed series may not have a problem pre-ordering, but if you’ve never played Assassin’s Creed or you’re feeling leery, it might be a good idea to hang back.

Wait for Assassin’s Creed Shadows Deals

We haven’t found any real Assassin’s Creed Shadows deals and we may not see any drop before launch.

If you aren’t thrilled with the game’s price point, wait until after the release date to buy the game. We should see some excellent deals arrive once the hype from the launch has died down.

Wait for Ubisoft to Fix Bugs

If you can’t stand dealing with bugs and performance issues, you might want to wait for Ubisoft to roll out patches before buying the game.

The developer should release a fairly steady stream of fixes and performance improvements as it discovers bugs and takes in feedback from those who buy the game at launch.

These patches will help to stabilize the game and make it a far more enjoyable experience on Xbox, PlayStation, Windows, Macs, and cloud-based platforms.

If you wait a few weeks, you should wind up with a more polished version of the game.

Wait for the PC Requirements

If you’re planning to play the game on a PC, you might want to hold off.

Ubisoft hasn’t published the game’s final minimum or recommended system requirements and we don’t expect to get them until we get much closer to the game’s launch.

If you own an outdated computer, it might be best to hang back and wait for them before putting in a pre-order.