The best Assassin’s Creed Shadows graphics settings for PS5 and Xbox will make a huge difference on how good the huge open world looks and runs. Thanks to new dynamic seasons, the game really sings if you get it looking right, which is where we come in having played the game collectively for hours and hours.
On most platforms, players will need to choose between three main modes, before further tweaks can be made to clean things up. I personally am still fairly early in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but I’ve already been floored by how good the coastal towns of Sakai look, with the PS5 Pro really offering a boost to all the puddles and beaches found in the area, and Rob, our managing editor is more than 60 hours in now.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a real step forward for the franchise, offering up the best open-world yet, as well as some truly excellent action and stealth mechanics. You can read what we thought of the full game in our Assassin’s Creed Shadows review, but needless to say, we hugely enjoyed it, and it’s now ranked highly in our best Assassin’s Creed games list. Personally, I’ve been particularly enjoying the exploration, which is bolstered by just how great the graphics are.
Here are the best Assassin’s Creed Shadows graphics settings for PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S. I’ll cover whether to choose the Fidelity or Performance mode or if it’s worth selecting the Balanced Mode.
Then, you’ll find some specific settings that can be tweaked to clean up the image a bit, though the game definitely looks great by default anyway.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows best graphics settings for PS5
On PS5, you’ll have the choice between three main graphics modes in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. You can see the key info on each in the table below:
|
Performance settings |
Resolution |
Ray Tracing Usage |
Target Performance |
|
Fidelity |
2160p upscaled |
Selective |
30fps |
|
Balanced |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
40fps |
|
Performance |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
60fps |
Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an action-stealth game. As such, I’d recommend playing it in Performance Mode on PS5, given that you’ll get 60fps (frames per second). Generally, you’ll need to have quick reaction times to stay out of sight, and take down any enemies that are about to spot you. Higher frame rates definitely help with this, and in fighting multiple enemies at once, as well. The cutscenes and Hideout section are all at 30fps anyway, but the gameplay will be silky smooth, making stealth a lot easier.
If you do have a display that supports HDMI 2.1 and is either 120hz or 240hz however, we think you should go for Balanced Mode. You’ll get access to standard Raytracing, at 40fps. This keeps the game looking beautiful while giving you some extra performance required for action.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows best graphics settings for PS5 Pro
Now onto PS5 Pro, which, in terms of graphics settings at least, is the best place to play Assassin’s Creed Shadows on console.
In fact, it offers a massive upgrade when compared to the base console. As before, there are three settings to choose from:
|
Performance settings |
Resolution |
Ray Tracing Usage |
Target Performance |
|
Fidelity |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
30fps |
|
Balanced |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
40fps |
|
Performance |
2160p upscaled |
Extended |
60fps |
If you’re playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PS5 Pro, and have access to a 120hz/240Hz display then you have what we think is the best way to play the game: Balanced Mode on Sony’s enhanced PS5.
This setting allows for a decent frame rate, and thanks to the Pro’s extra power, you’ll get to enjoy the game’s Standard Ray Tracing features. The reason to go with the Balanced Mode is additional visual fidelity, like a strand-based hair system. This is the mode I’ve played most on so far, and find it to be the best of the three.
If you find that you’d rather have a higher framerate, then you can switch to Performance Mode – you’ll still get to enjoy the standard Ray Tracing features there – and while the Fidelity mode looks incredibly beautiful, it being locked to 30fps has us going for the Balanced mode all day long.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows best graphics settings for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
Finally, let’s take a look at the best Assassin’s Creed Shadows graphics settings for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S:
|
Performance settings |
Resolution |
Ray Tracing Usage |
Target Performance |
|
Fidelity |
2160p upscaled |
Selective |
30fps |
|
Balanced |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
40fps |
|
Performance |
2160p upscaled |
Standard |
60fps |
As you can see, the Xbox Series X is in line with the PS5 settings for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As such, I recommend the Performance Mode. There’s only selective Ray Tracing to take advantage of here, but the 60fps really improves the gameplay.
Just like with the PS5, there’s also a Balanced Mode, which is great for those using a compatible display.
For those with an Xbox Series S, there are no modes to choose from, with the game locked at 1620p upscaled and 30fps. There are some selective Ray Tracing features however, which is a nice touch.
Other graphics settings to change for Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Aside from the main graphics setting in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I recommend switching off Motion Blur and Chromatic Aberration for a cleaner image. In addition, HDR should be tuned for your display. Try to bring the Exposure slide down a bit and see how it looks, as some areas of the open world have very intense lighting and bloom effects.
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