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One of 2025's biggest games now coming to Steam Deck at launch despite studio's warning

Assassin's Creed Shadows will be Steam Deck verified at launch, despite previously saying it wouldn't be, in a huge boost for Valve's handheld console here's all we know

[ Assassin's Creed Shadows]

Assassin's Creed Shadows has been hit by delays, but will soon be with us(Image: Ubisoft)

If you thought the Steam Spring Sale 2025 was the best news you'd hear about Valve's Steam Deck today, then you might want to sit down.

Despite all of the discounts promised, there's more excitement for owners of the portable PC/console hybrid as Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed Shadows (one of the biggest games set to launch in 2025), will be 'Verified' for Steam Deck at launch.

For those that don't know, if a game is 'Verified' on Steam, it means the game should run with no issues on the system. That means players looking to take their adventures in Japan on the go will be able to skulk the shadows and slay as a samurai anywhere they are.

Ubisoft changes its tune on Steam Deck

[Assassin's Creed Shadows]

Assassin's Creed Shadows is shaping up excellently

What's perhaps most surprising is that Ubisoft had originally said that the system wouldn't be able to run Assassin's Creed Shadows.

In a Q&A published last month, the game's technology director said "At launch, the game will not be compatible with Steam Deck, due to the fact it is below our minimum specs for PC".

It's unclear why that has changed, but given we've seen ambitious titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and more running on Steam Deck since Valve's hardware debuted in 2022, it's great that fans will be able to jump into the open world adventure of Shadows on the handheld.

Ubisoft had been launching its games on its own storefront and Epic Games Store but skipping Steam for some time, with games like Star Wars Outlaws coming to Valve's storefront after launch in recent months.

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the first time the publisher will launch 'day and date' on Steam since 2019.

After our preview in January, we said "Small nitpicks aside, I loved my time with Assassin's Creed Shadows and still felt as though I barely scratched the surface. Despite having the run of an entire region, opening the map showed me it was actually a very small section of the map."

"With so much more to see, including gear options and even a base-building system, I'm not sure I've ever been this excited for an Assassin's Creed title since Origins shook up the series in 2017."

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