Assassin’s Creed Shadows PC Hardware Guide
Official requirements explained
The official minimum CPU is listed as an Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600. By today's standards that sits roughly at the Ryzen 5 3500X level, an older but still modern mainstream tier. It handles the game's basic workload, but with a large open world the processor has less headroom for keeping scene streaming steady.
The official minimum GPU is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB, an AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB, or an Intel Arc A380 6GB with Resizable BAR enabled. In our comparison the GTX 1650 belongs to the older entry tier, so the minimum target is simply getting the game to run rather than running it well at high settings. The recommended GPUs are an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB, an AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB, or an Intel Arc B580 12GB. These sit around the upper-mainstream band, close to a laptop RTX 3070. The gap between the two levels is large, and a recommended-tier card gives you much more room at the same resolution.
The recommended CPUs are an Intel Core i5-11600K or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X, roughly in line with the Ryzen 5 5500 tier. Both levels list 16 GB of RAM and 115 GB of storage. The publisher does not require an SSD, but that does not mean a hard drive is ideal; more on that below.
Recommended builds for three budgets
The entry build suits players who want to start on a tight budget and accept low settings at a modest resolution. Look at GPUs in the GTX 1650, GTX 1660 or RTX 3050 class, paired with a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i5-11400F and 16 GB of RAM. This combination reaches the official minimum, but for a smooth open-world experience you should plan on conservative settings and resolution.
The mainstream build is the sensible choice for most players. Pick an RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6700 XT or Intel Arc B580, pair it with a Ryzen 5 5500 or Core i3-12100F, and use 16 GB of RAM. Step up to 32 GB if you run a lot of background apps or stream while playing. This tier roughly matches the official recommended level and lets you play at medium-high settings.
The high-end build suits players who want high resolution or high settings and some headroom for the next few years. Representative GPUs are the RX 7800 XT, RTX 4070 Super and RTX 5070, with processors such as the Ryzen 7 5800X3D or Core i5-13600K. Start at 16 GB of RAM, and choose 32 GB if you want to rule out memory limits entirely. A high-end card does not mean every effect should be maxed out; some settings look almost identical to the next level down while costing a lot of performance.
Graphics settings with the biggest impact
In a large open-world action RPG like this, the settings that usually cost the most are shadow quality, volumetric effects such as fog and light scattering, view distance, and scene density including crowds and vegetation. These hit both the GPU and CPU, so lowering them is usually more efficient than cutting texture quality. Shadows and volumetrics are often the first things to reduce, since the visual loss is often small.
Ray tracing, where offered, is typically among the most expensive options. Whether to enable it depends on your GPU tier: entry and mainstream cards are best kept off or limited to lighter ray-traced effects, while higher-end cards have room for fuller lighting. Texture quality mainly depends on VRAM capacity. If your card has enough memory, raising textures rarely slows the game much, but if VRAM runs short you will see stutter and unstable frame pacing.
Upscaling technologies such as DLSS, FSR and XeSS render at a lower internal resolution and scale the result up. In general, supported GPUs can use them to gain performance headroom with an acceptable loss in image quality, and quality modes usually look closer to native than performance modes. Results vary by card and setting, so compare for yourself and pick what looks right.
Laptops and handheld PCs
Laptop GPUs share names with desktop cards but are not the same hardware. Laptop versions are usually limited by power caps and cooling, so they often trail the desktop card of the same name. When evaluating a laptop, check its power configuration and cooling design rather than relying on the model name alone. A machine that can sustain high power for long periods will play noticeably better than one that throttles quickly.
Handheld PCs such as the Steam Deck or ROG Ally are low-power portable platforms. They generally need conservative settings and resolution, and may rely on in-game scaling or upscaling. Our data has no Steam Deck verification for this game, so we cannot give a specific handheld rating. Check community reports for real-world experiences, start with low settings, and raise them gradually.
For both laptops and handhelds, temperature and power management affect performance during long sessions. Keeping the device plugged in, ensuring vents are unobstructed and using a performance power mode usually produces steadier results.
Storage and memory
For memory, both official levels list 16 GB, which is the baseline needed to meet them. If you run a browser, chat apps or screen recording alongside the game, 32 GB gives more breathing room. Use a dual-channel configuration, meaning two or more sticks installed in the correct slots, to get the full memory bandwidth.
The listed storage requirement is 115 GB, but leave extra space for updates and patches. The publisher does not require an SSD, so a hard drive may work at minimum specs. An SSD, however, noticeably shortens load times and smooths asset streaming while moving through the open world. If your budget allows, installing the game on an SSD is strongly recommended.
Finally, if you install on a hard drive and see clear stutter while traveling, first confirm whether the storage is the cause before adjusting graphics settings. Keeping the game and your graphics drivers current also helps stability.