This game is available only on Mac with Apple silicon.

Renaissance Italy. Ancient Egypt. The American Revolution. The beloved Assassin’s Creed franchise doesn’t sit still – and the next stop has topped fan lists for years.

Welcome to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Set during the turbulent Azuchi–Momoyama period of 16th-century Japan, this gorgeous open-world extravaganza lets you explore sprawling castle fortresses, fend off waves of enemies and roam freely as you quest for vengeance.

Here’s what to expect when you climb into this stunning action-adventure.

The path of the ninja or the way of the samurai? In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll take both, playing as two protagonists on a mutual quest for revenge.

The enigmatic Naoe is an agile shinobi who uses stealth, infiltration skills, kunai (throwable knives) and hidden blades to hunt her marks, one target at a time. Fling her grappling hook to silently climb rooftops and swing across gaps. Whirl her kusarigama to attack groups of enemies – or to pull unsuspecting foes into the shadows.

If stealth doesn’t cut it, try Yasuke. Based on the real-life African samurai, Yasuke uses a katana, a bow and heavy armour to battle multiple attackers. Though he’s powerful, precision is still rewarded: time it right to parry, block and charge up attacks, slicing through even the toughest foes.

As you complete story missions and sidequests, the two characters share power progression. Tend to play as Yasuke? When you switch to Naoe, she’ll already be deadly. Subtlety or brawn – it’s your choice.

Metal 3. Apple silicon. Support for HDR and real-time ray tracing on Mac with M3 or later. Assassin’s Creed Shadows fully leverages the power of your Mac to bring a beautiful and dangerous world to life.

Thanks to dynamic weather and changing seasons, feudal Japan’s cities, castles and shrines look stunning in different ways year-round (the developers even created a humidity simulation that gathers clouds together organically). And the shifting climate affects how you play: Thick fog may help you get the drop on foes, while leafless bushes in winter won’t provide cover. Move aggressively during a cacophonous downpour, but take extra care in winter’s silence.

The environment itself can be an asset. Want to stay hidden? Snuff out lights to extend shadows. Sense an enemy on the other side of a thin wall? Stab a blade right through it. The option to enable ray-traced global illumination – which makes light reflect realistically around a space – enhances the realism.

From the swirl of pottery glaze to the clothing of townsfolk and nobility (which varies depending on the season), 16th-century Japan has been recreated in painstaking detail. Rice fields, fishing villages, bucolic shrines, Osaka Castle and even trees and moss were all carefully modelled.

Developer Ubisoft consulted with experts to ensure historical accuracy, using artefacts and murals from the era to inform the layout of market towns, materials used in construction and the architecture of buildings inside walled castles.

The game’s massive map is filled with secrets – and unlocking different regions will require powerful allegiances. Form a network of spies, then use those connections to get the lay of the land. The traditional Assassin’s Creed method of surveying territory and revealing the precise locations of points of interest doesn’t apply here: Shadows introduces a fresh approach to world discovery.

You’ll also have a customisable hideout, which starts as a humble farmhouse and can be upgraded in more ways than Assassin’s Creed fans might expect. Deck it out with handy supplies, found artwork and adorably animated household pets to create a calm respite from the intense action. Vengeance takes a village!

Thanks to recent updates to macOS, installing next-gen games requires less available storage on your Mac, and installation may finish faster (depending on your connection).

This game contains mature content and may not be suitable for children under the age of 17.