Assassin’s Creed Shadows vs Ghost of Tsushima: Which Is Better?

Let’s settle the debate once and for all. Which is the better game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows or Ghost of Tsushima?

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has been compared to Ghost of Tsushima ever since the former’s gameplay footage was released. Both games are pretty different from each other in many aspects. However, their cultural setting is the same: Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. Does that mean that AC Shadows, which came out in 2025, is a copy of Ghost of Tsushima, which came out in 2020? No. This is because there are many things that both games do differently from each other. We will use these different elements to compare them and find out which one is better.

Since both games are different from one another, we will use the following criteria to determine end results: graphics and environment, combat and stealth, and story and narration.

NOTE: The article represents the writer’s opinions and does not reflect the objective truth.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows vs Ghost of Tsushima

1) Graphics and Environment

When comparing the graphics and environment of both games, we need to consider the timeline of their release. As we mentioned above, Sucker Punch released their game exclusively for PS4 initially back in July 2020. However, despite the technology present at the time, it wasn’t the most realistic graphical game out there. Despite the drawbacks, the game offered beautiful landscapes and open fields to ride horses through. These visuals still hold up to this day. One thing that I wish was different in the game was the emptiness. Because of the invaders, Tsushima had become a ghost island, with its native inhabitants hiding near temples and only at specific retreats.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, on the other hand, was released in March 2025 and took advantage of the current technology to create a visually stunning world. It takes place in a much larger and denser area compared to Tsushima. The areas covered in this game are regions like Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, and the Iga province, with a focus on historically accurate castles such as Takeda and Fukuchiyama. Since there is no “invading threat” in the game, the towns are bustling with life compared to Tsushima.

In my opinion, Ubisoft wins this one.

2) Combat and Stealth

Sucker Punch’s game primarily focuses on combat, while giving us some creative options for stealth by including several tools to become the perfect avenging ghost. When it comes to open combat, Ghost of Tsushima is much more impactful and complex with the additions of Abilities, Stances, and varied enemies. Its stealth is pretty repetitive and feels bland at times. The only room for fun is if you like messing around with the tools at your disposal. Apart from that, you don’t have a lot of freedom for stealth kills. However, the AI does seem slightly smarter than that of older Assassin’s Creed games.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has an overhauled combat system that appears inspired by Ghost of Tsushima. There is a parry system that feels rewarding compared to how the recent AC combat had become. It even has Abilities and varied enemies to help you get a fresh fighting experience. However, the Stances are where Ghost of Tsushima takes the win. But when it comes to stealth, the new light-sensitive mechanics, prone position, anti-shinobi traps, and stealth-kill resistance enemies in AC Shadows take the win.

I would say, overlooking these two aspects, it’s a tie!

3) Story and Narration

The plot in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is pretty complex. It follows two protagonists who have contrasting backstories, playstyles, and personalities. However, the narration is still not as impactful. While the story is still fine by AC standards, the narration doesn’t bring as great of an impact as it could have. This is completely opposite from Ghost of Tsushima.

The story in Sucker Punch’s Samurai game felt personal to Jin Sakai. The narration throughout the journey leads players closer to the protagonist. There were twists in the perfect amount, placed in the right moments in the story. Jin Sakai felt like a complete, well-rounded character. Not to forget that the voice acting in Ghost of Tsushima also felt better compared to AC Shadows.

I will have to hand this over to Ghost of Tsushima.

Conclusively, this is a tie between both games. Neither of these titles is “bad,” nor is it “better” than the other wholly. However, there are areas where each game lacks while the other excels. We suggest you try both games based on your priorities and by reading the comparison we mentioned above.

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We provide the latest news and create guides for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Meanwhile, you can check out the following AC Shadows articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:

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