Most players finish the main story of Assassin’s Creed Shadows in somewhere between 30 and 50 hours, with around 35 hours being the figure most commonly reported. A 100 percent completion run lands between 60 and 80 hours, and developer estimates have put it closer to 80 to 100.
The spread is wide because the game resists being rushed, and that is a design decision rather than an accident.
Why the Ranges Vary So Much
The lower end, around 30 hours, assumes you push almost exclusively toward assassinating the main faction targets and ignore everything else.
The problem is that this is not really achievable. Being under-levelled makes assassinations impossible, and levels come from the side content you would be skipping. So the main story pulls you into a reasonable amount of optional work whether you planned on it or not. That is why the realistic main-story figure sits closer to 35 to 50 hours than 30.
What the First Stretch Looks Like
Worth setting expectations if you started the game to play as a particular character: you play as Naoe alone for roughly eight to ten hours, and that can run longer if you explore. Yasuke arrives during the Temple of the Horseman mission, and free switching comes later still.
That opening is a meaningful chunk of the main story on its own, and nothing shortens it.
The 100 Percent Run
Sixty to eighty hours is the common figure for full completion, with higher estimates from the developer side.
What fills that time is breadth rather than difficulty: regions to clear, contracts, alliance and ally quests, romance arcs, Hideout upgrades, and collectibles. Several of these are also gated by systems rather than skill. Rin’s romance quests only advance when the season changes, for example, so part of a completion run is simply time passing.
Making the Time Count
If your total playtime is limited, a few things carry more weight than others:
- Do Finding New Allies early. It takes your scouts to three and speeds up everything that follows.
- Upgrade the Stable before anything cosmetic. Halving smuggling cost compounds across the whole game.
- Do not fight the level gates. Clearing side content near your current region is faster than repeatedly failing an under-levelled assassination.
Tips Most Players Miss
- The season timer affects your schedule. Some content simply will not advance until the season turns.
- Character choice changes pacing. A stealth-first Naoe run and a direct Yasuke run take noticeably different amounts of time through the same content.
- Manual saves are limited to 20, so on a run this long you will be managing the list rather than adding to it.
Much of the optional time goes into the Hideout economy, and how resources and smuggling work determines how quickly that part moves. If you are still in the opening hours, unlocking Yasuke covers what is ahead. Our full Assassin’s Creed Shadows guides cover the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the main story in AC Shadows? Roughly 30 to 50 hours, with about 35 hours the most commonly reported figure.
How long does 100 percent completion take? Between 60 and 80 hours by most accounts, with developer estimates closer to 80 to 100.
Can you rush the main story? Not really. Level requirements on assassination targets force a reasonable amount of side content.
How long before you can play as Yasuke? Around eight to ten hours, when the Temple of the Horseman mission introduces him.