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Should you play Assassin's Creed Shadows in Canon Mode?

The new installment of Ubisoft's long-running series sees the introduction of a new mode, but should you play it?

Aidan O'Brien

March 19, 2025 9:00 AM

Ubisoft

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When you first start Assassin's Creed Shadows, you will have a number of options to pick from before you take your first steps into Feudal Japan. One of these will be whether you wish to play the game in Canon Mode or not. If you are confused about what this means, then read on.

Should you play Assassin's Creed Shadows in Canon Mode?

Canon Mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows will give you a defined experience as you play through the game. This means that player choice is taken out of the equation and the game provides just a single narrative path that you will experience. If you play with the mode off, you will be able to play an open-ended RPG that allows you to make many choices throughout the course of the game's story. 

Canon Mode does the opposite and is designed to appeal to players who missed the more canonical endings of the earlier games and disliked how the broad choices in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla all left the concept of a canon ending up for debate.

So, if you want to make lots of impactful choices, then make sure that Canon Mode is switched off, or you won't get to make any. If you wish to experience a canonical ending, as the devs wanted it to be, and that builds into the overarching lore of the series in a firm way, make sure you turn it on.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you cannot change this mode after you start a game, so make sure you know exactly what you want to do before you begin, or you will need to start all over again if you change your mind.

For more Assassin's Creed guides and news, be sure to check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows page. 

Aidan O'Brien

Contributing Guides Editor

Hailing from Ireland, Aidan has been conditioned by local weather conditions to survive hours at his PC grinding through whatever game is offering the lowest possible drop rates for loot. He thinks the easiest way to figure out what fans of games want to read is to just be a fan of games. You can normally find him logged into Warframe, Destiny, or a gacha game. You can reach out to him on X @scannerbarkly.