Assassin’s Creed Shadows should work on Steam Deck after all, says Ubisoft

Ubisoft has some good news for Steam Deck owners looking to sink into Assassin’s Creed Shadows later this month: after previously saying the game wouldn’t be compatible with Valve’s gaming handheld, it’s now done a bit of a U-turn.

Back in February, as part of a lengthy tech Q&A, Ubisoft revealed Assassin’s Creed Shadows would “not be compatible with Steam Deck [at launch], due to the fact it is below our minimum specs for PC.” That, then, suggested it wasn’t just a case of Shadows failing to tick some boxes to pass Valve’s verification process, but rather that it simply wouldn’t run well at all.

Now, though, with Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ release just weeks away, Ubisoft has shared an update for Steam Deck users – confirming Valve’s device will, in fact, be supported at launch. The publisher didn’t explain what had led to the change, but presumably – hopefully – it’s managed to eke out a few performance gains in the time since its original announcement.

Ubisoft adds it’s still awaiting the results of Valve’s verification process, so doesn’t currently know which of Steam Deck’s compatibility classifications Assassin’s Creed Shadows will receive (Valve grades games as either Verified, Playable, Unsupported, or Unknown on the device) . “More info to come soon,” its message concludes.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (including Steam Deck!) on 20th March, and will also receive a range of PS5 Pro enhancements. And if you’re looking for more granular release information, global launch times have also been revealed. As for the game itself, it’s “shaping up to be one of the most promising [series entries] so far”, as Eurogamer’s Katharine Castle wrote earlier this year.