Does Assassin's Creed Shadows have ray tracing?

Assassin's Creed Shadows is the latest addition to the much-beloved franchise. It is available on platforms like PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Apple Mac operating systems. Set in feudal Japan, the game expands through the beautiful islands of Awaji. It features a lot of visual storytelling, so having high-quality graphics really adds to the immersiveness.

Assassin's Creed Shadows does feature ray tracing, with three different modes. As the game isn't very demanding, even those who own modest systems featuring the RTX 2070 can enjoy great ray tracing features. The setting drastically improves the realism of images, changing the way light is simulated and shadows are formed.

Does Assassin's Creed Shadows support ray tracing on PC?

Ray tracing significantly improves the visuals on Assassin's Creed Shadows (Image via Ubisoft)

Assassin's Creed Shadows supports ray tracing on PC, with three distinct modes varying based on the hardware specs of your machine.

Shadows takes a significant leap forward in graphical fidelity by fully integrating ray tracing technology. This feature has become a cornerstone of modern gaming, and its implementation in this title brings a ton of detail and realism to the gameplay.

Ubisoft has provided the recommended system requirements for each ray tracing mode, along with the Graphics preset for each one. Let's further delve into them below.

Selective ray tracing

This mode is the least demanding form of ray tracing in Assassin's Creed Shadows. It applies the feature exclusively in the "Hideout" sections of the game. These areas emphasize player customization and require real-time global illumination due to the dynamic nature of their environments.

The open-world gameplay, however, does not utilize ray tracing, ensuring compatibility with older GPUs.

1) Minimum requirements for 1080p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 30 FPS
Visual Settings: Low
CPU: Intel Core i7 8700k/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 5700 8GB/ Intel Arc A580 8GB (REBAR ON)
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

2) Recommended requirements for 1080p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: High
CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

3) Enthusiast-level requirements for 1440p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440P at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: High
CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB/ AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

4) Enthusiast-level requirements for 4K

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 4K at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: High
CPU: Intel Core i7 12700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 5800x3D
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16GB/ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT 20GB
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

Standard ray tracing

This mode utilizes hardware-accelerated ray tracing to compute real-time global illumination throughout the game world. This mode significantly enhances visual fidelity by accurately simulating how light interacts with surfaces in real time. This is particularly useful for players with modern GPUs equipped with powerful ray-tracing cores. This also includes the RTX 2070, which features 8GB VRAM.

1) Minimum requirements for 1080p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1080P at 30 FPS
Visual Settings: High
CPU: Intel Core i7 8700k/ AMD Ryzen 5 3600
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB/ Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 8GB/ Intel Arc B580 12GB (REBAR ON)
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

2) Recommended requirements for 1440p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440P at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: High
CPU: Intel Core i5 11600k/ AMD Ryzen 5 5600x
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB/ AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

Extensive ray tracing

This mode represents the highest graphical fidelity in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Its mode combines real-time global illumination with reflective surface rendering, creating life-like visuals that are unparalleled in gaming.

Extended ray tracing is particularly demanding on hardware and is best suited for high-end GPUs.

1) Requirements for Enthusiast-level RT at 1440p

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 1440p at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: Ultra
CPU: Intel Core Intel i7 13700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3D
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

2) Requirements for Extreme-level RT at 4K

Resolution/FPS Using Dynamic Resolution and Upscaling: 4K at 60 FPS
Visual Settings: Ultra
CPU: Intel Core Intel i7 13700k/ AMD Ryzen 7 7800x3D
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 24GB
RAM: 16GB (Dual-channel configuration)
OS: Windows 10/11 with DirectX12
Storage: SSD mandatory

Also read: Assassin’s Creed Shadows Review: A breath of fresh air, with the scent of the familiar

Does Assassin's Creed Shadows support ray tracing on Mac?

Assassin's Creed Shadows supports ray tracing on Mac operating systems too (Image via Ubisoft)

Assassin's Creed Shadows runs incredibly well on the Mac. The settings and requirements are slightly different on this platform.

As older Macs are not exactly well-equipped for gaming, they may struggle at higher resolutions. Thus, older chips are limited to 720p resolution. Ray tracing, however, even works at that resolution.

Software Selective ray tracing

This mode is the least demanding form of ray tracing and uses Ubisoft's proprietary software-based ray tracing solution. It enables ray-tracing effects in specific areas, like the Hideout, without requiring dedicated ray-tracing hardware. It also computes global illumination for diffuse lighting in contexts essential for gameplay, allowing older Macs to experience some ray-tracing effects.

1) Recommended specs for Low preset (720p)

Chip: M1 Max, M2 Pro
RAM: 16GB
OS: macOS Sequoia (15)
Storage: 130GB

2) Recommended specs for Medium preset (1080p)

Chip: M1 Ultra, M2 Max
RAM: 16GB
OS: macOS Sequoia (15)
Storage: 130GB

3) Recommended specs for High preset (1440p)

Chip: M2 Ultra
RAM: 16GB
OS: macOS Sequoia (15)
Storage: 130GB

Selective ray tracing

Similar to the previous setting, this mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows focuses on ray tracing in specific areas like the Hideout. However, it utilizes the GPU for ray-tracing computations, potentially offering better performance and quality compared to the software-based approach.

This mode is suitable for Macs with more capable graphics processors.

1) Recommended specs for Low preset (720p)

Chip: M3
RAM: 16GB
OS: macOS Sequoia (15)
Storage: 130GB

2) Recommended specs for Medium preset (1080p)

Chip: M4
RAM: 16GB
OS: macOS Sequoia (15)
Storage: 130GB

Standard ray tracing

This is the most comprehensive ray tracing mode available on Assassin's Creed Shadows for Mac users. It applies ray tracing to compute global illumination for diffuse lighting throughout the game world, not just in specific areas.

This mode requires more powerful Mac hardware to maintain good performance while providing the most immersive lighting effects.

1) Recommended specs for Low preset (1080p)