Ubisoft is pulling out the old "first hit is free" strategy, and honestly? We respect the hustle. According to Dual Shockers, Ubisoft+ Premium is launching a six-day free trial starting this Thursday that includes full access to Assassin's Creed Shadows AND the Claws of Awaji DLC. That's right - the whole package, no gil required.
For the uninitiated, Assassin's Creed Shadows is the entry that finally delivered what fans have been spamming in comment sections for years - a feudal Japan setting with not one but TWO playable protagonists. You get Naoe, a nimble shinobi built for stealth gameplay, and Yasuke, the historically-inspired samurai who solves problems the less sneaky way (read: with a very large sword).
So what's the actual deal here?
The free trial is locked behind Ubisoft+ Premium, which means you'll need to sign up for the subscription service to access it. Think of it as Ubisoft handing you a controller and whispering "just six days, what's the worst that could happen?" - right before your credit card details are safely stored in their system.
The inclusion of the Claws of Awaji DLC is a genuinely sweet bonus though. That's extra content on top of an already meaty open-world RPG, which means six days is simultaneously plenty of time to get hooked and absolutely not enough time to finish anything. Diabolical game design, honestly.
Is this worth your time?
If you've been sitting on the fence about Shadows since launch - and given Ubisoft's rocky recent history, plenty of players were doing exactly that - this is a zero-risk way to check it out. Six days is enough time to figure out whether the stealth mechanics scratch that shinobi itch or whether you'd rather just replay Sekiro for the fifteenth time.
The trial kicks off Thursday, so clear your weekend quest log and sharpen your hidden blade. Just maybe set a calendar reminder before that subscription auto-renews, because Ubisoft didn't build a live service empire by accident.
