Assassin’s Creed Shadows delivers one in every of the most mountainous PS5 Pro upgrades we possess considered

Assassin’s Creed Shadows carries significant expectations. It marks the first main installment since 2020’s AC Valhalla, the first AC title designed specifically for the newest generation of consoles, and it aims to be a major commercial triumph for the struggling publisher Ubisoft. We have examined how the game meets its technical demands across the distinctive trio of latest-gen consoles, but this title showcases some significant Pro enhancements, notably with additional ray tracing. How does AC Shadows perform on Pro? Is this an incremental upgrade, or something groundbreaking?

As indicated by the title of this article, Shadows features one of the most impressive PS5 Pro enhancements we’ve encountered thus far. The key difference lies in the performance mode that incorporates ray-traced global illumination (RTGI), which is absent from the standard PS5’s performance mode.

Incorporating this advanced ray-traced illumination, which reflects light throughout each environment to produce a realistic indirect diffuse lighting effect, dramatically alters the experience. Shadow details are substantially enhanced, and the way light interacts with the surroundings, mimicking the ambient colors from skies or surfaces, makes the entire world much more vibrant and lifelike.

In contrast, the standard PS5 tends to appear overly flat and compressed during these scenes, with a more uniform lighting response. Vegetation is a significant drawback, as the baked global illumination on the standard PS5’s performance mode fails to adequately replicate the detailed occlusion seen in lush greenery. This results in a dull, artificial appearance. Navigating through wooded areas, the difference is remarkably stark, revealing a generational gap in lighting fidelity.

Despite the performance mode on the standard PS5 utilizing an evolution of the baked GI method from earlier Anvil Engine titles, it largely falls short in replicating the sophisticated light interactions observed in recent AC games like 2023’s Mirage. This discrepancy is likely due to the fact that Shadows is a more advanced game, making it inherently more challenging to achieve authentic lighting fidelity without RTGI. Furthermore, Shadows’ baked GI fails to adjust to environmental changes—such as open doors—unlike the Pro version.

The incorporation of RTGI results in a significant visual enhancement over the standard console. In various lighting conditions, the PS5 Pro version nearly resembles an entirely different game.

However, one outcome of the addition of RTGI is that image quality on the Pro’s performance mode is not necessarily better than that of the standard model. Both experience significant pixel smearing; even during static scenes, blocky patterns appear along sharp edges, and transparencies are poorly upscaled, showing clear signs of a low-resolution source.

Ubisoft stated prior to release that both PS5 and PS5 Pro in their performance modes would upscale to 4K, which is reflected in the final product. The upsampling yields rather inconsistent results in achieving a sharp, 4K-like appearance. In lighter scenes on both consoles, inner resolutions hovered around 1080p in my tests, with the RTGI seemingly consuming much of the extra GPU time available on the Pro.

On the other hand, some of Ubisoft’s pre-release assurances regarding Pro have not fully materialized in the final game. Press materials released last September mentioned PSSR upscaling on Pro, and it does not seem to have been implemented as advertised—disoccluded areas appear fuzzy rather than blurred, edges look excessively sharp, and oftentimes the image displays artifacts that align more with analytical methods than with those based on machine learning.

The most evident proof is that the standard PS5 and Pro appear remarkably similar regarding image quality. In my evaluations, the PC version utilizing Anvil’s TAAU demonstrates a close match for both PS5s and likely serves as the preferred option for these consoles. Although it is less stable during idle moments compared to FSR, it tends to obscure fewer issues with disocclusion and may be easier to run. It seems Ubisoft concluded that this was a better solution for this title than PSSR.

Aside from the RT enhancements on Pro, the game maintains very similar visual settings on both machines. Draw distances, shadow resolution, and other typical adjustable settings appear to be nearly identical across both consoles.

Frame rates on the PS5 Pro’s performance mode also achieve a consistent 60fps that mirrors what we experience on the standard PS5. However, there are some noticeable drops below that 60fps target, particularly during the initial sequences and minor dips during the open-world exploration. Strikingly, cutscenes still run at 30fps on the PS5 Pro, as does the hideout area—possibly to accommodate the demands of greater complexity created by players.

Overall, I believe AC Shadows shows significant improvement on Pro in terms of performance mode, even though the image quality and frame rates remain lackluster. The inclusion of RTGI truly transforms the experience, and Shadows seems to have been developed with RTGI technology as a fundamental visual standard.

Despite the addition of RTGI, PS5

The Pro version does not utilize ray tracing (RT) reflections in its performance mode. Instead, it employs screen-space reflections (SSR) as a substitute, relying on cubemaps that may suffer from misalignment and reduced resolution as a backup. On the PS5 Pro, RT reflections serve as a secondary option to the standard mode, even though their effectiveness is rather limited—showing minimal detail, lacking foliage animations, and omitting distant geometry. These RT reflections also experience a notable amount of pop-in, which can be distracting. Consequently, the game implements a hybrid approach in its quality mode, incorporating SSR reflections to maintain specular detail, although when RT options are in play, your experience may revert to a less satisfying visual when screen-space data is unavailable.

Aside from the differences in RT reflections, other visual settings remain mostly consistent. RT Global Illumination (RTGI) is available on both consoles and typically appears similar. You may notice some enhancements in specular detail on the Pro due to additional RT capabilities. Other graphical adjustments seem quite similar across both consoles, with no significant discrepancies observed in my testing.

Image quality is generally comparable across both systems. Neither console is flawless, although each produces a cleaner image compared to their performance mode alternatives. I suspect TAAU is still utilized here, evidenced by the similar image quality quirks between the various modes and console setups. Resolution appears to be on par for both devices, although some instances displayed slightly higher resolution on the PS5 Pro.

Performance is notably stable in quality mode. Expect a locked 30fps in most gameplay scenarios, including cutscenes, combat sequences, exploration, and hideouts. The game may drop frames in certain situations, but it generally provides consistent performance. The standard PS5 also delivers similar results, providing solid gameplay as well.

Returning to the performance mode and making a direct comparison of these two PS5 Pro modes reveals some clear differences in settings. Shadow resolution has been enhanced in the standard mode, alongside an increase in foliage density. The performance mode also appears to…