Assassin's Creed Shadows Map Size: How Big Is The Open-World Map? Size Estimation

Assassin's Creed Shadows, previously known as Codename RED, is the next chapter in the acclaimed Assassin's Creed series. With two new protagonists and a "captivating open world of feudal Japan" awaiting to be explored, there are thrilling adventures to embark on in this expansive world.

One area of discussion that has been sparked following the trailer's release is the game's map size and how it compares to previous Assassin's Creed games. We've compiled all the relevant information to answer this very question on the size and scale of Assassin's Creed Shadows' open-world map and its comparisons to other games.

How Big Is The Open-World Map In Assassin's Creed Shadows?

With later entries into the Assassin's Creed franchise greatly expanding the open-world map's size and scope, Ubisoft has given players some context into how large the map for their next installment, Assassin's Creed Shadows, will be. The exception can be made for Mirage, with the playable portion of its world map being much smaller than Origins and Valhalla, Shadows' map size was recently discussed and compared to other Assassin's Creed games.

This was recently revealed in an interview with IGN, in which creative director Jonathan Dumont discussed the scale of Shadows' open-world map and its comparisons. According to Dumont, the feudal Japanese world map will be similar to Assassin's Creed Origins; however, the publisher noted that they've emphasized its "real life scale" to make its surroundings feel more visceral.

By comparison, Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla boast the franchise's largest maps, with Origins' map being the smallest of three. "It's in line with the latest Assassin's Creeds that we've done. On a scale level, maybe we can compare it a little bit more to the size of Assassin's Creed Origins," Dumont commented in the IGN interview.

According to Nexus Hub, Origins' map is roughly 31 square miles, with Valhalla surpassing it at 38.5 square miles and Odyssey clocking in at a massive 90.7 square miles. Taking Dumont's comments into perspective, Shadows' open-world map is roughly the same size as Origins, so players could expect it to be around 31 square miles.

With Assassin's Creed Shadows' open-world map being comparable to Origins in terms of size, its size still makes it larger than most earlier Assassin's Creed titles. Mirage is the exception because its overall map size is around 17 square miles (45 km²), but only a portion of it, roughly about five square miles (13 km²), is playable, according to YouTuber DG VFX.

Dumont added that Shadows' map should feel "entirely authentic" as the publisher made other elements feel as visceral as possible. "We did want to have a much closer to real-life scale ratio. So because castles took a lot of space, and we really wanted the mountains to feel like mountains, [we've made] the environments feel wider in the game," Dumont explained.