Ubisoft is giving players a genuine shot at experiencing feudal Japan for free, and the window is tight. Starting June 18, a six-day Ubisoft+ Premium free trial goes live, bundling full access to Assassin's Creed Shadows and its Claws of Awaji expansion at zero cost. The catch? It runs until June 23 at 6:00 AM PDT, and PlayStation users are locked out entirely.
A timed offer with real scope
The promotion spans exactly 120 hours, which sounds generous until you factor in what Ubisoft is actually offering. The base game's main story runs around 35 hours, and Claws of Awaji adds another 10 on top. That's roughly 45 hours of content sitting inside a five-day window, which means this is less a casual browse and more a dedicated gaming sprint for anyone who wants to see it all.
Here's the thing: this is one of the more substantial free trial offers Ubisoft has put out in a while. It's not a timed demo or a capped preview. You get the full game and a major expansion, both playable from start to finish if you have the hours to commit.
The trial is available through the Ubisoft Store, Ubisoft Connect, and Blacknut on PC, and through the standard Xbox storefront for console players.
What PlayStation players are missing
The platform restriction is the most frustrating part of this deal. Ubisoft+ as a service doesn't extend to PlayStation in the same way it does on PC and Xbox, which means PS5 owners who still haven't played Shadows are sitting this one out entirely. That's a real gap, given how much of the conversation around this game has lived on PlayStation hardware.
For those on supported platforms, the offer also pulls in a broader library. Rainbow Six Siege, The Division 2, Far Cry 6, Anno 117: Pax Romana, Star Wars Outlaws, and For Honor are all accessible under the same trial. If you finish Shadows before the clock runs out, there's plenty left to fill the remaining hours.
The Shadows context worth knowing
Assassin's Creed Shadows launched in March 2025 after years of fan demand for a mainline entry set in feudal Japan. The game split its protagonist structure between Yasuke, a historical African samurai, and Naoe, a shinobi, giving players two completely different combat and stealth approaches within the same open world setting.
A year on, it remains one of the more divisive entries in the franchise, with Claws of Awaji being the game's last major expansion. This free trial arrives at a point where the full picture of what Shadows is, and isn't, is finally clear.
What most players miss in the early hours is how differently the two protagonists actually play. Swapping between Yasuke's direct, aggressive combat and Naoe's patient stealth approach isn't just a cosmetic choice; it changes how you approach entire mission structures. That contrast is the core of the experience.
For anyone who has been sitting on the fence about Shadows, the trial is a low-friction way to find out which side of the divide you land on. If you want help navigating the game's systems before you jump in, the Assassin's Creed Shadows guide collection has everything from combat tips to progression breakdowns to get you up to speed fast.
