AC Shadows Won't launch, help please.

[alexvelinov3108]

I have tried everything and I can't launch the game. Here are my specs if anybody can find the problem in them, please help.

Computer Information:
Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Model: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
Form Factor: Desktop
No Touch Input Detected
Processor Information:
CPU Vendor: AuthenticAMD
CPU Brand: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X 6-Core Processor
CPU Family: 0x17
CPU Model: 0x71
CPU Stepping: 0x0
CPU Type: 0x0
Speed: 3793 MHz
12 logical processors
6 physical processors
Hyper-threading: Supported
FCMOV: Supported
SSE2: Supported
SSE3: Supported
SSSE3: Supported
SSE4a: Supported
SSE41: Supported
SSE42: Supported
AES: Supported
AVX: Supported
AVX2: Supported
AVX512F: Unsupported
AVX512PF: Unsupported
AVX512ER: Unsupported
AVX512CD: Unsupported
AVX512VNNI: Unsupported
SHA: Supported
CMPXCHG16B: Supported
LAHF/SAHF: Supported
PrefetchW: Unsupported
BMI1: Supported
BMI2: Supported
F16C: Supported
FMA: Supported
Operating System Version:
Windows 10 (64 bit)
NTFS: Supported
Crypto Provider Codes: Supported 311 0x0 0x0 0x0
Client Information:
Version: 1741737356
Browser GPU Acceleration Status: Enabled
Browser Canvas: Enabled
Browser Canvas out-of-process rasterization: Enabled
Browser Direct Rendering Display Compositor: Disabled
Browser Compositing: Enabled
Browser Multiple Raster Threads: Enabled
Browser OpenGL: Enabled
Browser Rasterization: Enabled
Browser Raw Draw: Disabled
Browser Skia Graphite: Disabled
Browser Video Decode: Enabled
Browser Video Encode: Enabled
Browser Vulkan: Disabled
Browser WebGL: Enabled
Browser WebGL2: Enabled
Browser WebGPU: Enabled
Browser WebNN: Disabled
Video Card:
Driver: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX Driver Name: nvldumd.dll
Driver Version: 32.0.15.7283
DirectX Driver Version: 32.0.15.7283
Driver Date: 3 14 2025
Desktop Color Depth: 32 bits per pixel
Monitor Refresh Rate: 144 Hz
DirectX Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070
VendorID: 0x10de
DeviceID: 0x2484
Revision: 0xa1
Number of Monitors: 1
Number of Logical Video Cards: 1
No SLI or Crossfire Detected
Primary Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Desktop Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Primary Display Size: 20.75" x 11.65" (23.78" diag), 52.7cm x 29.6cm (60.4cm diag)
Primary Bus: PCI Express 16x
Primary VRAM: 8191 MB
Supported MSAA Modes: 2x 4x 8x
Sound card:
Audio device: Speakers (Focusrite USB Audio)
Memory:
RAM: 16313 Mb
VR Hardware:
VR Headset: None detected
Miscellaneous:
UI Language: English
Media Type: Undetermined
Total Hard Disk Space Available: 2145612 MB
Largest Free Hard Disk Block: 914877 MB
OS Install Date: Sep 21 2020
Game Controller: None detected
MAC Address hash: 7ccfd78e45c965a20b17cd14f8e28d456bd94ace
Storage:
Disk serial number hash: 8000c385
Number of SSDs: 2
SSD sizes: 1000G,250G
Number of HDDs: 1
HDD sizes: 1000G
Number of removable drives: 0

[Ubi-Kubiq]

Hello alexvelinov3108,

thanks for reaching out.

I'm sorry to see that you are having trouble accessing the game.

Do you get any error messages? If so, could you send us a screenshot of such error?

If you haven't resolved the issue yet, please follow the troubleshooting steps below:

Firstly, ensure that your Ubisoft Connect application is fully updated, as well as Steam.

We recommend installing everything(The Game, Steam/Ubisoft connect) on the same drive.

Complete all steps listed in this guide[ubi.li], as this will ensure that the common causes of the game not launching are eliminated.

Perform a DISM/SFC [ubi.li] scan on your PC, as this will identify and repair any potential issues with your operating system.

Check if your game is not being blocked by your antivirus or a firewall.

Please keep us updated on the situation.

[alexvelinov3108]

Hello. I don't get any messages, it just closes after the splash screen. And I also did all the common fixes you suggested plus the more advanced ones I found all over the internet. I also troubleshooted my pc and there was nothing corrupted found. I have tried all kinds if fixes I found on the internet and the game still crashes.

[Ubi-Vinci]

Thank you for your update, alexvelinov3108 and sorry to hear that you are still unable to play Assassin's Creed Shadows.

Is the game installed on the SSD drive you have on an HDD that is visible in your hardware report?

Also try the following of you haven't yet:

If you use the Nvidia App to optimise the game, please reset it to default settings and try again.

Reinstall supporting software[www.ubisoft.com].

Clear Steam Cache folder

Clear Ubisoft Connect PC Cache[www.ubisoft.com]

Above all, close all unnecessary third-party applications running in the background, especially third-party overlays, communicators, system tweak tools and monitoring software. Disabling background applications on PC[www.ubisoft.com]

You can also reach out to us via these additional channels:
Ubisoft Discord [discord.com]
or
X/Twitter[x.com]

[alexvelinov3108]

Yes, the game is installed on the D: drive, which is an SSD. I also have an HDD connected, but the game isn’t installed on it. But then Ubisoft Connect is on the C: drive if that makes difference. I tried clearing both Cache folders you told me. I reinstalled Ubisoft as well. There is also nothing running in the background of my PC at game launch. In the NVIDIA app, it can't even retrieve the settings of the game and when I click on try again, it crashes the whole app. I have also reinstalled my drivers countless times and even tried different versions of them. Nothing is helping. One thing I have noticed in MSI Afterburner is that at launch the memory jumps from 400 to 7000. I don't know if that's too much, but a maximum memory clock set to the lowest possible still doesn't fix it. It just always jumps very high.

[Ubi-Dastan]

Hey alexvelinov3108,

very much appreciate the response and the information you have provided.

I would highly recommend to disable MSI Afterburner as this can conflict with the game and result in it not launching.

For testing purposes, it would also be worth to make sure that Ubisoft Connect, Steam and the game installed on the same drive (to also avoid any conflicts between the different drives) If you can, please install Ubisoft Connect on your SSD.

It's also recommended to delete the configuration file to eliminate any errors and to apply the system changes to the game. The file will then be automatically regenerated the next time you start the game. The configuration file to be deleted can be found in the following folder by default:

%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Assassin's Creed Shadows\

I hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other queries.

[alexvelinov3108]

Hello, again. I have done those steps as well. Nevertheless, the game keeps crashing at the splash screen. What should I do? Literally not a single thing works. Absolutely nothing works.

[Ubi-WheelyDuck]

Originally posted by alexvelinov3108:

Hello, again. I have done those steps as well. Nevertheless, the game keeps crashing at the splash screen. What should I do? Literally not a single thing works. Absolutely nothing works.

Thank you for sharing this update alexvelinov3108, sorry to hear that despite following those steps you continue to have trouble.

For troubleshooting and clarity, would it be possible to advise exactly what happens if you try to launch the game if it is installed onto your C drive after completing a clean boot [support.microsoft.com] please?

Many thanks in advance

[alexvelinov3108]

Hello again! Thank you for all the help so far. My game is installed on the D drive because I have no space left on the C drive. Even after performing a clean booth, following every step in the article, the splash screen still appears for a few seconds, then the game closes, and Ubisoft Connect opens again.

[Ubi-Vinci]

Hey alexvelinov3108

Sorry to hear that after all the troubleshooting steps so far, you are still unable to launch Assassin's Creed Shadows on your PC.

Please also try reinstalling supporting software[www.ubisoft.com]

You can download it from this website[learn.microsoft.com]

If these steps do not help you, please generate DxDiag and MsInfo system reports[www.ubisoft.com] and reach out to us via:

Ubisoft Discord [discord.com]

or submit a support case via our email support - Contact Us.[www.ubisoft.com]