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Tech analysis finds Assassin's Creed Shadows is 'one of the largest' PS5 Pro upgrades yet, and praises 'a generational divide in lighting fidelity'

A Digital Foundry video reveals a significant visual upgrade in Assassin's Creed Shadows on the PS5 Pro, thanks to ray-traced global illumination, showcasing enhanced lighting, depth, and color, making the Pro version a compelling option for visual fidelity enthusiasts.

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I'm not a big believer in the PS5 Pro, but this new video showing the difference in visual quality for Assassin's Creed Shadows may change that.

Assassin's Creed Shadows already looks like a gorgeous game, but Digital Foundry's new video showcasing the differences between the base PS5 performance mode and the PS5 Pro performance mode is staggering. The world has more depth, the lighting is more vivid, and even the colors seem to pop more.

"Shadows has one of the largest Pro upgrades we've seen so far," says the narrator, and I can see why. Shadows bloom more and interiors just seem to have more depth to them. I'd never have said the base version looks flat, but when compared side by side the difference is night and day.

The narrator explains this is due to RTGI on the Pro, which stands for ray-traced global illumination. Basically, every source of light shines and bounces off of the environment creating a more realistic diffusion of the light. While realistic isn't necessarily better – I tend to prefer stylized games over ones that try to look like photographs – it's certainly a huge improvement here.

Digital Foundry calls it "a generational divide in lighting fidelity," and it's most obvious in the forested sections of Shadows. On the base PS5, areas under tree cover look a bit dim, which is to be expected. But on the PS5 Pro, the light dapples through and creates sharp contrast of bright and shaded areas. Opening and closing screen doors even causes the shadows they cast to move on the Pro version, unlike on the standard PS5.

I don't normally care that much about these sorts of visual details, but I like that a company as big as Ubisoft is pushing gaming tech. I'm also happy because I plan to spend a lot of time befriending monkeys so that they come to my hideout and I want them all to look their best.

While you ponder whether or not to splash out on a Pro, check out our list of all the best PS5 games you can play right now.