{"id":1152874,"date":"2026-02-08T14:59:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T14:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=538501"},"modified":"2026-02-08T14:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T14:59:06","slug":"should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Naoe
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Canon mode<\/strong> is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/a><\/em>. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode<\/a>, guided exploration mode<\/a>, and so on \u2014 you\u2019ll choose whether or not to activate it before starting a new game. But the thing is, once you select it, you can\u2019t change it. You\u2019re locked in.<\/p>\n

Below, let\u2019s get into what canon mode is in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em>, alongside some thoughts on whether or not it\u2019s best to play in canon mode.<\/p>\n

What is canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?<\/h2>\n

\"Naoe<\/p>\n

Canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em> will remove certain dialogue options<\/strong> (see above) from the game that allow you to influence the story in one way or another. Instead, you\u2019ll be watching the story play out without having the option to affect it.<\/p>\n

The introduction of these sorts of dialogue choices in Assassin\u2019s Creed was a somewhat divisive one when it first appeared in Assassin\u2019s Creed Odyssey<\/a><\/em>; in that game, the player would sometimes be presented with multiple dialogue options, and choosing from those options would affect the story. (Valhalla<\/a><\/em> also had some of this; Mirage<\/a><\/em> did not.)<\/p>\n

Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em> splits the difference by introducing canon mode. If you don\u2019t play in canon mode, you\u2019ll be presented with various moments when your character can choose from dialogue options that can slightly alter the course of the story. If you play in canon mode, you won\u2019t be presented with those moments.<\/p>\n

Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?<\/h2>\n

I chose to play Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em> in canon mode, so that means I never have the option to choose any dialogue at all. Instead, I\u2019m just watching cutscenes in which the story plays out the way that it was meant to, within the overarching fiction of Assassin\u2019s Creed as a series \u2014 and that\u2019s how I want it to be, personally. I want to see the story that the writers of this game have set up to be the \u201cintended\u201d version.<\/p>\n

This has resulted in a couple of moments when it\u2019s obvious that I would have been presented with a choice that I don\u2019t actually get to make, though.<\/p>\n

For example, during the \u201cThe Perfect Gift\u201d main story<\/a> mission, as Naoe, you have to select from three possible gifts to present to someone important (leaving them unidentified here for spoiler purposes). When not playing in canon mode, here\u2019s what that choice looks like.<\/p>\n

\"Naoe<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t get to choose this gift myself, although if I had the option, I would\u2019ve chosen the one that Naoe ended up picking (an antique bamboo tea ladle). Instead, I got to watch her select the gift, and then as I forged ahead in the questline, I watched her present it to its recipient.<\/p>\n

Similarly, there have been moments where Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em> presents a choice but it\u2019s really just an illusion. For instance, early on, you need to decide whether or not to let Junjiro<\/a>, a young child, stay at your Hideout<\/a>, an enclave of stab-happy individuals possessing very sharp blades. Regardless of what you choose, Junjiro stays at the Hideout. I was never presented with this choice, and yet the outcome is the same as everyone who\u2019s playing with canon mode turned off.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m \u201cmissing out\u201d on anything by having chosen to play in canon mode, but if you\u2019re the sort of person who really enjoyed the dialogue options in Odyssey<\/em> and Valhalla<\/em>, you shouldn\u2019t activate it. On the other hand, if you prefer to see the story play out on its own in the way it does in early Assassin\u2019s Creed games (and in 2023\u2019s Mirage<\/em>), then canon mode is the right selection for you.<\/p>\n

\n

Just starting Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em>? Beyond our full Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows<\/em> walkthrough<\/a>, here are explainers on how long to beat<\/a> the game and when you unlock Yasuke<\/a>, plus if you should play immersive<\/a> or guided exploration<\/a> modes.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode, guided exploration mode, and so on \u2014 you\u2019ll choose whether or not to activate it before starting a new game. But the thing is, once you select it, you can\u2019t change it. You\u2019re locked in. Below, let\u2019s get into what canon mode is in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows, alongside some thoughts on whether or not it\u2019s best to play in canon mode. What is canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? Canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows will remove certain dialogue options (see above) from the game that allow you to influence the story in one way or another. Instead, you\u2019ll be watching the story…<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1152875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1152874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-polygon"],"yoast_head":"\nShould you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"270\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Arcade News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"headline\":\"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":699,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Polygon\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/\",\"name\":\"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\"},\"description\":\"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg\",\"width\":480,\"height\":270,\"caption\":\"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"description\":\"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839\",\"name\":\"Arcade News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Arcade News\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cricketgames.tv\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arcader.org\\\/news\\\/author\\\/arcade-news\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News","description":"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News","og_description":"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,","og_url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/","og_site_name":"Arcade News","article_published_time":"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":270,"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Arcade News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Arcade News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/"},"author":{"name":"Arcade News","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"headline":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?","datePublished":"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/"},"wordCount":699,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg","articleSection":["Polygon"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/","name":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows? | Arcader News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-08T14:59:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839"},"description":"Canon mode is a setting in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows. Like all the familiar boot-up settings \u2014 subtitle preferences, game difficulty, immersive mode,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows.jpg","width":480,"height":270,"caption":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/should-you-play-canon-mode-in-assassins-creed-shadows\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Should you play canon mode in Assassin\u2019s Creed Shadows?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/","name":"Arcade News","description":"Free Arcade News from the Best Online Sources","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8460f5e5076b52fb2369f2f7ce6f2839","name":"Arcade News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3fea48a614d86edd987bc7bb25f4707c69546d4b1f78ad4aa20b26316bad1f9d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Arcade News"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/cricketgames.tv"],"url":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/author\/arcade-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1152874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1152874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1152874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1490501,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1152874\/revisions\/1490501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1152875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1152874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1152874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1152874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}