In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the world around you is alive with the passage of time, shifting through the vibrant cycles of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. But what if you could take control of the seasons themselves? Unlock the power to change seasons manually or let the game’s dynamic system guide you, altering not just the scenery but also gameplay elements like enemy behavior, scout missions, and resource availability. Ready to master the art of seasonal change and reshape your journey through feudal Japan? Here’s how to do it on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
How to change seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To change seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you need to have your season progression bar at least half-full. Once this condition is met, open the world map and look for the “Change Season” option near the season tracker. Hold right on the D-pad (or the corresponding key on PC) to trigger the season change, which will be accompanied by a transition animation. Alternatively, seasons will also change automatically after completing missions or fast traveling once the progression bar is sufficiently filled. Note that sometimes the option to change seasons may be unavailable if not enough time has passed since the last change or due to story progression restrictions.
When the option is available (more on this in a second), changing seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is as simply as holding right on the D-pad from the Map screen.
You can also just wait a bit since the seasons also change automatically. Usually, this happens after a handful of fast travels or a bit of progression in the main story.
Sometimes, though, you’ll be prevented from changing the seasons at all. You’ll be able to tell when this happens because the prompt on the Map screen will be dimmed. Generally – in our experience, at least – it seems to get locked out as you approach (or have just finished) main story beats. It (seems to) unlock as you get into more of the exploration phase of each region.
What happens when seasons change in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the changing seasons significantly impact both the environment and gameplay mechanics. Each season-Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn-lasts about two hours and brings distinct visual changes and gameplay effects. For example, Winter freezes ponds into walkable ice and adds icicles that can be used to distract enemies, but also reduces hiding spots and makes tracks visible in the snow. Summer offers more tall grass and bushes for stealth. Season changes reset enemy locations and wanted levels, replenish scouts and resources, and alter enemy patrol patterns and behaviors. Players can manually change seasons after progressing in the story by using the map menu, but must wait for the season progression bar to fill partially or fully. Seasons also influence wildlife and ecosystem dynamics, adding a layer of realism and requiring players to adapt their strategies accordingly.
Several things happen with the season change and most of them have to do with Hideout resources and scouts.
- Your scouts return any pallets of resources (stockpiles) you flagged at a camp or castle.
- Your available scouts refill – any that you’ve spent on resources or scouting missions return
- Resources, chests, and enemies at camps and castles reset, respawn, and refill
- The contracts available at kakuregas reset
- Your wanted level resets
Basically, changing the seasons finishes everything your scouts had been doing and resets the world – including all of the Hideout resources. If you’re waiting on a load of resources or have run out of available resources, it’s time to change the season.
Otherwise, you’re probably better off waiting for it to happen naturally.
The other thing seasons affect is, well, the season and the environment. In summer, for example, foliage is fuller and you’ll have more options for hiding in bushes.
In winter, you might spot icicles hanging from eaves, and deep snow will muffle your footsteps. One thing to note about winter, though, is that it doesn’t seem to affect each region equally – Yamashiro and Iga get more snow than Settsu, for example.
How can I manually change seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PC and consoles
To manually change seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PC and consoles, you need to first fill or at least half-fill the season progression bar, which is visible as a circular meter on the world map screen. Once this threshold is reached, open the world map and look for the “Change Season” prompt below the season tracker. Then, press and hold the indicated button: on PlayStation and Xbox, hold right on the D-pad; on PC, hold the H key. This will trigger a transition to the next season, confirmed by a loading screen and visual changes in the environment.
If the “Change Season” option is grayed out or you receive an error message saying “Changing Seasons is Currently Unavailable,” it means you have not yet met the halfway or full progression requirement and must continue playing until the bar fills further. Alternatively, seasons will also change automatically when you fast travel or complete a mission once the progression bar is half-full or full.
Manually changing seasons can be useful to reset enemy camps, replenish scouts and resources, and take advantage of seasonal gameplay effects such as crossing frozen water in winter or using dense foliage for stealth in summer.
What button do I press to manually change seasons in Shadows on PC and consoles
To manually change seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:
-
Open the world map.
-
Ensure the season progression bar (a circular meter around the compass in the top right) is at least half-full or completely full.
-
Look for the “Change Season” prompt below the season tracker.
-
Press and hold the indicated button:
-
On PlayStation and Xbox consoles, hold Right on the D-pad.
-
On PC, hold the H key.
-
Holding this button will trigger a short cutscene transitioning to the next season. If the option is grayed out or you get an error saying “Changing Seasons is Currently Unavailable,” it means the progression bar is not sufficiently filled yet, and you need to wait longer before changing seasons manually.
