Assassin’s Creed Shadows surges on Steam’s top sellers charts, overtaking a major recent hit

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is about to release on March 20, and its pre-sales have already pushed it into the top five on Steam’s global top sellers list.

As of March 18, Steam’s Global Top Sellers list ranks Assassin’s Creed Shadows in second place, just behind Counter-Strike 2. Even though CS2 is a free game, it appears on the list because Steam ranks games based on total revenue, which includes in-game transactions. Since CS2 and other free-to-play titles generate massive sales through microtransactions, their spots on the list reflect overall earnings rather than just game purchases.

With AC Shadows reviews now out, confirming that the game is a solid Assassin’s Creed title but not groundbreaking, it has still managed to overtake a major Steam hit before its official release.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is outselling Split Fiction

Split Fiction, the co-op game that became a global top seller after launching on March 6, has now been pushed down from its previous third place on Steam’s Global Top Sellers list by Assassin’s Creed Shadows on March 18.

Split Fiction had been topping the UK charts and even outselling the Steam Deck in recent weeks. Now, AC Shadows has taken its place and is selling more than Valve’s portable console.

Among the other major titles AC Shadows is outselling are Monster Hunter Wilds and several AAA games that are heavily discounted during Steam’s Spring Sale, including Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Baldur’s Gate 3.

AC Shadows faces tough competition in Japan, where the game is set

Since AC Shadows takes place in Japan, its portrayal of the country’s feudal era has sparked controversy. Despite this, the game was one of the top-selling titles on Amazon Japan leading up to its release.

However, with the launch and positive reviews of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch, AC Shadows’ sales in Japan have dropped, with Xenoblade now taking the top spot.

Our Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition review scored the game 10/10, praising how it “modernizes and adds new content while keeping the original experience intact.” This explains why so many players in Japan are now choosing to buy Xenoblade Chronicles X over AC Shadows.