Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC: Claws of Awaji, the free Black Tides quest, every price and where a second expansion stands

Assassin’s Creed Shadows has one story expansion, Claws of Awaji, out since Sept. 16, 2025, for $24.99. Here’s what it adds, how to start it, what came free afterward and where a second expansion stands.

When did the Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC come out?

Claws of Awaji launched on Sept. 16, 2025, on PS5, Xbox Series X and S and PC, six months after Assassin’s Creed Shadows came out on March 20, 2025. Ubisoft called it the game’s major post-launch expansion, and it remains the only paid story DLC. The expansion reached Switch 2 on March 10, 2026, three months after the base game arrived there on Dec. 2, 2025.

Ubisoft gave Claws of Awaji free to every player who pre-ordered Assassin’s Creed Shadows, so early buyers own it at no extra cost.

What Claws of Awaji adds

The expansion sends Naoe and Yasuke across Osaka Bay to the island of Awaji, in search of a long-lost artifact and on the trail of a mysterious shinobi. The island is full of traps and ambushes, and the pair soon learn they’re being hunted by a secretive group, the Sanzoku Ippa clan.

Ubisoft’s store listing puts it at more than 10 hours of content. Naoe gets Legendary Bō weapons, staves with their own unique engravings, and both heroes get new skills, weapon abilities, armor and outfits, all of which carry back into the main game. New bosses and enemy types round it out.

The Bō itself isn’t locked behind the expansion. A free quest teaches Naoe the weapon for every player, and Title Update 1.1.10 on April 7, 2026, made non-legendary Bō drop from enemies, chests and merchants for players without the DLC once they’ve earned one Unique Bō.

How to start Claws of Awaji

Claws of Awaji opens late in the game. Complete the personal quests of Naoe, Yasuke and Junjiro, defeat the main targets, then talk to Hanzo’s contact at your Hideout. Ubisoft also points players to the Out of the Shadows quest: finishing it makes sure the expansion is available.

Price and editions

Claws of Awaji costs $24.99 on Steam. The Premium Edition at $109.99 includes it, against $69.99 for the standard edition and $89.99 for the Digital Deluxe Edition. These were the Steam prices on Oct. 19, 2026. The other paid add-on is the Premium Starter Pack at $34.99, with two exclusive weapons, 5 Mastery Points and 4,200 Helix Credits.

On Switch 2, the base game costs $59.99, the expansion $24.99 and the Premium Edition $99.99, as our Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Switch 2 page explains.

Free updates since the expansion

Ubisoft kept adding free content after Claws of Awaji. Before it, the game had already received New Game+, a higher level cap and a quest made with Critical Role. Title Update 1.1.4 on Oct. 28, 2025, brought Parkour Update 2, with an Advanced Parkour toggle that removes parkour barriers, and Corrupted Castles, an Animus-themed activity.

The biggest free addition came with Title Update 1.1.11 on June 16, 2026, and on Switch 2 on June 19. It added Black Tides, a new story quest in which two elite Templars known as the Black Cross come to Japan to hunt Naoe and Yasuke. Black Tides opens once you’ve finished the main story and the post-launch quests A Critical Encounter and A Puzzlement. The same update added Domains, an endgame activity of 5 gameplay simulations across 10 challenge levels that unlocks at level 30, and two crossover Projects with Black Flag Resynced, Riptides and Undertow, which skip Switch 2.

Is a second Assassin’s Creed Shadows expansion coming?

Ubisoft hasn’t announced a second expansion. In its franchise update of March 2026, Ubisoft said Shadows was moving into its final phase of support, with smaller, less frequent updates, while its teams shift toward the next Assassin’s Creed games, including Codename Hexe. Title Update 1.1.12 on July 28, 2026, was billed as the closing title update, and Title Update 1.1.13 on Aug. 25 fixed minor interface issues. Expected price for any new expansion: about $24.99, our estimate, the price of Claws of Awaji.

For other big 2025 games and their post-launch content, see our Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 DLC and The Outer Worlds 2 DLC pages.

This page is updated as soon as Ubisoft announces new Assassin’s Creed Shadows DLC or a major update.