Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows hasn’t even reached its first anniversary, but it’s already set to receive a highly requested feature. On July 29, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will introduce New Game Plus, allowing players to replay the story while keeping their progression. The update will be free for all players and is a clear example of Ubisoft’s evolving post-launch approach.
Meanwhile, Cyberpunk 2077 still lacks an official New Game Plus, despite having been released in 2020 and receiving a major expansion. CD Projekt Red has improved Cyberpunk 2077, but many players are still waiting for a way to revisit Night City with their endgame builds intact.
Cyberpunk 2077's 2.3 Update Can Finally Address The Game's Biggest Missed Opportunity
An often-requested feature could reshape a major part of the Cyberpunk 2077 2.3 experience if CD Projekt Red reconsiders its long-standing stance.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Adds New Game Plus
Ubisoft’s upcoming update adds substantial replay value to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Players will retain their equipment, skills, and levels while facing tougher challenges and reworked enemy placements. While full patch notes have not been released, Ubisoft confirmed that New Game Plus will also include new cosmetics to reward those who revisit the story.
This early addition is notable because it marks a shift in Ubisoft’s timing. Previous Assassin’s Creed games often waited a year or more before introducing post-game content of this scale. In the case of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft actually chose not to include New Game Plus at all, stating that the game’s structure limited its ability to implement it in a rewarding way.
Shadows features two protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, and encourages different playstyles. Replaying the game in New Game Plus offers the perfect opportunity to explore their unique paths, especially for players who focused on just one character over another during their first run.
Cyberpunk 2077 Still Doesn’t Have New Game Plus
Despite being out for over four years, Cyberpunk 2077 has never received an official New Game Plus mode. CD Projekt Red overhauled nearly every aspect of the game, from skill trees to enemy AI, but the ability to replay the story with an endgame V has remained absent.
New Game Plus has been one of the most requested features for Cyberpunk 2077, and the game’s branching narratives and build variety would make it a perfect fit. Multiple Cyberpunk 2077 life paths, choices with long-term consequences, and divergent endings already provide a natural incentive to replay. The problem is that doing so means starting from scratch every time.
Several unofficial mods on PC offer a New Game Plus workaround, but these are not supported by CD Projekt Red and often break with new patches.
Despite the release of Phantom Liberty and multiple updates, Cyberpunk 2077 still does not include New Game Plus. CD Projekt Red has cited technical and design limitations, including early-game balance issues and structural challenges, as reasons for its absence.
However, the recent Cyberpunk 2077 2.3 update added self-driving vehicles, Photo Mode upgrades, and new quests, showing that support for the game has not ended entirely. With external studio Virtuos now assisting with updates, there is a slim but lingering hope that New Game Plus could still happen someday, though it remains unlikely.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Pulling Ahead
While Cyberpunk 2077 focused on rebuilding its core, Shadows launched on a more stable foundation, allowing the team to focus on player-requested features within its first year. New Game Plus also ties into the broader structure of Shadows, which is designed around region-based progression and narrative flexibility. The ability to replay with all skills and gear intact encourages deeper exploration of alternate outcomes and character builds.
By contrast, Cyberpunk 2077’s silence on the feature arguably creates a disconnect between the game’s depth and its long-term replayability for some players. Some fans want to dive back into the story with maxed-out cyberware or specific ending routes, but the lack of New Game Plus continues to be a roadblock.
Both games offer strong single-player experiences, but Cyberpunk 2077 arguably holds more replay value thanks to its branching narratives, life paths, and build variety. However, if Assassin’s Creed Shadows continues adding features like New Game Plus at this pace, it could push itself into an even higher tier of post-launch RPG support.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
- Released
- March 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 20, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
