Assassin’s Creed Shadows is about to look noticeably cleaner on PlayStation 5 Pro. Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will receive Sony’s upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) on April 7, arriving as part of Title Update 1.1.9. The patch is scheduled to go live at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and it makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows one of the early adopters of Sony’s refreshed PSSR tech.
This update follows Sony’s broader push to expand upgraded PSSR support on PS5 Pro. In mid-March, Sony explained that the improved upscaler would roll out more widely via a PS5 system software update, with select games receiving dedicated patches shortly afterward. Assassin’s Creed Shadows was named as one of the titles in line for a game-specific update, and Ubisoft has now locked in the release date.
Upgraded PSSR across Performance, Balanced, and Quality modes
One of the biggest takeaways for PS5 Pro players is that the upgraded PSSR won’t be limited to a single graphics preset. Ubisoft says the enhanced upscaling model will be used across all three PS5 Pro modes in Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Performance, Balanced, and Quality.
Because these modes rely on dynamic resolution scaling and different internal resolutions, image reconstruction plays a major role in how sharp and stable the final output looks. Ubisoft’s goal with the upgraded PSSR is to improve final image quality in every mode, rather than forcing players into one “best” setting to see the benefits.
What players should notice: cleaner detail and more stable visuals
Ubisoft’s technical notes point to improvements that matter in real gameplay, especially in motion. The revised PSSR model is designed to deliver a cleaner, steadier image while reconstructing fine detail more accurately. Sony has described the upgraded PSSR in similar terms: better image stability, improved clarity for fine details, and more consistent results in supported games.
In other words, this patch is aimed at reducing the distracting shimmer, fuzziness, and instability that can show up when fast movement, complex lighting, or heavy effects push an upscaler to its limits.
Why foliage, particles, and ray tracing are the focus
Ubisoft highlights areas that are traditionally difficult for upscaling and reconstruction, and they’re exactly the kinds of visuals Assassin’s Creed Shadows leans on heavily. The studio says the updated PSSR performs especially well with dense vegetation, transparency-heavy particle effects, and noisy ray-traced lighting.
In practical terms, PS5 Pro players can expect improved handling of moving grass and distant foliage, steadier-looking particle effects during action, and more accurate reconstruction for ray-traced reflections, ambient occlusion, and dynamic lighting in complex scenes. These are the situations where visual upgrades tend to be most obvious—busy environments, action-heavy moments, and areas loaded with fine detail.
Part of Sony’s larger PS5 Pro image-quality strategy
Sony first revealed the upgraded PSSR in late February, saying the new version was built from updates to its algorithm and neural network, developed through its Project Amethyst collaboration with AMD. Sony also indicated that more games would adopt the updated PSSR in March, with most new PS5 Pro releases expected to support the enhanced version going forward and some existing titles receiving post-launch patches.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows fits into that second category. The game already supported the original PSSR on PS5 Pro, and Ubisoft says integrating the upgraded model required only minimal code changes. For players, though, the impact should be more meaningful than the simplicity of the implementation suggests: a sharper, more stable picture across Performance, Balanced, and Quality modes when Title Update 1.1.9 lands on April 7.
