Ghost of Yotei Beats Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PS5 After Just Three Weeks

Ghost of Yotei has pulled off what many thought impossible – in just three weeks on the PlayStation 5, it managed to outsell Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one of Ubisoft’s biggest launches in years. According to a new report from Alinea Analytics, Sucker Punch’s latest open-world samurai epic has already sold 2.5 million copies on PS5 alone, surpassing Shadows’ 2.4 million in less than a month.

It’s a stunning turnaround that highlights how player loyalty, smart timing, and creative identity can reshape a franchise’s fate in a crowded market.

When Assassin’s Creed Shadows released in March 2025, Ubisoft had all the momentum. The game dominated sales charts, topping the U.S. software rankings and moving more than five million copies globally by summer. For a while, it looked untouchable – the long-awaited Japanese setting had fans excited, and Shadows became one of the year’s most discussed titles. But gamers are nothing if not discerning, and when Ghost of Yotei arrived, the narrative quickly shifted. The overlap between both games – revenge-driven protagonists, six targets to hunt, and sprawling open worlds inspired by feudal Japan – set the stage for a natural rivalry. Both games share DNA, yet Yotei has captured the public imagination in ways Shadows struggled to maintain.

The reasons are layered. Analysts at Alinea point out that Yotei benefitted from a strong, pre-existing PlayStation audience. Players who had fallen in love with 2020’s Ghost of Tsushima were ready to return to that universe – a world that had already mastered the delicate balance between cinematic storytelling and player freedom. Sucker Punch had also earned goodwill by listening to its community, fine-tuning mechanics, and emphasizing authenticity over formula. In contrast, Ubisoft’s long-running Assassin’s Creed series has been criticized for its repetitive design and bloated systems. Shadows, despite solid reviews, couldn’t escape comparisons to Tsushima’s elegance, and by the time Yotei launched, many players were eager for something that felt more soulful, less corporate.

It’s not just about nostalgia or fan loyalty either. Yotei’s launch strategy was sharp – a PlayStation exclusive at first, building prestige and conversation, before a planned PC release later this year. Shadows, being multiplatform and eventually targeting the upcoming Switch 2, may catch up in overall numbers. But on the battleground that matters most – the PS5 – Yotei has already claimed victory. The symbolism here is hard to ignore: a once-first-party newcomer now standing toe-to-toe with one of gaming’s biggest franchises, and winning.

Of course, debates continue to rage online. Some gamers call the comparison unfair, others mock the shifting benchmarks of success. Yet what’s undeniable is that Ghost of Yotei has proven that originality, artistry, and respect for players’ intelligence can still triumph over sheer marketing muscle. Whether this momentum continues remains to be seen, but for now, Sucker Punch’s spiritual sequel stands as one of 2025’s most surprising success stories – and perhaps a quiet warning to giants like Ubisoft that formula alone can’t sustain fascination forever.