The first expansion for Assassin’s Creed Shadows is set to be released on September 16. But in a complete surprise, Ubisoft has now also announced a DLC for the two-year-old predecessor Mirage.
No one saw this coming: Although Assassin’s Creed Mirage is already around two years old and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a very successful sequel to the series, is already on the market, the Baghdad spin-off is surprisingly getting an expansion.
As publisher Ubisoft announced on Twitter over the weekend, there will be a surprise for Mirage players later this year. The tweet mentions a new story chapter with additional missions set in 9th-century Al-ʿUla, as well as gameplay improvements for the base game and the new setting.
And best of all: The new content will be completely free.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage players, we have a surprise coming your way later this year!
New story chapter & missions set in 9th century AlUla
Gameplay improvements for the base game and the new location
All for freeStay tuned! pic.twitter.com/8CjB3MRvfR
— Assassin’s39;s Creed (@assassinscreed) August 23, 2025
The announcement coincides with several leaks and rumors on social media, which our colleagues at GamePro, among others, have reported on in recent weeks.
The content of the expansion is not yet known, but the location of the action is: Al-ʿUla is an oasis city in present-day Saudi Arabia that is over 7,000 years old, and its nearby district of Hegra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – a perfect setting for an Assassin’s Creed game.
A difficult partnership
However, there could be another reason for the setting: As reported by the French website Les Echos Earlier this year, Ubisoft reportedly signed a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, with the investment group responsible for financing the DLC.
The partnership is considered problematic because fundamental human rights are not respected in Saudi Arabia. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are virtually non-existent, and the social status of women and minorities is precarious.
What was Mirage about again?
For those who need a quick refresher: Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set in the 9th century in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. It is the golden age of Islam, and the city is ruled by the Abbasid Caliphate. The young street thief Basim Ibn Ishaq, who occasionally runs errands for the Hidden Ones – the precursor order to the Assassins – ekes out a living here with petty crimes.
When one of his robberies goes wrong, Basim has no choice but to flee and join the Hidden Ones. As such, he now fights against the plans of the Templar Order – then still known as the Order of the Elders – in Mesopotamia. The masked members of the order are searching for powerful prehistoric artifacts of the Isu.
Mirage presents itself as a playful return to the roots of Assassin’s Creed; the game offers significantly fewer role-playing mechanics than the previous installments in the series. Instead, Mirage brings classic elements such as parkour, assassinations, and smaller maps back to the forefront.
There is no specific release date for the upcoming Mirage update yet, but the Twitter post clearly states that the new content is scheduled to be released this year. However, since the Awaji DLC for the latest installment in the series, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is scheduled for release on September 16, we expect the Mirage expansion to be released no earlier than mid-October.
What do you think of the announcement of a new Mirage expansion? Will you return to Mirage with the DLC, or is the expansion coming too late for you? Let us know in the comments!
