Ubisoft Connectvs
Steam
Steam: Better refund terms, family sharing and one launcher instead of two, even though Ubisoft titles still require Connect
Ubisoft Connect
Ubisoft launcher, rewards programme and the Ubisoft+ subscription
As of 31 August 2026, Ubisoft Connect is free to use. The mandatory launcher for Ubisoft games, including copies bought on Steam or Epic. Softwr lists it under Gaming. Ubisoft Connect is made by Ubisoft Entertainment SA, available on Windows, TV and console, Web.
Overview
What Ubisoft Connect does
Ubisoft Connect is the account system, launcher, store and rewards programme for Ubisoft titles on PC, with companion functions on console. It handles installation and patching, cross platform progression and friends, an achievement system that pays out in Units redeemable for in game items, and it sells games outright as well as through the Ubisoft+ subscription tiers. What you actually own is the question that matters. In 2024 Ubisoft shut down the servers for The Crew, delisted it, and revoked player access to a game that had been bought and paid for, which produced consumer protection complaints and a class action in the United States. A Ubisoft executive separately said that players would need to become comfortable with not owning their games. Anything sold through Ubisoft Connect depends on the account and on Ubisoft continuing to authorise it, and the company has also run an inactive account closure policy. That is a different risk profile from a DRM free store. It is unavoidable if you play Assassin Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six or Anno, and Ubisoft+ Premium is reasonable value for someone who plays two or three Ubisoft releases in a year. The trade-off is a second launcher, a subscription that leaves nothing behind, and a publisher that has demonstrated it will withdraw access.
What people use it for
- Playing a single big Ubisoft release at launch for one or two months of subscription instead of seventy up front
- Carrying progress between a PC and a console on titles that support cross platform saves
- Households already on PlayStation Plus at a tier that bundles Ubisoft+ Classics, where the back catalogue costs nothing extra
- Running Ubisoft titles bought on Steam, where the launcher is required whether you want it or not
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Ubisoft Connect.
- Ubisoft revoked access to The Crew after shutting its servers down in 2024, which established that a purchased title with a single player mode can be made unplayable, and no purchase here is insulated from that.
- The launcher is mandatory even for copies bought on Steam or Epic, so you run two clients, two overlays and two update services for one game.
- Ubisoft+ leaves nothing behind when you stop paying and there is no credit toward buying a title outright, so a subscription kept across a quiet release year is money with no residue.
- Ubisoft has operated an inactive account closure policy, which means a library can be put at risk by simply not logging in for a long period.
- At around eighteen a month the Premium tier costs more than three big releases a year, so it only pays for players who genuinely play a lot of Ubisoft output.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Ubisoft Connect
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- Ubisoft ConnectvsGOG
GOG: DRM free installers you can archive locally, which is the direct answer to the risk of revoked access
- Ubisoft ConnectvsXbox Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass: A larger subscription catalogue that periodically includes Ubisoft titles without a separate Ubisoft subscription
Pricing
What Ubisoft Connect costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Ubisoft Connect
Free
- Free launcher, account and rewards programme
- Required to run Ubisoft titles bought anywhere
- Games bought individually from the store
Ubisoft+ Premium
$17.99 /mo
- New PC releases at launch
- Back catalogue, expansions and premium editions
- Cancel any time, access ends immediately
Ubisoft+ Classics
$7.99 /mo
- Console tier covering older titles
- Included within some PlayStation Plus tiers
Capabilities
Features
Launcher and patching
Installs and updates Ubisoft titles, including copies bought on Steam and the Epic Games Store
Cross platform progression
Carries saves and progress between PC, PlayStation and Xbox on supported titles
Units rewards
In game challenges earn Units that buy cosmetic and gameplay items across Ubisoft games
Ubisoft+ Premium
Subscription covering new PC releases at launch plus the back catalogue and expansions
Ubisoft+ Classics
Cheaper console tier covering older titles, also bundled into some PlayStation Plus tiers
Cloud saves
Save synchronisation across machines tied to the Ubisoft account
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Do I need Ubisoft Connect if I buy on Steam?
Yes. Ubisoft PC titles bought on Steam still install and launch the Ubisoft Connect client and require a Ubisoft account.
Can Ubisoft take away a game I bought?
It has done so. The Crew was delisted and access revoked in 2024 after the servers were shut down. Treat purchases as licences, not property.
Does Ubisoft+ include Assassin Creed releases at launch?
Premium does on PC. The cheaper Classics tier covers older titles only, so new releases are not included there.
Keep looking
Where to go from Ubisoft Connect
- Ubisoft Connect alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Ubisoft Connect pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Ubisoft Connect badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Gaming softwareThe full category
- Best Gaming softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Gaming software for
Compare Ubisoft Connect with
- Steam
- GOG
- Xbox Game Pass
- Amazon Luna
- Battle.net
- Playnite
- EA Play
- GOG Galaxy
- Heroic Games Launcher
- Lutris
- Minecraft
- Nvidia GeForce Now
- Fanatical
- Fortnite
- Green Man Gaming
- Battle.net
- EA Play
- GOG Galaxy
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From $5.99/mo11 researched notesFree optional client from CD Projekt that aggregates other storefronts and keeps GOG downloads DRM-free
Free plan11 researched notes
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Ubisoft Connect, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Ubisoft Connect
Ubisoft Connect alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Ubisoft Connect pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Ubisoft Connect
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Ubisoft Connect badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
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