I can say that you are a fan of the Assassin’s Creed franchise because you landed on this page. You want to know all about the Assassin’s Creed games in order, maybe because you are just about the begin playing these games or maybe because you want to revisit the franchise and want to play it in the order of the chronology of events. Whatever your reason is, you will find all the games in the franchise listed here in correct order!
Assassin’s Creed is an award-winning video game franchise with countless installments including the main games as well as spin-offs. Developed by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed brought an open-world historically accurate action-adventure stealth gameplay experience.
The entire franchise heavily revolves around the Assassins that constantly fight with Templars. Templars are the ones who believe in a pessimistic view of humanity. Assassins, on the other hand, believe in free will and democracy. Throughout the game, you will find yourself playing an assassin in the past history trying to battle against the rising presence of the Templars. You will also keep on switching between modern-day protagonists such as Desmond Miles.
The history of the Assassin’s Creed franchise dates back to 2007 when Ubisoft released the first title. Assassin’s Creed as a video game was originated out of the ideas for the sequel of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. In fact, the original Assassin’s Creed has the same mechanism as that of the Prince of Persia but of course, with refined movements.
Assassin’s Creed Games In Order
If you search for Assassin’s Creed franchise right now, you will find a plethora of titles, spin-offs, novel adaptations, movies, and whatnot. The entire series offers massive content to the fans which is why it is hard to get started. If you’re finding yourself in the same dilemma, then this article is for you.
Today, we’re going to mention various orders of Assassin’s Creed games such as release order, timeline order, and more. Even if you have already played the franchise, just switching the order might bring an improved experience to your gameplay. With that said, let’s jump right into it.
Release Order (Main Series)
1. Assassin’s Creed (2007)
- Release date: November 13, 2007
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows
When Assassin’s Creed was launched in 2007, it immediately got huge attention thanks to its uniqueness. While you might find the title a bit dull and not that impressive graphically today, the game was indeed one of the best ones during that time. It was the first time a game brought a unique aspect to the industry.
In the first title, you play as an Assassin named Altair Ibn La-Ahad, exploring the medieval ages in the Middle East. Through this game, you get all the baseline of the entire franchise from terms such as Animus, genetic memories, Templars, Piece of Eden, and more.
In fact, the title got so popular that it received a huge number of positive reviews for both its story and gameplay. Considering the success this title experienced, it was no surprise that Ubisoft decided to convert this into a fully-fledged franchise.
The modern-day protagonist Desmond Miles is using the Animus machine to experience the life of Altair in order to uncover some truths. Altair is one of the legendary assassins throughout the franchise and this game makes the foundation of the same.
2. Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
- Release date: November 17, 2009
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows, OS X
Unlike the original release, Assassin’s Creed II takes place in a different era, and in fact, it was a significant leap. This time you will experience Renaissance-era Italy. You play as Ezio Auditore da Firenze who lived in Italy. Ezio went on to become an assassin after his family was betrayed.
Ubisoft brought a whole new storyline that fans actually loved a lot. To top things off, the entire gameplay experience was much more refined, improved, and much better compared to the original release.
Once again, you play Desmond Miles, a modern-day protagonist who is now using a different Animus machine to explore the life of Ezio. If you’re unaware, Animus uses genetic memory to find ancestors. Basically, you will find two aspects of stories throughout the Assassin’s Creed games – the modern-day story of Desmond Miles and the ancient history of assassins and templars. Even though Assassin’s Creed II is a 2009 title, it is still considered one of the most loved entries in the franchise.
Furthermore, it was the first time that the franchise witnessed DLC content. In 2010, Ubisoft introduced Battle of Forli and Bonfire of the Vanities as two downloadable content for the title.
3. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
- Release date: November 16, 2010
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows, OS X
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood continues the story of Ezio who is now a Master Assassin. In this installment, you explore Rome in order to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood. Of course, you need to bring down the Templars in order to do that. The key highlight of this title is not the improved gameplay but the continuation of the storyline and of course, an entirely new map to explore.
There were a variety of notable additions in this game such as the ability to recruit assassins. Once recruited, you can call them for aid in combat or send them on missions that would yield more rewards.
The core gameplay experience remains the same as that of Assassin’s Creed II. The developers also introduced a competitive multiplayer mode in this title. Just like the previous title, there are a plethora of downloadable contents such as Copernicus Conspiracy, Animus Project Update 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and The Da Vinci Disappearance.
4. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011)
- Release date: November 15, 2011
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows
The fourth entry in the Assassin’s Creed games in order is named Assassin’s Creed: Revelations where the story of Ezio continues and witnesses an amazing end. The Revelations marked the end of the Ezio trilogy that started of with Ezio being a naive person to a legendary assassin that left a significant mark in the brotherhood.
It’s still one of the most impressive Assassin’s Creed titles out there. From storyline to graphics, Ubisoft killed it with this title. The Ezio trilogy is still considered one of the most liked Assassin’s Creed games.
The Revelations takes place in Italian cities such as Firenze and Rome. You also explore the Ottoman Empire – Istanbul. There were few gameplay additions such as “hookblade” allowing to traverse zipline in city and more. If you’re going through the Ezio storyline, then the way Revelations ends would definitely bring you comfort and a smile, maybe a few tears as well.
There are three downloadable content i.e. DLCs for this game. These are as follows: The Ancestors Character Pack, Mediterranean Traveler Map Pack, and The Lost Archive.
5. Assassin’s Creed III (2012)
- Release date: October 30, 2012
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows, Wii U, Switch
With Assassin’s Creed III, Ubisoft takes yet another jump in the timeline. This time the game takes place during the American Revolutionary War.
The game primarily focuses on the story of a native American named Ratonhnhaké:ton. Hard to pronounce, right? That is why he also goes by the alias Connor to blend into American society. Apart from the assassins and templars, the game also focuses on the story of how Connor becomes an assassin and is able to save his tribe.
From the storyline point of view, the game took a major shift. It received few downright criticisms because of the fact that the games become a bit repetitive at some point. Nonetheless, Assassin’s Creed III is still a solid game if you don’t mind spending a bit extra time on it. There were various new additions to the gameplay experience such as weather changes, animal hunting, naval exploration, and a bunch of new weapons. It is also worth noting that this game also has a remastered version with improved graphics and gameplay experience.
Talking about the downloadable contents, we’re looking at Benedict Arnold, The Hidden Secrets Pack, The Battle Hardened Pack, and The Tyranny of King Washington.
6. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
- Release date: October 29, 2013
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows
The next installment in the series is Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. Again, we’re looking at a different timeline, this time taking place several decades before the events of Assassin’s Creed III.
In this title, you take up the role of Edward Kenway who is a pirate and the grandfather of Connor. The game largely focuses on pirates and how Edward Kenway assumes the role of an assassin. In a bid to earn more money and have a wealthy life, Kenway tries whatever he can to achieve his goal. Through his journey, he gets himself caught up in the world of templars.
Black Flag brings significant changes to the gameplay experience of the franchise. For the first time ever, you can now completely explore the naval. With naval exploration, the developers have added a much more bigger open-world environment. There were various elements of gameplay experience such as taking control over ports using your ship, boarding other ships, and more.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is one of the best games in the franchise and once you play it, you’re really gonna appreciate every single moment of it.
There is a plethora of downloadable content for this particular installment. Some of the popular ones include Aveline, Kraken Ship Pack, Death Vessel Pack, Blackbeard’s Wrath, Freedom Cry, and more.
7. Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (2014)
- Release date: November 11, 2014
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows
Assassin’s Creed: Rogue also takes place in the Colonial era, right after the previous Black Flag. The title is quite interesting from the rest of the installments as you play as a Templar. You take the role of an ex-assassin Shay who has now teamed up with Templars. Sounds interesting, isn’t it? The gameplay is exactly similar to that of Black Flag except for there’s less naval exploration.
The Rogue is a very short title with fairly less number of missions compared to the other titles in the franchise. However, it is still an interesting one as it gives you a different perspective. An assassin who feels templars are much better and are capable of changing the world and bringing peace. It’s a must-play for any Assassin’s Creed franchise fan.
8. Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014)
- Release date: November 11, 2014
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Alongside Rogue, Ubisoft also revealed a new title dubbed Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Rogue and Unity are connected to each other through the endings and beginning of the titles respectively. The Unity takes place in rather interesting European cities during the French Revolution. What’s special about Unity is the gameplay experience.
There was a big shift in the gameplay experience from the previous title Rogue to Unity. Ubisoft introduced cleaner movements and an impressive parkour experience. The gameplay of the title was quite fresh and smooth. There was heavy character customization as well.
Another addition was the cooperative multiplayer allowing you to play the game with friends. Sadly, Ubisoft never refined this or implemented it in future titles. There were some new weapons such as Phantom Blade which is a combination of the crossbow and the traditional Hidden Blade.
Many found the gameplay experience to be a bit difficult, essentially because you now get to choose how you want to execute them. There are multiple ways to achieve the same goal and depending on your choice, the difficulty is set. Unity was highly praised for its unique gameplay style and amazing parkour skills. It is still a benchmark for any Assassin’s Creed title when it comes to parkour and climbing or jumping between buildings.
The downloadable content for this title includes – Revolutionary Armaments Pack, Dead Kings, Secrets of the Revolution Pack, and Underground Armory Pack.
9. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (2015)
- Release date: October 23, 2015
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
After Unity, the next title in the Assassin’s Creed games in order was named Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, a game which is set a little bit ahead of the former because this time we’re in Victorian-era London.
In Syndicate, you can play two characters Jacob and Evie (Frye Twins). You can switch between these two characters at any time. Jacob’s style focuses more on aggressive combat while Evie has strong stealth capabilities.
The title follows the same gameplay experience as that of Unity but with less focus on parkour. Ubisoft also included leveling system where each enemy has a certain level and to beat them, you need to be on the same or higher level. Of course, you can beat them even if you’re below them but that could be challenging. While many didn’t like the leveling mechanism, we think it was something new and different in the franchise.
All in all, Syndicate is a fun Assassin’s Creed game and it has a lot of cool things to do aside from main missions. The Syndicate also has a plethora of DLC contents such as The Dreadful Crimes, Steampunk Pack, Jack the Ripper, The Last Maharaja, and more.
10. Assassin’s Creed: Origins (2017)
- Release date: October 7, 2017
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Assassin’s Creed: Origins is where the franchise witnessed a significant shift. Till Syndicate, the formula for Assassin’s Creed games remain more or less the same. Ubisoft received a lot of mixed criticism for its few consecutive titles. Instead of revealing a new title every single year, the company decided to take a pause and work on some new gameplay concepts. The result was Assassin’s Creed: Origins!
The Origins takes players to Ptolemaic Egypt and brings an entirely different combat system. Origins was more of an RPG title with a lot of elements similar to that of other RPG games. Ubisoft even brought a bigger and more spacious open world to the game. From weapons to combat systems, everything was refreshed to a greater extent. At first, fans didn’t like the title and called it the end of the franchise. But later, it was greatly appreciated and is now a fan favorite.
Origins give you the foundation of how Assassins Brotherhood was formed which is something every AC fan should experience or play. With this game, there were a variety of packs and DLC content such as Deluxe Pack, Horus Pack, The Hidden Ones, The Curse of the Pharaohs, and more.
11. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (2018)
- Release date: October 5, 2018
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Inspired by the gameplay mechanics of Origins, Ubisoft announced a new title called Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey in 2018. The game takes place in the Hellenic world and the Peloponnesian War. You play as Alexios who doesn’t know about his family’s existence apart from the fact that his father left him to die. This is the odyssey of Alexios who is in search of his family. Along the way, he uncovers an organization (a cult) that is hell-bent on controlling every aspect of the world.
Throughout this game, you will uncover various truths related to Alexios and his family while also experiencing how the Templars rose. Odyssey was highly criticized for not having the Hidden Blade which is something common with every single AC game. The removal of Hidden Blade made sense as the game took place in a time where the concept of assassins or the hidden ones didn’t exist.
The gameplay experience remains the same with RPG elements and the same combat mechanism. Of course, there were new weapons and a much bigger open world to explore.
With Odyssey, Ubisoft also brought back naval exploration and combat to the franchise. This time it was much more improved and refined. Another addition was the choices in the gameplay. Players will get to choose the dialogue and every choice will lead to different endings. This means that you can play the title a couple of times and can get different endings depending on the dialogue chosen.
Furthermore, Odyssey brought a lot of content to explore in the form of side missions. It’s considered one of the longest Assassin’s Creed games.
12. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (2020)
- Release date: November 10, 2020
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows, Stadia
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is the latest in this biggest franchise and was released in the year 2020. It’s the first AC game to make its way to Google Stadia, a cloud-based game streaming platform. As the name suggested, the game focuses on the Viking invasion of Britain. You find yourself between the conflict of Viking and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. You’re a Viking named Eivor who is trying his or her best to protect his creed.
Valhalla borrows the two-character genders from Odyssey. The game expands on the mechanics of Origins and Odyssey. It also focuses a lot more on stealth which is a core element of any Assassin’s Creed game. The game also brings heavy player customization such as the ability to choose tattoos and more.
Assassin’s Creed Spin-Offs
Apart from the main games in this popular franchise, Ubisoft made sure to release a ton of spin-offs that gave fans a chance to play their favorite game more often. Here’s a look at the various Assassin’s Creed spin-offs that Ubisoft released throughout the existence of the franchise.
- Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles (2008)
- Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (2009)
- Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (2009)
- Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation (2012)
- Assassin’s Creed: Pirates (2013)
- Assassin’s Creed: Identity (2014)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (2015)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (2016)
- Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (2016)
- Assassin’s Creed Unity: Arno’s Chronicles (2017)
- Assassin’s Creed: Rebellion (2018)
Assassin’s Creed Games In Order (Chronological Order)
If you have already played every single AC game, and you want to play it once more, then you should play the games in chronological order, i.e. according to the time periods each of the game is set in. This will allow you to experience the game in a different way, experiencing things according to the timeline.
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (2018) – Takes place in 431 BC
- Assassin’s Creed: Origins (2017) – Takes place during 49 to 43 BC
- Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (2020) – Takes place in 873 AD
- Assassin’s Creed (2007) – Takes place in 1191 AD
- Assassin’s Creed II (2009) – Takes place in 1459 AD
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010) – Takes place during 1500 to 1507 AD
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011) – Takes place in 1511 AD
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) – Takes place during 1712 to 1722 AD
- Assassin’s Creed: Rogue (2014) – Takes place during 1752 to 1760 AD
- Assassin’s Creed III (2012) – Takes place during 1754 to 1783 AD
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014) – Takes place during 1776 to 1783 AD
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (2015) – Takes place in 1868 AD
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed is no doubt one of the massive video game franchises out there and one of the most popular ones. Since the initial release, the franchise has witnessed numerous ups and downs. The latest iteration i.e. Valhalla seemed to have received good feedback from the fans and gaming community. Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla are some of the best-looking AC games and Ezio trilogy is still considered the go-to trilogy with fans being more connected to Ezio and his life. The Black Flag is also highly appreciated as it brought a whole new experience during its release.
The story of Assassins and Templars goes way back and way beyond. It would be interesting to see what the franchise has in stores for us. Play the game from the beginning till the end and in both the orders. Believe us! You’re in for a treat!
And we’ll make sure to keep this list featuring all the Assassin’s Creed games in order updated as and when new titles are launched so you guys have the best resource to refer to!
Also See: God of War Games In Order
