In its 15 years of existence, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise has traveled far and wide. Over the course of 12 mainline games, players have traversed five continents, from Ancient Greece to Victorian London, as part of the Assassin-Templar conflict.
Codenames Red and Hexe (which will be part of the previously announced Infinity hub) and the Netflix-exclusive Codename Jade were among the many Assassin’s Creed games announced and teased at the most recent Ubisoft Forward. While we have to wait until at least 2023 for these new games to arrive, fans can enjoy playing through older games at their leisure. Exploring the historically expansive series in order could be an engaging option. So, here is the game list to help you know how to play Assassin’s Creed in chronological order.
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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Timeline: 431 BC to 404 BC
Primary setting: Ancient Greece
Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan
Historic Protagonist: Cassandra or Alexios
Available on: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, Stadia
One of the most recent Assassin’s Creed games takes place in ancient Greece and is thus the series’ chronological beginning. Odyssey 2018 is unusual for the series because it does not focus on the conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order. Instead, it elaborates on the history of the Templars, the Order, and the First Civilization—the mythical race responsible for creating Humanity in the AC universe. The modern-day sections, like those in other AC games, serve to establish the story’s overarching framework.
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Image Courtesy: Polygon
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Assassin’s Creed Origins
Timeline: 49 BC to 43 BC
Primary setting: Ancient Egypt
Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan
Historic Protagonist: Bayek of Siwa
Available on: PS4, Xbox, PC, Amazon Luna, Stadia
The Origins storyline focuses on the early days of the Assassin Order in ancient Egypt when they were still known as the Hidden Ones. The Order of the Ancients, the forerunners of the Templar, is an enemy they must confront. Bayek, the main character in Origins, is the series’ most approachable protagonist. In addition, Layla Hassan, who also appeared in Odyssey and Valhalla, was introduced as the game’s new protagonist for the modern-day segments.
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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Timeline: 872 AD. to 878 AD.
Primary setting: 9th Century England and Norway
Modern Protagonist: Layla Hassan
Historic Protagonist: Eivor Varinsson/Varinsdottir
Available on: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, Stadia
In the upcoming 2020 film Valhalla, Eivor plays the lead role, helping the Hidden Ones fight the Order of the Ancients. This character is unusual for Assassin’s Creed in that they help the Brotherhood without actually joining them. Valhalla’s usual blend of history and its lore was given a Norse Mythological twist thanks to the inclusion of the Assassin Basim.
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Assassin’s Creed
Timeline: 1191 AD.
Primary setting: 12th Century Holy Land (Acre, Damascus, Jerusalem)
Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles
Historic Protagonist: Altair Ibn’La-Ahad
Available on: PS3, PC, Xbox 360
The Assassins and the Templars conflict and the Animus plot device were first introduced in the first game and continued through the rest of the series. Desmond Miles, the first Animus subject, would show up in the present day of the next five main games. The Apple of Eden, which has the power to influence people’s thoughts, was also introduced as a recurring series by MacGuffin.
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Assassin’s Creed II
Timeline: 1476 AD. to 1499 AD.
Primary setting: 15th Century Italy
Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles
Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, PC, Switch (The Ezio Collection); Xbox 360
The second major game in the series was also released in 2009. This game introduced Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who would become one of the most beloved protagonists in the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise. The story of Ezio’s early life takes place in Renaissance Italy, where he joins the Brotherhood in order to avenge the deaths of his father and brother. More than any other assassin, Ezio appeared in the next three main installments of the series.
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Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Timeline: 1499 AD. to 1507 AD.
Primary setting: 15th-16th Century Italy
Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles
Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch (The Ezio Collection); PS3, Xbox 360
Brotherhood, Ezio’s second main outing, was released in 2010 and featured him continuing his fight against the Templar-aligned Borgia Family in Rome. To this day, Ezio is still friends with the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo Machiavelli. However, Desmond’s importance grows as he uncovers the Apple of Eden in Ezio’s recollections, leading to a surprising outcome involving Kristen Bell’s supporting character, Lucy.
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Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Timeline: 1511 AD. to 1512 AD.
Primary setting: 16th Century Constantinople
Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles
Historic Protagonist: Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, , PC, Switch (The Ezio Collection); PS3, Xbox 360
Revelations, released in 2011, does not merely conclude Ezio’s trilogy; it also delves further into Altar’s past. Ezio uses them in 16th-century Constantinople to unlock Altar’s vault and retrieve the Apple of Eden, setting in motion a series of events that ultimately unite Altar, Ezio, and Desmond. It’s the most pivotal game in the series because it explains the Assassins’ true motivation.
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Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Timeline: 1715 AD. to 1722 AD.
Primary setting: 18th Century Caribbean Islands
Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Abstergo Employee
Historic Protagonist: Edward Kenway
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PS3, PC, Xbox 360, Wii U, Switch (The Rebel Collection), Stadia;
Beyond shifting the series’ emphasis from parkour to piracy, 2013’s Black Flag was a departure for the franchise. Since Desmond wasn’t the Animus subject in this game, we learned about Abstergo’s efforts to rewrite history in order to make the Templar’s appear heroic. Instead, it’s a loose prequel to Assassin’s Creed III. It was set in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 18th century. Edward Kenway, the protagonist’s grandfather, is the father of AC III’s antagonist Haytham.
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Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Timeline: 1752 AD. to 1776 AD.
Primary setting: 18th Century American Northeast
Modern Protagonist: Abstergo Employee “Numbskull”
Historic Protagonist: Shay Patrick Cormac
Available on: PS4, PC, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Switch (The Rebel Collection), Stadia
Rogue, released in 2014, is the second game in the series to focus on pirates. It shares its time period with Assassin’s Creed III. Shay Cormac, the protagonist and a former Assassin who joins the Templars crosses paths with figures from previous games in the series, including Unity (2015). This provides a surprising amount of continuity for what could have been a sloppy spin-off.
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Assassin’s Creed III
Timeline: 1754 AD. to 1783 AD.
Primary setting: 18th Century Colonial America
Modern Protagonist: Desmond Miles
Historic Protagonist: Ratonhnhaké “Connor” Kenway
Available on: Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, Stadia, Wii U
Connor, a half-Mohawk, half-English Assassin, fights the Templars during the American Revolution in the 2012 game Assassin’s Creed III. His own father, Haytham, was the Colonial Templars’ leader. A downloadable content pack takes players further into an alternate history in which George Washington is corrupted by the Apple of Eden and declares himself King of the United States, pitting Conner against him. Desmond’s storyline in the present day also concludes at the end of this game.
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Assassins Creed Unity
Timeline: 1776 AD. 1800 AD.
Primary setting: 18th Century France
Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Helix Player
Historic Protagonist: Shay Patrick Cormac
Available on: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, Stadia
Unity, released in 2014, was one of the series’ most infamous entries due to its rocky launch. Still, after several updates, it became a worthy addition to the canon. There’s a focus on the conflict between the Assassins and the Temple Knights. The story takes place during the French Revolution with nobleman Arno Dorian at the center. It made the love story between Arno and his childhood sweetheart, Elise, a Templar follower, even more tragic. Unity also introduced a new modern-day storyline that was continued in the sequel, Syndicate.
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Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Timeline: 1868 AD.
Primary setting: Victorian London
Modern Protagonist: Unnamed Helix Player
Historic Protagonists: Jacob and Evie Frye
PS4, Xbox One, PC, Amazon Luna, Stadia
Syndicate, released in 2015, was the last Assassin’s Creed game in the sandbox style before the series shifted to action role-playing games. However, even after six years, it still sounds like a great nostalgic romp. The game follows the Frye twins as they fight the Templars in Victorian England (with downloadable content featuring Jack the Ripper and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
