Let’s be real. Trying to sort out the assassin's creed list in order is basically like trying to untangle a drawer full of old charging cables while someone screams historical dates at you. It’s a mess. You’ve got the release dates, which jump all over the place, and then you’ve got the actual historical timeline, which starts in Ancient Egypt, skips to Greece, then somehow ends up in 9th-century England before heading back to the Crusades. It’s a lot.
If you’re just starting out, or maybe you’re a lapsed fan wondering where the hell Basim fits into the grand scheme of things, you need a roadmap. Not a corporate wiki. A real guide.
The thing about Ubisoft is they love a good retcon. They also love framing everything through the Animus, that high-tech DNA-reading lounge chair that lets modern-day characters relive their ancestors' lives. Because of that, "the order" depends entirely on how your brain works. Do you want to see how the game mechanics evolved from 2007 to now? Or do you want to follow the literal birth of the Hidden Ones and the Templars from the very beginning?
The Chronological Headache: History’s Version
If you want the assassin's creed list in order of when things actually happened in the "real world," you’re starting much later than you’d think. Or earlier. Honestly, it depends on if you count the Isu stuff, but let's stick to the human history for sanity's sake.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (431 BC – 422 BC)
This is the starting point. You’re in the Peloponnesian War. There aren’t even "Assassins" yet. You’re playing as Kassandra (or Alexios, but Kassandra is the canon choice according to the Odyssey novelization by Gordon Doherty). You’re dealing with the Cult of Kosmos, which is basically the proto-Templar group. It’s a massive RPG. Like, "lose 100 hours of your life" massive.
Assassin’s Creed Origins (49 BC – 43 BC)
Fast forward a few hundred years to Ptolemaic Egypt. This is where we see Bayek of Siwa and his wife Aya actually form the "Hidden Ones." This is the literal origin story of the brotherhood. If you skip this, the leap from Odyssey to the later games feels like it's missing a heart.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage (861 AD)
Then we hit Baghdad. Basim’s story. It’s a smaller, tighter game that feels like a love letter to the original 2007 title. It’s short. You can beat it in a weekend. It fits right before the Viking invasion.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (872 AD – 878 AD)
Eivor and the Vikings. This one is polarizing. Some people love the settlement building; others think it’s bloated. It’s essential for the modern-day lore, though. If you care about what happens to Desmond or Layla, you can't ignore Valhalla.
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The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
This is where the "classic" feel lives.
- Assassin’s Creed (1191 AD): Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad in the Third Crusade. It’s clunky now. Let's be honest. But it’s the foundation.
- The Ezio Trilogy (1476 AD – 1512 AD): This includes Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations. Ezio Auditore da Firenze is still the poster boy for the franchise for a reason. You watch him grow from a cocky teenager in Florence to a weary old man in Constantinople. It’s the peak of the series for many.
The Colonial Era and Beyond
The assassin's creed list in order gets really crowded once we hit the 1700s. The series moved to the New World, and the gameplay shifted heavily toward naval combat and firearms.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (1715 AD – 1722 AD)
Edward Kenway. Pirates. Rum. This is arguably the most "fun" game in the series, even if Edward spends most of it not actually caring about the Creed. He’s just a guy trying to get paid, which is honestly relatable.
Assassin’s Creed Rogue (1752 AD – 1760 AD)
You play as a Templar. Shay Patrick Cormac is an Assassin who defects. It’s the "bridge" game between the pirate era and the American Revolution. Short, but visually cool because of the North Atlantic setting.
Assassin’s Creed III (1754 AD – 1783 AD)
Connor Kenway in the American Revolution. It’s gritty. It’s snowy. The parkour in the trees was revolutionary at the time, but Connor himself is a bit of a brooding stoic, which rubbed some players the wrong way after Ezio’s charm.
Assassin’s Creed Unity (1789 AD – 1794 AD)
The French Revolution. At launch, this was a disaster. It was buggy, faces were melting, and the frame rate was a slideshow. Today? It’s arguably the best-looking game in the series. The parkour is incredibly fluid. If you haven't played it since 2014, it’s time to go back to Paris.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (1868 AD)
Victorian London. Industrial Revolution. You play as twins, Jacob and Evie Frye. You get a grappling hook. It’s very "Sherlock Holmes meets Peaky Blinders."
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Why Release Order Might Actually Be Better
Look, I get the appeal of playing chronologically. But here’s the problem: if you start with Odyssey and Origins, and then try to play the original Assassin’s Creed from 2007, you’re going to have a bad time. The mechanics will feel ancient. You'll miss the "quality of life" features like being able to climb literally anything or having a horse that actually goes where you want it to.
Following the assassin's creed list in order of release lets you see the technology evolve. You see Ubisoft figure out how to handle crowds. You see them experiment with multiplayer (and then wisely abandon it). You see the transition from a stealth-action game to a full-blown Witcher-style RPG.
- Assassin’s Creed (2007)
- Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011)
- Assassin’s Creed III (2012)
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
- Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014)
- Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014)
- Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015)
- Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017)
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023)
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2025)
There’s also the Chronicles series (China, India, Russia), which are 2.5D side-scrollers. They’re cool, but mostly for the lore hunters. They don't change the main narrative "vibe" much.
The Shadows in the Room: What's Next?
We have to talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It takes the series to Feudal Japan—a setting fans have been begging for since the Bush administration. It features two protagonists: Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, the historical Black samurai. This game is a massive pivot because it tries to marry the RPG scale of Valhalla with the stealth focus of the older games.
The assassin's creed list in order isn't just a list of dates. It’s a record of how Ubisoft has struggled to define what "Assassin's Creed" even is. Is it a social stealth simulator? Is it a pirate sim? Is it a loot-heavy RPG where you fight Medusa? Lately, it’s been all of the above.
Common Misconceptions About the Timeline
People think you have to play every single game to understand the story. You don’t. Not really. The modern-day plot (the stuff with Abstergo) is the glue, but it's often the weakest part of the experience. Most players just want to stab historical figures with a hidden blade.
If you want the "essential" experience without playing 14 games, just do the "Greatest Hits" run:
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- Assassin's Creed II (for the heart)
- Black Flag (for the fun)
- Origins (for the world-building)
- Mirage (for the roots)
Technical Realities: Where to Play
If you’re looking at an assassin's creed list in order and planning a marathon, keep in mind that the older games haven't all aged gracefully. AC II, Brotherhood, and Revelations are available as the "Ezio Collection" on modern consoles, which cleans up the visuals significantly. AC III also has a remastered version.
However, the original 2007 Assassin’s Creed is still stuck in the past. On PC, it’s fine, and on Xbox, it benefits from auto-HDR and resolution boosts, but PlayStation players are basically out of luck unless they still have a PS3 kicking around.
The Evolution of Stealth
In the early games, "stealth" meant blending into a crowd of monks. In Unity, it meant a dedicated crouch button (finally!). In the RPG era (Origins through Valhalla), it mostly meant staying in tall grass and using your hawk to scout. Mirage brought back "social stealth," which was a huge relief for long-time fans who missed feeling like a "blade in the crowd."
Navigating the DLC
Don't ignore the DLC if you care about the assassin's creed list in order. Some of it is fluff, but some is vital.
- Fate of Atlantis (Odyssey): This is where all the heavy sci-fi/Isu lore lives. If you skip this, the start of Valhalla won't make any sense.
- Dead Kings (Unity): It’s free and adds a much darker, gothic tone to Arno’s story.
- Freedom Cry (Black Flag): You play as Adewale. It’s a heavy, powerful story about the slave trade in the Caribbean. It’s arguably better written than the main game.
The Verdict on the "Right" Order
Honestly? Start with Assassin’s Creed II. If you can’t handle the older graphics, jump straight to Origins.
The assassin's creed list in order is a suggestion, not a law. This isn't a linear series like The Last of Us. It’s a massive, messy, beautiful historical playground. You can jump in at almost any point—except maybe Revelations or III—and have a good time without knowing exactly who Juno is or why everyone is obsessed with shiny golden apples.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Check your platform compatibility: If you're on PS5/Series X, look for the "Ezio Collection" and "The Americas Collection" to get the most bang for your buck.
- Focus on a "Saga": Instead of the whole list, try the "Mythical Trilogy" (Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla) or the "Ezio Trilogy." It’s much less overwhelming.
- Watch a "Modern Day" Recap: If you're jumping into a later game like Shadows or Mirage, find a 10-minute YouTube video on the "Modern Day Story" so you aren't confused when the game suddenly cuts to a lady in a van looking at a tablet.
- Adjust your settings: In the newer RPG games, you can actually toggle "Guaranteed Assassination" in the menu. This makes the game feel much more like the classic titles where a blade to the neck actually kills people, regardless of their "level."