Assassin's Creed Games In Order: Release And Timeline

Playing the Assassin's Creed series can feel like wandering through an untamed historical sandbox. With over a dozen mainline titles spanning ancient Egypt, Victorian London, feudal Japan, and the golden age of piracy, figuring out where to start isn't straightforward. You can experience the franchise through two distinct paths: release order, which highlights the technological evolution of Ubisoft's game design, or chronological order, which traces the timeline of the Brotherhood from the ancient world into the industrial era.

Understanding both sequences helps you avoid narrative whiplash and appreciate how the eternal struggle between the Assassins and Templars unfolded across human history. Here is the complete breakdown of every major Assassin's Creed game by release date and historical timeline, along with essential tips on which order to choose.

Release Order vs. Chronological Order: Which Should You Pick?

Before jumping into individual games, you need to decide how you want to experience the series. Each approach offers distinct advantages for both newcomers and returning fans.

• Release Order: You play games in the sequence they hit store shelves, starting with the original 2007 title. This lets you experience control schemes, parkour improvements, and engine upgrades naturally. You also avoid gameplay fatigue from older mechanics if you played newer RPG entries first.
• Chronological Order: You play according to the in-game historical timeline, starting in ancient Mesopotamia or Greece and moving forward into Victorian London and industrial England. This immerses you directly in world history sequentially, though mechanics will jump back and forth wildly between older and newer software engines.

For first-time players, release order remains the recommended path. It preserves the real-world evolution of the modern-day framing device, which anchors the historical simulations.

Assassin's Creed Games in Release Order

Playing in release order showcases how Ubisoft refined open-world design over nearly two decades. From dense medieval cities to sprawling historical RPG maps, this list covers every mainline entry by launch year.

1. Assassin's Creed (2007) — Set during the Third Crusade in 1191, introducing Altaïr Ibn-La'Âhad in Masyaf, Acre, Jerusalem, and Damascus.
2. Assassin's Creed II (2009) — Moves to Renaissance Italy (Florence, Venice, Forlì, San Gimignano) following Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010) — Continues Ezio's story in 16th-century Rome as he rebuilds the Brotherhood.
4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011) — Concludes Ezio's trilogy in Constantinople and Masyaf alongside an older Altaïr.
5. Assassin's Creed III (2012) — Shifts to the American Revolution (Boston, New York, the Frontier) with Connor Kenway.
6. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) — Explores the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy with captain Edward Kenway.
7. Assassin's Creed Rogue (2014) — Follows Templar turncoat Shay Patrick Cormac during the Seven Years' War in the North Atlantic.
8. Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) — Immerses players in Paris during the French Revolution through Arno Dorian.
9. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015) — Takes place in Victorian London with twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye.
10. Assassin's Creed Origins (2017) — Explores Ptolemaic Egypt, establishing the origins of the Assassin Brotherhood through Bayek and Aya.
11. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018) — Moves back to Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War, introducing dialogue choices and RPG systems.
12. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020) — Centers on Viking raids across 9th-century England and Norway with Eivor Varinsdottir.
13. Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) — Returns to 9th-century Baghdad, focusing tightly on stealth and parkour with Basim Ibn Ishaq.
14. Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) — Explores feudal Japan during the Sengoku period, featuring dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke.

Assassin's Creed Games in Chronological Order

If you want to live through human history step-by-step without jumping across centuries, follow this timeline sequence. This tracks the eras in which the historical simulation takes place, ignoring the modern-day framing segments.

1. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (c. 431 BCE – Ancient Greece)
2. Assassin's Creed Origins (49–43 BCE – Ptolemaic Egypt)
3. Assassin's Creed Mirage (861–863 CE – Abbasid Caliphate, Baghdad)
4. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (872–878 CE – Viking Age England & Norway)
5. Assassin's Creed (1191 CE – Third Crusade, Levant)
6. Assassin's Creed II (1476–1499 CE – Renaissance Italy)
7. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (1499–1507 CE – Renaissance Italy)
8. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (1511–1512 CE – Ottoman Empire, Constantinople)
9. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (1715–1722 CE – Caribbean Sea)
10. Assassin's Creed Rogue (1752–1760 CE – Seven Years' War, North Atlantic)
11. Assassin's Creed III (1754–1783 CE – American Revolution)
12. Assassin's Creed Unity (1789–1794 CE – French Revolution)
13. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (1868 CE – Victorian Industrial London)
14. Assassin's Creed Shadows (1579–1580s CE – Sengoku Period, Feudal Japan)

Key Evolution Phases in the Franchise

The series has undergone massive design overhauls since 2007. Knowing what to expect prevents frustration when moving between eras.

• The Classic Era (2007–2012): Focused heavily on urban social stealth, social blending, dense historical cities, and a continuous modern-day sci-fi arc featuring Desmond Miles.
• The Golden Age of Exploration (2013–2015): Expanded outward into naval combat, open oceans, economic management, and vast wilderness zones while refining parkour mechanics.
• The RPG Trilogy (2017–2020): Shifted the franchise into massive open-world action-role-playing games featuring damage numbers, loot tiers, dialogue trees, and hundreds of hours of map exploration.
• The Modern Hybrid Era (2023–Present): Blends classic stealth roots with modern scale, offering focused stealth sandboxes alongside rich historical settings.

You can read more about historical game design milestones on IGN. For official updates on recent releases, check out the Ubisoft News portal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to play the games in order to understand the story?

Not entirely. While the modern-day framing story connects every game loosely, most historical settings tell standalone tales. You can jump straight into Black Flag or Origins without finishing the earlier titles, though playing in sequence helps you catch recurring lore references.

How long does it take to beat every Assassin's Creed game?

If you focus strictly on main story campaigns across all 14 mainline titles, you'll need roughly 350 to 400 hours total. Completing every side quest and exploring 100 percent of the open worlds pushes that total past 1,000 hours.

Which game has the best stealth mechanics?

Assassin's Creed Mirage and the original Assassin's Creed focus most heavily on classic social stealth, hiding spots, and planned assassinations. Unity also offers deep stealth toolsets, though its technical launch issues required years of patches to perfect.

Which games should I skip if I am short on time?

If you're pressed for time, you can safely skip Rogue if you played Black Flag and III, as it reuses assets and mechanics. However, skipping Assassin's Creed II is discouraged, as it remains the narrative high-water mark of the entire franchise.