Assassin's Creed games in order, by release and story timeline

Listen to our new Gaming podcast, One More Life - the next episode is about AC Mirage!

Fortunately for you, we’re here to help with precisely that. As of writing, there are 12 mainline games in the franchise (along with a load of spin-offs), a 13th (Mirage) on the way later this year, and we're sure plenty more beyond - so knowing where to start can be daunting.

Luckily, there is an order to it all that will make things easier.

Read on to discover how to play the Assassin’s Creed games in release date order and in story timeline order.

How to play the Assassin’s Creed games in release date order

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series began back in 2007 with the original Assassin’s Creed on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Fast-forward to today and the series is still going strong, with 2023’s offering, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, acting as an homage to the original and going back to the franchise’s more stealthy roots.

Here is the complete list of Assassin’s Creed games in release date order:

• Assassin’s Creed (2007 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles (2008 | DS)
• Assassin’s Creed II (2009 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (2009 | PSP)
• Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (2009 | DS)
• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed III (2012 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
• Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation (2012 | PS Vita)
• Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
• Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry (2014 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
• Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014 | PC, PS3, Xbox 360)
• Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (2015 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India (2016 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia (2016 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Chronicles collection (2016 | PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita)
• Assassin’s Creed Identity (2016 | iOS, Android)
• Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018 | PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020 | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
• Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023 | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
• Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jade (2023 | smartphones)
• Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR (2024 | applicable VR headsets)
• Assassin’s Creed Codename Red (TBC)

Many of the games in the list above are also playable on modern platforms via backward compatibility or thanks to newer ports.

The games in bold are considered the mainline entries in the series. The spin-offs are worth a go, but if you’re looking for the most streamlined playthrough of the franchise, it’s best to stick to the mainline games.

Assassin’s Creed games in story timeline order

While you can opt to play the games in the order of their settings, it’s definitely best to play them in the story order of the modern-day protagonists. This is the main way the franchise ties each of its games to each other outside of the Ezio trilogy (II, Brotherhood and Revelations).

The modern-day chronology is simple enough to follow, with each new game since launch carrying on that particular plot.

Here is how to play the Assassin’s Creed games in story timeline order:

Assassin’s Creed

The 2007 original that started it all. Assassin’s Creed follows modern-day Desmond Miles as he enters the Animus to take control of his ancestor, 12th-century assassin Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad, during the Third Crusade of the Holy Land as he looks to recover an artefact from the Templars.

Buy Assassin’s Creed on Amazon for £9.95

Assassin’s Creed II

In the second game, Desmond’s modern-day plot continues - but this time he uses the Animus to take control of another one of his assassin ancestors, Italian Ezio Auditore da Firenze, during the height of the Renaissance (between 1476-1499).

Ezio’s on a mission of revenge against those who killed his brothers and father.

Buy Assassin’s Creed II on Amazon (part of the Ezio Collection) for £14.99

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Brotherhood is a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed II and continues the story of Ezio. This time around, Desmond is back to stop the 2012 apocalypse from taking place. You play as Ezio during the Italian Wars (1500-1507) in an attempt to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood in the country.

Buy Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (part of the Ezio Collection) from Amazon for £14.99

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Revelations is the final entry in the Ezio Auditore trilogy of games. In it, you play as an older Ezio, between 1511-1512. You need to find five keys to unlock a library built by Altaïr.

Buy Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (as part of the Ezio Collection on Switch) on Amazon for £32.49

Assassin’s Creed III

Assassin’s Creed III is the final game in the Desmond timeline, and brings to an end the first modern-day story of the series. In it, he enters into the Animus once more to take control of his ancestor Ratonhnhaké:ton (or, Connor) as part of the ongoing search to stop the 2012 apocalypse from taking place.

This game is set in the Colonial America of 1754-1783 and tells the tale of a father and son pitted against each other (one’s a leading Templar, the other an assassin). The American Revolution backdrop makes for some stunning set pieces.

Buy Assassin’s Creed III on Amazon for £14.99

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Building and expanding upon many of the new exploration and hunting mechanics first found in III, Black Flag is the first game in the series without modern-day protagonist Desmond Miles. Instead, you play as an unnamed Abstergo employee, and Welsh pirate Edward Kenway (grandfather of Connor in III) in his search for The Observatory.

Edward’s pirate adventures take him across the West Indies during the Golden Age of Piracy (175-1722), and give us a massive map to explore, full of lush environments and loot to plunder.

Buy Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag now from Amazon for £13.99

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

Rogue follows the line of story in III and Black Flag. What sets it apart from the rest of the series is that you play as a Templar, and not an assassin. In it, you take the form of Numbskull, an Abstergo employee doing the bidding of Templars in the modern day.

In the historical setting, you play as Shay Patrick Cormac before and during the French and Indian War (between 1752-1760) within North America (New York, Port-au-Prince and more). Shay is on a quest to hunt down the assassins for the Templars.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Rogue on Amazon for £12.99

Assassin’s Creed Unity

This entry into the series is set in Paris during the French Revolution (between 1789-1794). It sold itself on being more condensed than Black Flag, with co-op gameplay, but sadly became famous for its long list of bugs.

In it, you play as assassin Arno Dorian, whose father was killed by Shay Patrick Cormac in Rogue. In its modern-day setting, you witness the events of an unnamed Helix player. It tells the tale of vengeance, of course - something the series is becoming known for by this point.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Unity from Amazon for £14.99

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Featuring the same unnamed Helix player in Unity, Syndicate is set in London in 1868, and up to the First World War in 1916. In it, you play as Jacob and Evie Frye (assassin twins) on a hunt for a Piece of Eden hidden in 19th Century London.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Syndicate on Amazon for £12.80

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Origins is the first of a new set of Assassin’s Creed games following the modern-day exploits of Layla Hassan. The game represents a reboot for the franchise, in that it largely ditches the assassinations in favour of a big, open-world RPG with reworked combat and levelling up systems.

In it, you control assassin Bayek of Siwa (well, a forerunner of an assassin, anyway) in Ancient Egypt, between 49-43 BC. Bayek is seeking revenge over the death of his son and the origins of the Hidden Ones and Order of the Ancients is discovered.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Origins from Amazon for £17.11

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Set furthest back in history, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey continues Layla Hassan’s modern-day plot (now looking to find the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus and the lost city of Atlantis) and sees us take control of either Cassandra or Alexios (the other is the antagonist) in Ancient Greece — during the Peloponnesian War between 431-422 BC.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Amazon for £19.95

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

The conclusion of Layla Hassan’s modern-day story, Valhalla sees you play as Viking raider Eivor Varinsdottir/Varinsson during the Viking invasions of Britain between 872-878 AD. In it, your aim is to establish a new Viking clan in England, and it sees the return of the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order’s battles against one another.

Buy Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from Amazon for £22.48

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Mirage is a return to the roots of the series, moving away from the massive RPG gameplay of Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla. It’s set in 9th-century Baghdad and follows the story of Basim Ibn Ishaq (who is introduced in Valhalla). We’re not yet sure where it’ll fit into the modern-day plots of the series, but it’s safe to say anyone will be able to play it without any fuss.

Pre-order Assassin’s Creed Mirage on GAME for £44.99

Listen to our One More Life podcast, subscribe to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter for all the latest gaming intel.

Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10, PLUS a £10 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.