Assassin's Creed Games: Complete Chronological Order Guide

The Assassin's Creed franchise spans 18 years of development and 2,300 years of historical settings across 13 mainline games. Players can experience the series through two distinct approaches: following the modern-day narrative in release order or exploring historical periods chronologically.

The franchise includes 14 main games and 17 spinoff titles, with settings ranging from Ancient Greece to Victorian London. New players often start with the Ezio trilogy, Black Flag, or Odyssey based on their historical interests. The upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows will join the existing timeline, continuing the series' tradition of blending historical fiction with modern narrative threads.

The Assassin's Creed franchise has evolved significantly since its 2007 debut. Over 18 years, the series has taken players across five continents, covering 2,300 years of history through 13 mainline games. The core narrative revolves around the eternal conflict between the Assassin and Templar orders.

Currently, the franchise consists of:

• 14 main series games
• 17 additional spinoff games
• An Assassin's Creed board game
• An Assassin's Creed TV series reportedly in development at Netflix

The series has transformed from stealth-based action games into open-world RPGs, with major shifts occurring starting with Assassin's Creed Origins in 2017.

Players can approach the Assassin's Creed timeline through two different methods. The first follows the modern-day storyline, which progresses chronologically with each release. This approach allows players to experience the franchise's evolution from stealth-action to RPG mechanics while following the connective narrative told through present-day segments.

The second method organizes games by their historical settings. While these historical stories aren't as interconnected as the modern-day narrative, they represent where players spend the majority of their gameplay time. This chronological approach is more useful for exploring specific historical eras than for following the overarching plot.

For those committed to playing the entire franchise, the release order is recommended as the best way to follow the overarching story and experience the franchise's evolution.

The chronological order of Assassin's Creed games begins nearly 400 years before any other mainline entry. The timeline starts with:

1. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (431 B.C.–422 B.C.) - Set in Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens. Players control Cassandra or Alexios, grandchildren of King Leonidas I. The game features historical figures including Hippocrates, Socrates, and Plato, and introduces mythological creatures like the Sphinx, Cyclops, and Medusa. It occurs before the formation of Assassin and Templar orders but features the Spear of Leonidas, a Piece of Eden.
2. Assassin's Creed Origins (49 B.C.–44 B.C.) - Set in Ancient Egypt during the reigns of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra, with inspiration extending to Rome and Julius Caesar's rule. The story follows Bayek of Siwa, whose son's death sparks a journey that uncovers the proto-Templar Order of the Ancients and leads to the formation of the Hidden Ones, the first Assassins.
3. Assassin's Creed Mirage (861–???) - Set in 9th century Baghdad, featuring Basim Ibn Ishaq as the historical protagonist.

These games showcase the franchise's expansion into deeper RPG mechanics and historical settings.

Choosing where to begin in the Assassin's Creed timeline depends on personal historical interests. The original Ezio trilogy—Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations—is widely regarded as having some of the best writing in the series.

For players interested in more recent entries:

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag offers solid seafaring pirate gameplay
• Assassin's Creed Odyssey provides deep immersion into ancient Greece with extensive RPG elements
• Assassin's Creed Origins serves as a soft reboot that introduced the series' first RPG mechanics

The series has covered diverse historical periods including Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, 9th century Baghdad, and Victorian London. With the upcoming release of Assassin's Creed Shadows, new players have more options than ever to find an era that captures their interest while experiencing the evolution of this long-running franchise.