Assassin’s Creed has become a formative series for Ubisoft, with each new game exploring different timelines and eras. Judging how the series has been running for over 15 years, we have gone through multiple heroes and storylines. Be it the alleys of Italy, the lush world of Greece, or the rooftops of Constantinople, the series has ventured to various iconic locations, leaving behind some memorable experiences and characters. With that in mind, I decided to rank all Assassin’s Creed games launched to date.
Before starting our list, remember that our list only contains the main releases of Assassin’s Creed. So, we aren’t covering spin-offs launched on PSP, PS Vita, phones, and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles. Furthermore, this list reflects my opinions and what I find exciting or memorable in each title. This is a series I’ve judiciously played and grown up with.
With that said, here are all the Assassin’s Creed games ranked from worst to best.
13. Assassin’s Creed: Rogue
Our first game in this series is one which many people might call a spin-off entry. However, judging how Rogue ties into the main storyline, we might as well consider this a mainline one. Assassin’s Creed Rogue follows the journey of an Assassin-turned-Templar, Shay Cormac, and his quest to stop the 18th-century assassins from searching for the precursor temples. Rogue uses gameplay mechanics introduced in Black Flag and AC 3. Rogue came with some excellent ship combat, which was loved in Black Flag, too.
However, what Rogue lacked was a good storyline. While it tries to give a different perspective on how the Templars worked, the story and pacing barely made it an enjoyable experience. Furthermore, Rogue’s parkour didn’t have that smoothness previously seen in Black Flag. Hence, out of all the Assassin’s Creed games on the list, I rate this game at the bottom.
12. Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
The newest entry in the Assassin’s Creed series, Mirage, is a throwback to the older, linear titles the games were known for. Mirage wanted to pay tribute to the yesteryears, featuring a denser world and stealth mechanics previously seen in the older Assassin’s Creed games. It managed to do that in various ways, including a smooth parkour system.
However, much like the previous entry, the problem with Mirage was its story. None of the characters and plot are memorable in any meaningful way. The cast of characters also doesn’t help with the cause. Hence, Mirage gets its tenth position on this list. It’s a great throwback to the series. However, it required the “it” factor, which sadly is missing.
11. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Ah, yes, the game that I have an immense love-hate relationship with. With the series moving past the Juno-era precursor events and introducing the Isu gods, Valhalla also changed its identity to fit the team’s experimentation era. What was once a linear, denser, action-adventure title slowly shifted to an RPG experience.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the culmination of all the efforts by Ubisoft in that direction. It’s an action RPG that follows the Nordic warrior Eivor and his quest to set up a home for his clan in old England. The game boasts bigger worlds, smoother gameplay with more player agency, and a good story.
While I love Valhalla’s world and characters, I also have a problem with its gameplay. Stealth has sadly exited the chat. The game has, instead, turned into a souls-lite, where you dodge and fight bosses. Furthermore, the game introduced atrocious systems like level-gated missions and a bloated world filled with activities that it didn’t require. It ruined the pacing of the series. Which is why it’s natural it’s just about at the bottom of my list.
10. Assassin’s Creed
The one that started it all. Assassin’s Creed is the first title in the series that featured the master assassin Altair during the Third Crusade. This game laid the foundations for the series, introducing the stealth mechanics and the assassination methods.
However, Assassin’s Creed had numerous flaws. While the game felt fun in the initial hours, it became dull soon after. Be it the stiff parkour or the repetitive gameplay, the game shows its age. However, the first Assassin’s Creed helped set the stones for the series, which Ubisoft polished and perfected in the future series.
9. Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate
The Industrial Revolution was an interesting setting during Victorian-era London. Something which many creators agree, as numerous critically acclaimed shows and movies have tapped into that time. It is natural for Assassin’s Creed to try introducing the fight between Templars and the Assassin Brotherhood to this timeline. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate had everything. It had the Victorian-era inspired London. It had a gang system and introduced the first dual protagonist in the series, twins Jacob and Evie Frye.
AC Syndicate introduced a lot of things the previous games had and added new flavors to them. Jacob led a street gang, which introduced the gang territory system. It also introduced rideable stagecoaches, a rope launcher with a hidden blade, and an interchangeable protagonist.
However, Syndicate had a half-baked stealth system and annoying parkour that certainly didn’t feel better than its predecessor, Unity. Furthermore, the Frye twins weren’t memorable or interesting to me. The game had its moments, but they were scant and just generic. And because of this, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate gets this position in this list.
8. Assassin’s Creed: Origins
The proper beginning of the Isu-god era and the precursor to the series shifting to a character-RPG system. Assassin’s Creed: Origins puts us in the shoes of Bayek, the person who laid the foundations for the modern-day Assassins. Taking place in Egypt, it allowed players to explore the Ptolemaic Period country in all of its open-world glory. Origins also introduced the RPG mechanics to the series, which were heavily inspired by another hit title of that time, The Witcher 3.
While the attention to detail given to Ptolemaic Egypt is impressive and something I heavily love, I cannot say the same for the gameplay loop. It’s true that the combat feels good and still had some of that Assassin’s stealth. However, the game ditched the linear progression for level-gated progression. This means you must be at a certain level to progress through the storyline.
This ruined the game flow, making the experience dull and frustrating. Furthermore, the modern-day storyline only got convoluted from here onwards. Because of these reasons, Assassin’s Creed: Origins has been placed at its position.
7. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
Another RPG title, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, possibly holds a special place in my heart. Not only does it feature one of my favorite protagonists in the series, Kassandra, but it also features a fun gameplay system that slowly gained my favor. Make no mistake, it still followed the footsteps of Origins. It still had awful level-gated missions and over-reliance on RPG mechanics.
However, the setting and the new gameplay features, like a national struggle and eccentric side stories, made this a favorite of mine. The modern-day storyline still had a confusing plot, but it slowly started course-correcting itself into having a coherent storyline. However, while I enjoy Odyssey, it doesn’t hold a candle to the upcoming titles on this list.
6. Assassin’s Creed III
The third entry in the series takes us to British-occupied America, putting us in the shoes of a half-Mohawk Indian Connor. The hero tries to rid the occupation of the British empire and thwart the plans of his father, Haytham, who leads the Templar order.
The third title, while not featuring a great protagonist, had some of the best moments in gaming. The Boston Tea Party mission is still etched in my mind. Furthermore, the Homestead side missions are some of the most heartfelt stories in any Assassin’s Creed game.
The gameplay might feel stiffer, but it is an improvement over its predecessor. The combat feels fluid, and parrying each individual feels satisfying. The flintlock sequences are fun, and it has a satisfying conclusion to Desmond’s arc. If Connor’s character felt soulful compared to his peers, this would’ve been higher on the list. For now, we put it in the sixth position.
5. Assassin’s Creed II
This particular entry is Ubisoft’s Magnum Opus, in a sense. Assassin’s Creed 2 did course-correct various little things in the series. It had a better parkour system, a better protagonist, the Renaissance period Italy was vibrant, and overall was just a better game than the first one. Assassin’s Creed 2 also managed to ensure that the real-world storyline was an equally fun experience.
However, while the second game laid the foundations for the series, its age is felt in 2024. While this one isn’t as bad as the first Assassin’s Creed, the controls and parkour feel stiff numerous times. Even the general movement feels rough. Because of these issues, we’ve put the second game in this position.
4. Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Yes, I know Assassin’s Creed Unity had a rocky launch. The game was buggy as hell, and the co-op multiplayer barely worked. However, over the years, Ubisoft has worked hard to ensure things are fixed. And, if you revisit this title, you’ll realize how much potential it had, which got wasted because of the bugs and bad PR.
Be it the parkour, the stealth mechanics, the visuals, or even the crowd NPCS, Unity did everything perfectly. The parkour felt smooth, the combat felt satisfying, the French Revolution France is a beauty to behold, and the stealth is perfect.
Even Arno and Elise are well-written characters and also give a good perspective on the ideas Rogue tried to explore. If only the game never launched buggy, and it had a good real-world storyline, AC Unity had a great chance of carrying the series forward gracefully. But, for what it is worth, Unity is a great game you should revisit in the current year.
3. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
If you’ve grown up in the 2010s era, there’s a good chance you’ve played this one. Whether randomly or out of sheer love for its predecessors, Brotherhood is the ultimate culmination of Ubisoft’s hard work in creating a memorable title. And what an attempt it was. Be it the real-world characters, the great continuation of Ezio’s journey, the great parkour, or even memorable scenes.
It has everything to make it perfect. Except for the brotherhood system. That is not fun and almost ruins the game. Outside of that, Brotherhood nearly gets everything correct. And for that reason, we position this on the third in this list.
2. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
On the second spot, we’ve put Assassin’s Creed Revelations. This is the title that I love out of the three Ezio Trilogy titles. Revelations not only carries the storyline of Desmond properly but also gives a fitting conclusion to Ezio’s storyline. Not only that, the game revisits Altair’s story, wrapping it up and showcasing the final years of his life.
Outside of this, Constantinople is one of my beloved cities in the entire series. Not only is it dense, but it also covers the region that I have a lot of interest in historically. Furthermore, the standard gameplay of the first three Assassin’s Creed titles was further refined to feel nice, showcasing the experience of an aged Ezio. Because of all these reasons, we put Revelations in the second on our list. A fitting choice if you ask me.
1. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
The pole position goes to none other than Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is the only game in the long-running series that gets everything perfect, well, almost. Be it the parkour combat, beautiful ship combat, the missions, the storyline, and exploration, Black Flag had the perfect sync between the content and experience.
If I have to point out any cons, it’s the real-world storyline and the over-reliance on tailing missions. However, those negatives slowly get overshadowed by everything else in the game, becoming the top pick for this list.
So, these are our picks for the best Assassin’s Creed games. Do you agree with our list? If not, where would you place your favorite Assassin’s Creed titles? Let us know in the comments.
