As a series, Assassin’s Creed is one of the most iconic ever made and is even considered to be a staple in the video game industry. The massive success of this series paved the way for many more properties under the same name to be a thing, due to which we have AC themed movies, comic books, novels etc. This is a great thing for the overall story that they are telling!
So, naturally, this shows us which games are in the proper order to be played. For example, we must start with the very first release in the series, 2007’s Assassin’s Creed, and just follow on from there by numbered and consecutive releases until Black Flag, which is the last numbered game in the series. However, moving on from there is just as simple as you just have to go by release year.
However, this series does have a fair bit of diversity in terms of whatever each game tends to focus on. So, in this list, we will take a look at which game to play first depending on what you are looking for, so let’s take a look!
1. For Story: Assassin’s Creed 1 - 2007 (PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
The no-brainer answer for the story continuity is to start with the very first game in the series, Assassin’s Creed 1. Though it feels very dated compared to when it was released back in 2007, it was the game that introduced us to this compelling universe and is also the one that starts off the secondary modern day storyline.
This modern day storyline is what connected the main AC releases from AC1 up until AC4 as it all dealt with an apocalyptic event which Desmond had to stop. All games after this direct series were loosely connected and served to be more like standalone games, so it is best to play starting from AC1 to get the best and most connected modern day story.
2. For the best standalone story: Assassin’s Creed 2 - 2009 (PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
Naturally, people expect the sequels of any game to be better than the previous one and while this isn’t always the case, it’s natural for us to assume that the sequels can take what they learnt from the last game and make it even better. People expected this from AC2 but no one really had an idea just how much better it would truly be than its predecessor.
AC2 introduced us to Ezio, the best character that Ubisoft has ever made, and showed him to be a fun and extremely lovable character that has many flaws, which made him super relatable as well. They also show him experiencing unimaginable loss but never letting that get the better of him. The story is tragic, beautiful and deeply personal, and one that everyone should experience.
3. For Strategy: Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood - 2010 (PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
AC Brotherhood is the second game where we play as Ezio and in this, we see him slightly older and further along in his journey of becoming the legendary assassin that we would later know him as. The reason why this game is the best one in the series for those who love strategy is because of the fact that it, more than the others, makes us feel like the head of the Order.
This is done by introducing new mechanics that let us choose many new assassin disciples and assign them roles and things to do, as well as targets to take out. This is a feature that was very loved and greatly missed in some later games that made the player feel like the Master Assassin which was the head of the Order.
4. For Secrets and Mystery: Assassin’s Creed Revelations - 2011 (PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
Revelations is the final AC featuring our beloved Ezio as it sees him finally capping off his story and retiring. However, while this may sound all calm and peaceful, Constantinople is quite the match for our dear hero. Not only does it house many terrifying foes, but also secrets and mysteries relating to the Brotherhood, history and most importantly, to Altaïr.
Ezio’s journey here sees him coming across many secrets and uncovering many truths behind the nature of the Assassin v Templar conflict, as well as some knowledge about the first civilization and the upcoming apocalypse. The game also features Altaïr for the first time since AC1 and the way we get to him is a mystery in and of itself so definitely check Revelations out.
5. For Freedom: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag - 2013 (PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360)
Freedom is perhaps the biggest and most obvious thing you can expect from a pirate themed video game, and Black Flag does not disappoint on this front. Since the game starts off as one that is very pirate heavy with the assassins only playing a part later on, you have your own ship and the entire ocean to travel at your disposal.
This aspect never really goes away, even after the introduction of the Brotherhood. Black Flag gives you a gorgeous and massive open world to explore on your ship or on land, and the sense of scale and freedom is just astounding.
6. For Stealth: Assassin’s Creed Unity - 2014 (PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Stadia)
For all the criticism that Unity got upon its messy release back in 2014, it remains now one of the best and purest Assassin’s Creed games. Much of the reason for this is because of the entire overhaul they did to all the animations and mechanics of the game. This also serves as the best game to play if you want to feel most like an actual assassin.
Arno was the protagonist for Unity and was marketed as the deadliest assassin that we have seen yet in terms of stealth and skill, and this is perfectly replicated in the gameplay as it also contained the most gadgets and different avenues to kill your targets so far as well as the incredible Black Box missions. All these things, coupled with the most fluid parkour, movement and animations made this the single best AC game for all stealth lovers!
7. For Tools: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate - 2015 (PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch)
AC Syndicate was the direct follow up to AC Unity and was a fun game set in 18th Century London. Due to it being the most recent game in terms of setting and timeline, Syndicate showed the natural evolution of the Brotherhood in terms of the tools that they used for traversal, combat, stealth etc. Being a globe spanning secret society with many resources, it makes perfect sense for the Brotherhood to have evolved their methods with time.
Some of this equipment included a grappling hook, which made traversal and the scaling of buildings far quicker and easier, as well as a mobile Assassin Headquarters, which was on a moving train which would always be running around on a private track around London, which made great sense seeing as how the assassins need to be anywhere at any time.
8. For RPG Mechanics: Assassin’s Creed Origins - 2017 (PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch)
Origins was the first game of the Ancient Trilogy made by Ubisoft after the release of Syndicate and not only did this mark a change to go even further back in history, but also a change in gameplay. For the first time ever, AC had gone full RPG and it was definitely done best in Origins as compared to the ones that followed.
A reason for this was mainly because this was the first game to do so, making the entire new gameplay loop fresh and way more engaging, something that just overstayed its welcome in the following 2 entries in the series. Ancient Egypt was awesome and also packed to the brim with secrets, and was the perfect RPG for the series.
9. For a Beautiful World: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - 2018 (PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, Nintendo Switch)
Odyssey was the game that marked the decision of Ubisoft to completely throw away and abandon the identity of the AC series of stealth action and fully embrace the action RPG genre. This meant that Odyssey was only really tied to the AC series by name and nothing else. Despite being an absolutely terrible AC game, Odyssey was a solid RPG game on its own.
The story is pretty awful, but the world is magical. Set in a mythological Ancient Greece, Odyssey makes sure that every single vista is memorable and makes it absolutely gorgeous. This is a very close second to Black Flag in the sense of freedom but definitely at the top of the pack when it comes to beauty.
10. For Combat: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - 2020 (PC, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S)
Following the trend of Odyssey, Valhalla is yet another awful AC game, but a painfully average video game. It is bloated, boring and endless, with a main story that refuses to end and when it does, it ends in the most contrived and anti-climatic way possible.
Even this game doesn’t put much focus on stealth, but where it differs is the fact that the combat is fairly good. Unlike the button counter combat mechanics of the first few games, this takes what Origins and Odyssey did and expands on it greatly, making the player actually feel as if they are a viking.
