A lot of games reserve a numeric value sequence to establish which games are considered mainline, with tagging on another word at the end for more minor titles. This has been a practice for many years that many developers have embraced.

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Assassin’s Creed is one of Ubisoft's most well known franchises. Constantly adding new and memorable characters to an ever growing pool of Assassins. These games have spanned through a staggering number of settings and time periods, and each tell their own story within a larger connected universe. This list will breakdown the best Assassin's Creed experiences out there.

Updated by Chad Thesen on October 5, 2023: With the release of Assassin's Creed Mirage, this list has been revisited and completely reenvisioned to rank the best Assassin's Creed games in the series.

10 Assassin’s Creed 3

Assassin's Creed 3

Assassin’s Creed 3 serves as the fifth mainline game in the series and is set in America during the American Revolutionary War. The protagonist of this story is Ratonhnhaké:ton, more commonly known as Conner Kenway through the memories of Desmond Miles.

This game streamlined a lot of the features from previous entries and brought with it a new approach to the Parkour elements by being able to weave through tree branches, rather than just bounding from structure to structure. This game also introduced a new feature of unlocking various fast-travel locations.

9 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate serves as the ninth mainline game in the series and is set in England during the Industrial Revolution. The protagonists of this story are Jacob and Evie — a pair of twin initiates of the Assassin Brotherhood. Their story is told through the memories of an unknown subject.

This would be the first title in the franchise to use a dual protagonist system. Players would change between Jacob and Evie in their efforts to liberate London from the control of the Templar Order that has become deeply woven into society.

8 Assassin’s Creed 2

Assassin's Creed 2

Assassin’s Creed 2 serves as the second mainline game in the series and is set in Italy during the Italian Renaissance. The protagonist of this story is one of the franchise’s most iconic figures, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The story is told through the memories of Desmond Miles.

Assassin’s Creed 2 built upon everything the first game introduced to the franchise and added a slew of new features. The character of Ezio would go on to be woven into more games and related media than any other protagonist, and he has been a pivotal figure that has brought so much to the series as a whole.

7 Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood serves as the third mainline game in the series and is a direct follow-up to Assassin’s Creed 2. The protagonist of this story is once again Ezio, but at a time when he is vastly more skilled in both combat and the ways of the Brotherhood. The story is told through the memories of Desmond Miles.

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Brotherhood improved on all the features surrounding Assassin’s Creed 2 and would be the first mainline entry to not use a numeric value in the title. This game would also bring an iconic relic shown in past events to the modern world setting: the Apple of Eden.

6 Assassin’s Creed

Assassin's Creed

Assassin’s Creed serves as the first mainline game in the series and is set in Lavent during the events of the Third Crusade. Lavent is a geographical region to the east of the Mediterranean Sea. The protagonist of this story is Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. The story is told through the memories of Desmond Miles.

This game was released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era of consoles and would go on to inspire developers of countless games to try to replicate its formula. This game set the foundation on which all future Assassin's Creed games would base their core values, but with each new entry in the franchise, they (mostly) stray further and further from its focused simplicity.

5 Assassin’s Creed Origins

Assassin's Creed Origins

Assassin’s Creed Origins serves as the tenth mainline game in the series and is set in Ancient Egypt shortly after the reign of Cleopatra. The protagonist of this story is Bayek, who would be the founder of the Hidden Ones — the first incarnation of the Assassins Brotherhood. The story is told through the memories of a researcher named Layla Hassan.

Assassin’s Creed Origins established a lot of elements and features that have since become a staple of the series. This included a pet Eagle that can give players a bird’s eye view and a compass bar to replace a minimap. This game would further incorporate Action RPG elements such as weapon rarities, gaining experience to increase stats, and a new combat system that better suited the game’s vision.

4 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla serves as the twelfth mainline game in the series and is set in Norway, England, and the frozen wilds between the two. This takes place during the age of Viking marauders and sees the player controlling Eivor, the leader of a group of Viking raiders. The story is told through the memories of researcher Layla Hassan.

This game features the most RPG feel of any past Assassin’s Creed game. The player is also able to choose which gender their character can be at the game’s start of the game. The narrative delves more deeply into the modern day story elements that have occurred throughout the franchise.

3 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Assassin's Creed Odyssee

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey serves as the eleventh mainline game in the series and is set in Ancient Greece during the events of the Peloponnesian War. The protagonist of this story has players choosing between two options for their character — Alexio as the male choice, and Kassandra as the female choice. The story is told through the memories of Layla Hassan.

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey builds on Origins in the same way Assassin’s Creed 2 built upon the original. It used Origins as a base model and refined existing features that had been added throughout the franchise’s lifetime. One of the game's most noteworthy features is the Mercenary System, which saw players encountering plenty of unique Mercenary opponents. For many, Odyssey is the pinnacle of the more modern, RPG-infused Assassin's Creed games.

2 Assassin’s Creed Mirage

Assassin's Creed Mirage

Assassin’s Creed Mirage serves as the thirteenth mainline game in the series and is set in Bagdhad. The protagonist of this story is Basim Ibn Ishaq, a returning character from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game is set at a time in Basim's life when he is still a street thief, following him on his journey toward being the Master Assassin he is in Valhalla. While the story is being told using an Animus, the game does not jump to any present-day parts for players to explore like with almost all past games. It remains squarely focused on Basim's story.

Mirage serves as a return to the iconic gameplay that was first established in the original Assassin’s Creed, forgoing the RPG elements that have infused the most recent entries while keeping numerous quality-of-life features that came along with them. Elements from modern games make appearances in ways that complement the vision of Mirage, creating something that feels true to the roots of the franchise while also bringing a fresh focus to the series.

1 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag serves as the sixth mainline game in the series and is set in the West Indies during the events of the Golden Age of Piracy. The protagonist of this story is Edward Kenway, grandfather of Conner Kenway from Assassin’s Creed 3. This game took a different approach to using the Animus compared to all past games. It would be played from the first-person perspective of a game tester.

This is the first and only game to feature both a numeric value and a word in its title. It would also be the last title to feature a numeric value. This game was praised for how well it captured the feeling of being a pirate on the high seas. It took everything the franchise had experimented with for navel combat and perfected it. Sailing from island to island gave a feeling of wonder and exploration like no Assassin’s Creed had ever done before.

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