Where to Start · Assassin's Creed
Where to Start with Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is Ubisoft's stealth-action franchise running since 2007, now spanning over 20 entries across ancient Egypt, Greece, Viking-age England, Renaissance Italy, the American Revolution, and beyond. The series has gone through two distinct eras: the original stealth-action games (AC1 through Unity, 2007-2014) focused on parkour, crowd navigation, and targeted assassinations, and the modern RPG era (Origins onwards, 2017-present) which shifted to open world action RPGs with levelling systems, gear, and dialogue choices. These two eras feel like different franchises sharing a name.
Your starting point depends on which version of the game appeals to you.
If you only play one Assassin's Creed game
Play Assassin's Creed II (2009). It is the game that defined what the franchise became — Renaissance Italy, Ezio Auditore, the best protagonist in the series, and a story with genuine emotional stakes. The original AC1 is a proof of concept with repetitive mission structure; AC2 is where it all came together. Ezio's story continues across Brotherhood and Revelations — all three form a complete trilogy and all three are in the Ezio Collection on PS4/Xbox.
The Ezio trilogy — the classic peak
Assassin's Creed II → Brotherhood → Revelations is the essential classic era experience. ACII introduces Ezio as a young man seeking revenge and growing into a master assassin. Brotherhood adds the recruitable assassin system and Rome as a playground. Revelations closes Ezio's story in Constantinople. The Ezio Collection on PS4/Xbox includes all three remastered. Play them in order — the story builds continuously and the emotional conclusion of Revelations depends on everything that came before.
The best of the classic era beyond Ezio
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013) is the best game in the series that isn't Ezio-related — you play a pirate captain with a ship, naval combat, and the Caribbean as your playground. The assassin elements are almost secondary to the seafaring adventure. It is standalone enough to play without prior AC knowledge. AC3 (American Revolution) is worth playing for historical setting but mechanically uneven. AC: Unity (Paris, French Revolution) has the best parkour in the series and a beautifully realised Paris but a troubled launch history.
The RPG era — Origins onwards
Assassin's Creed Origins (2017, ancient Egypt) launched the RPG era and remains the best of the three — the setting is extraordinary, Bayek is the most likeable protagonist since Ezio, and the open world density is excellent. Odyssey (2018, ancient Greece) is the most ambitious entry — enormous map, full dialogue choices, naval combat returning — but overstuffed with content. Valhalla (2020, Viking England) is the longest entry and divisive. Mirage (2023) is a deliberate return to the classic stealth formula, set in Baghdad. Shadows (2024) is set in feudal Japan with two playable protagonists.
Bundle math — the Ezio Collection bundles the AC2 → Brotherhood → Revelations remasters on PS4/Xbox — the cleanest buy if you want Ezio's full arc without hunting separate discs.
Do the two eras connect?
Yes, through the modern-day Animus storyline following Desmond Miles (classic era) and later unnamed protagonists (RPG era). The modern-day story is present in all games but can be largely ignored — it provides mythological context but is not the reason most people play these games. If you want the complete picture, playing in release order gives you the full Desmond arc. If you just want great historical settings, any entry is accessible standalone.
Recommended order by preference
Best story experience: AC2 → Brotherhood → Revelations (Ezio Collection). Best standalone entry: Black Flag. Best RPG era starting point: Origins. Best return to stealth roots: Mirage. Best historical setting: Odyssey for scale, Origins for atmosphere.
What to skip
Assassin's Creed 1 — play it after AC2 for historical context, not as your first entry. AC3 — weakest protagonist in the series, skip unless you want the full Desmond story closure. Liberation — handheld spinoff, optional. Syndicate (Victorian London) — solid but not essential. Rogue — fills in ACIV-era story gaps, worth playing after Black Flag.