Assassin's Creed Games Tier List: Every Entry Ranked
Seventeen games, one very long war between Assassins and Templars. We're ranking the mainline entries, the spin-offs, and the ones everybody forgets exist, from the series that basically invented modern open-world design to the detours nobody asked for.
This reflects what fans and critics have been arguing about for over fifteen years on forums, Reddit threads and review roundups, plus our own calls where the community genuinely can't agree (looking at you, Valhalla). Disagree with the order? That's half the fun of a tier list. Make your own.
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SS Tier: The best the series has ever done
Assassin's Creed II
Ezio Auditore's debut is the game that turned a cool tech demo into a franchise. Florence and Venice still feel alive, the Da Vinci subplot is genuinely charming, and the revenge story gives Desmond's whole arc a reason to matter. Almost every 'best AC game' conversation starts here.
About Assassin's Creed II
The 2009 sequel following young Florentine noble Ezio Auditore da Firenze as he avenges his family during the Italian Renaissance.
- Released
- 2009
- Setting
- Renaissance Italy
- Protagonist
- Ezio Auditore
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
Rome is denser and more vertical than anything in II, and recruiting your own squad of Assassins to call in for assists was a genuinely great idea. The multiplayer was ahead of its time too. This is Ezio at his most powerful, running an actual Brotherhood instead of just avenging his family.
About Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
A 2010 direct sequel to AC II, set in Rome, where Ezio builds and leads his own guild of Assassins.
- Released
- 2010
- Setting
- Rome, Italy
- Protagonist
- Ezio Auditore
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
The pirate game that accidentally became one of the best pirate games ever made. Edward Kenway is a more fun protagonist than the plot deserves, the naval combat is still the series' high point, and sailing into a storm with your crew singing sea shanties never gets old.
About Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
A 2013 pirate-themed entry following Edward Kenway across the Caribbean, blending ship combat with the series' traditional stealth.
- Released
- 2013
- Setting
- Caribbean, Golden Age of Piracy
- Protagonist
- Edward Kenway
Assassin's Creed Origins
The reboot that saved the series. Trading stealth-action for a full RPG system was a gamble, but Ancient Egypt sold it completely, and Bayek's quiet, personal revenge story remains one of the better character arcs in the franchise. The Discovery Tour mode turning the map into an actual history lesson is a nice touch too.
About Assassin's Creed Origins
A 2017 reboot set in Ptolemaic Egypt, reworking the series into an action RPG and following Medjay Bayek of Siwa.
- Released
- 2017
- Setting
- Ptolemaic Egypt
- Protagonist
- Bayek of Siwa
AA Tier: Excellent, with one or two real flaws
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Bigger than Origins in almost every way, which is either a compliment or a warning depending who you ask. Greece is massive and gorgeous, Kassandra is one of the best-performed leads in the series, but the sheer volume of side content and grind turned some fans off. Pick Kassandra, by the way, the fandom consensus on that one is pretty firm.
About Assassin's Creed Odyssey
A 2018 RPG entry set during the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece, letting players choose between Alexios or Kassandra.
- Released
- 2018
- Setting
- Ancient Greece
- Protagonist
- Alexios or Kassandra
Assassin's Creed Mirage
A deliberate return to the series' stealth roots after three sprawling RPGs, and it mostly delivers. Baghdad is tightly built instead of endless, Basim is a sharper protagonist than the trailers suggested, and at a shorter length it respects your time in a way the recent games forgot how to do.
About Assassin's Creed Mirage
A 2023 entry returning to a smaller-scale stealth focus, set in Baghdad during the Abbasid Caliphate and following Basim Ibn Ishaq.
- Released
- 2023
- Setting
- Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate
- Protagonist
- Basim Ibn Ishaq
Assassin's Creed Shadows
Feudal Japan is a setting fans have wanted for over a decade, and splitting the campaign between stealthy Naoe and the heavier Yasuke gives you two very different ways to play. Early reception suggests Ubisoft learned real lessons from Mirage about focus, even with the scale of the RPG games intact.
About Assassin's Creed Shadows
The series' entry set in feudal Japan, featuring dual protagonists Naoe and Yasuke across stealth and combat-focused playstyles.
- Setting
- Feudal Japan
- Protagonists
- Naoe and Yasuke
BB Tier: Solid, dependable, worth your time
Assassin's Creed
The one that started it all, and also the one that aged the roughest. Altair's Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre looked incredible in 2007, but the repetitive guard-tailing missions and copy-pasted side content make it a tough replay now. Important historically, rough mechanically.
About Assassin's Creed
The 2007 original, set during the Third Crusade and following Altair ibn-La'Ahad across Jerusalem, Damascus and Acre. It introduced the Animus framing device and the modern-day Desmond Miles storyline.
- Released
- 2007
- Setting
- Third Crusade, Holy Land
- Protagonist
- Altair ibn-La'Ahad
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Ezio's victory lap in Constantinople is a little tired by this point, leaning hard on tower defense sections and bomb crafting nobody really asked for. Still, closing out his story alongside Altair's final secrets gives it an emotional weight the gameplay doesn't quite earn.
About Assassin's Creed: Revelations
The 2011 conclusion to Ezio's story, set in Constantinople, which also ties up Altair's final chapter.
- Released
- 2011
- Setting
- Constantinople
- Protagonist
- Ezio Auditore
Assassin's Creed III
Connor gets a bad reputation he only half deserves. The American Revolution setting is ambitious, the naval combat here (which got perfected in Black Flag) debuted strong, but the pacing is a mess and Connor himself is one of the stiffer protagonists in the series.
About Assassin's Creed III
A 2012 entry set during the American Revolution, introducing Ratonhnhaké:ton, known as Connor.
- Released
- 2012
- Setting
- Colonial America
- Protagonist
- Connor (Ratonhnhaké:ton)
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Aveline was the series' first playable woman and New Orleans was a genuinely fresh setting, but this started life as a Vita game and it shows. The persona-switching mechanic (lady, slave, assassin) is clever even when the production values aren't.
About Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
Originally a 2012 PlayStation Vita release, later remastered, starring Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans.
- Released
- 2012
- Setting
- New Orleans
- Protagonist
- Aveline de Grandpré
Assassin's Creed Rogue
Playing as a Templar hunting down Assassins (including Arno's and Black Flag's old crew) is a neat twist, and Shay's story gives the series some rare moral grey area. It got overshadowed by Unity's launch the same year, which is a shame because the Arctic setting and ship combat are solid.
About Assassin's Creed Rogue
A 2014 entry told from the Templar side, following former Assassin Shay Cormac through the Seven Years' War.
- Released
- 2014
- Setting
- North Atlantic, Seven Years' War
- Protagonist
- Shay Cormac
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
The grappling hook alone makes this worth playing, swinging across Victorian London like a Templar-hunting Batman. Jacob and Evie Frye split the campaign in a way that mostly works, and the gang warfare turf system gives London some real texture.
About Assassin's Creed Syndicate
A 2015 entry set in Victorian London, starring twins Jacob and Evie Frye and introducing the rope launcher/grappling hook.
- Released
- 2015
- Setting
- Victorian London
- Protagonist
- Jacob and Evie Frye
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Fans are genuinely split on this one, and we're siding with the critics here: Norway and England are beautiful, Eivor has charm, but the map is bloated well past the point of fun and the settlement/raiding loop wears thin long before the credits roll. Some players love the sprawl, plenty of others call it the moment the RPG trilogy overstayed its welcome.
About Assassin's Creed Valhalla
A 2020 RPG entry following Viking raider Eivor through England and Norway during the Viking Age.
- Released
- 2020
- Setting
- Norway and England, Viking Age
- Protagonist
- Eivor
CC Tier: Side dishes, not the main course
Assassin's Creed Unity
Paris during the French Revolution is still one of the most gorgeous cities the series has ever built, and the co-op missions were a fun experiment. But everyone remembers the launch: faceless NPCs, falling through floors, bugs so bad Ubisoft handed out free DLC as an apology. It's been patched into something good, but the reputation stuck.
About Assassin's Creed Unity
A 2014 entry set during the French Revolution in Paris, known for its ambitious crowd technology and troubled launch.
- Released
- 2014
- Setting
- Paris, French Revolution
- Protagonist
- Arno Dorian
Assassin's Creed Chronicles
A trilogy of 2.5D side-scrollers set in China, India and Russia, which sounds like a weird fit for this series and plays like one too. Clever stealth puzzles in short bursts, but it's a budget spin-off through and through, more curiosity than essential.
About Assassin's Creed Chronicles
A trilogy of 2.5D side-scrolling spin-offs set in China, India and Russia, released across 2015 and 2016.
- Released
- 2015-2016
- Format
- 2.5D side-scroller trilogy
- Settings
- China, India, Russia
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced
A remake of Black Flag rebuilt from the ground up with new gameplay mechanics and new content, not simply a visual refresh. Multiple systems including combat, stealth, parkour, mission design, and story have been substantially redesigned for modern hardware. Fine if that's you, pointless if you've already played the original.
About Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced
A remake of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag rebuilt from the ground up with updated visuals, upgraded gameplay mechanics, and new content for modern hardware.
- Based on
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
How we ranked them
We weighed how each game played at launch and how it's held up since, how much it moved the series forward (new mechanics, new settings, new ambition), and how fans and critics talk about it now rather than just review scores at release. Spin-offs and side entries are judged against other spin-offs, not against the mainline heavy hitters, though a few of them hold their own anyway.
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best Assassin's Creed game?
Fan and critic consensus points to Assassin's Creed II or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for the classic era, and Assassin's Creed Origins for the modern RPG era. Black Flag also comes up constantly as a fan favorite thanks to its pirate setting.
What is the worst Assassin's Creed game?
The original Assassin's Creed gets the most criticism for aging badly, mainly due to repetitive mission structure, but it's historically important. Among spin-offs, smaller budget titles tend to rank lowest rather than any mainline entry being considered truly bad.
Should I play Assassin's Creed in order?
Many fans recommend starting with Assassin's Creed II since it's more welcoming than the original, then following the Ezio trilogy, before jumping to whichever era (classic stealth or modern RPG) interests you more.
Is Assassin's Creed Unity worth playing now?
Yes. The infamous launch bugs have been patched extensively since 2014, and Paris remains one of the best-looking cities in the series.
Should I pick a male or female character in Odyssey and Valhalla?
Fan consensus leans strongly toward Kassandra in Odyssey, with most players and critics citing her voice performance as stronger. Valhalla's Eivor is more evenly split between fans.
Is Assassin's Creed Shadows a good entry point for new players?
It works well as an entry point since each game's story largely stands alone, though you'll miss the modern-day framing device that ties earlier entries together.
More rankings
Image credits
- Assassin's Creed IICover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed: BrotherhoodCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's CreedCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed: RevelationsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed IIICover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed III: LiberationCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed RogueCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed UnityCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed SyndicateCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed OriginsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed OdysseyCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed ValhallaCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed MirageCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed ShadowsCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed ChroniclesCover: Wikipedia · Source
- Assassin's Creed: Black Flag ResyncedCover: Wikipedia · Source