You know how it goes. You're chatting with friends about Assassin's Creed, and suddenly someone asks that loaded question: "So which one's actually the best?" I've been there more times than I count since first playing Altaïr's story back in 2007. These rankings come from finishing every main game (except Valhalla's DLCs - sorry, that river raid burnout was real).
Let's get this straight upfront: ranking Assassin's Creed games is like choosing favorite children. Each entry brings something unique, and your personal taste matters more than any list. Historical setting preferences? Gameplay style? Story depth? It all shapes your ideal AC experience. Still, after replaying the entire series last year, I've settled on a personal assassin's creed games ranked order that might surprise you.
Before we dive in, let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, Unity was a mess at launch. No, Odyssey didn't feel stealthy enough for some. But we'll get to those hot takes with proper context.
The Complete Assassin's Creed Series Overview
First things first - what even counts as a "main" Assassin's Creed game? We're sticking to the core single-player titles that advanced the modern-day narrative:
| Game Title | Release Year | Setting | Developer | Playtime (Main Story) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | 2007 | Holy Land (1191 AD) | Ubisoft Montreal | 15 hours |
| Assassin's Creed II | 2009 | Renaissance Italy (1476-1499 AD) | Ubisoft Montreal | 19 hours |
| Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | 2010 | Rome (1499-1507 AD) | Ubisoft Montreal | 15 hours |
| Assassin's Creed: Revelations | 2011 | Constantinople (1511 AD) | Ubisoft Montreal | 12 hours |
| Assassin's Creed III | 2012 | American Revolution (1754-1783) | Ubisoft Montreal | 16 hours |
| Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag | 2013 | Caribbean (1715-1722) | Ubisoft Montreal | 23 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Rogue | 2014 | North Atlantic (1752-1760) | Ubisoft Sofia | 10 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Unity | 2014 | French Revolution (1789-1794) | Ubisoft Montreal | 17 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Syndicate | 2015 | Victorian London (1868) | Ubisoft Quebec | 19 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Origins | 2017 | Ptolemaic Egypt (49-43 BC) | Ubisoft Montreal | 30 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2018 | Ancient Greece (431-422 BC) | Ubisoft Quebec | 45 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2020 | Viking Age England (873 AD) | Ubisoft Montreal | 60 hours |
| Assassin's Creed Mirage | 2023 | Baghdad (861 AD) | Ubisoft Bordeaux | 15 hours |
Notice how playtimes ballooned after Origins? That's when Ubisoft fully embraced the RPG model. My completionist run of Valhalla took 143 hours - I actually tracked my playtime because my partner thought I'd moved into the TV.
The Ultimate Assassin's Creed Games Ranked List
Alright, let's get to the ranking you came for. Remember this is subjective, but I've weighed five key factors for each game: parkour mechanics, stealth depth, combat fluidity, story impact, and pure fun factor. Recent replays on PS5 have influenced this list heavily.
| Rank | Game | Core Strengths | Why This Ranking | Best For Players Who Love |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assassin's Creed II | Character development, Renaissance atmosphere, balanced gameplay | Ezio's origin story remains unmatched. The perfect blend of story and assassinations | Narrative-driven experiences, historical tourism |
| 2 | Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag | Naval combat, open-world freedom, pirate fantasy | Brilliantly executes its pirate concept despite not feeling like traditional AC | Naval exploration, open-sea adventures |
| 3 | Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood | Brotherhood system, Rome setting, refined combat | Took AC II's foundation and perfected the gameplay loop with meaningful additions | Tactical gameplay, managing assassin recruits |
| 4 | Assassin's Creed Origins | Egypt exploration, RPG shift, Bayek's performance | Revitalized the franchise with stunning world design and emotional storytelling | Ancient history, RPG elements, photomode |
| 5 | Assassin's Creed: Revelations | Ezio/Altair conclusion, hookblade, bomb crafting | Provides the most satisfying character finale in the series despite some gimmicks | Story conclusions, vertical city navigation |
| 6 | Assassin's Creed Odyssey | Massive open world, dialogue choices, combat variety | Delivers incredible scale and freedom at the cost of classic AC identity | Greek mythology, RPG mechanics, exploration |
| 7 | Assassin's Creed Syndicate | Victorian London, dual protagonists, zipline | Refined Unity's systems with better optimization and personality | Industrial revolution, gadget-focused stealth |
| 8 | Assassin's Creed Unity | Crowd density, parkour animation, co-op missions | Technical mess at launch but has the best pure stealth and movement in the series | Social stealth, intricate parkour, challenge |
| 9 | Assassin's Creed III | Forest traversal, homestead system, naval introduction | Ambitious but uneven execution with pacing issues and a divisive protagonist | American history, wilderness navigation |
| 10 | Assassin's Creed | Foundation, assassination contracts, historical accuracy | Revolutionary for its time but aged poorly with repetitive mission structure | Core lore, methodical assassinations |
| 11 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Settlement building, raid mechanics, Viking fantasy | Overstuffed RPG fatigue sets in despite strong opening hours and combat | Norse culture, melee combat, long campaigns |
| 12 | Assassin's Creed Rogue | Templar perspective, North Atlantic, Shay's arc | Interesting concept hampered by being Black Flag-lite and too short | Morally gray stories, naval combat |
| 13 | Assassin's Creed Mirage | Stealth focus, classic gameplay, Baghdad setting | Nostalgic throwback that plays it too safe with underdeveloped systems | Back-to-basics approach, Middle Eastern history |
See any controversial placements? I bet you do. Syndicate above Unity? Valhalla so low? Let me justify those hot takes with detailed breakdowns.
The Heavy Hitters: Top Tier AC Games
These three represent peak Assassin's Creed for different reasons, and you'll find them near the top of most assassin's creed games ranked lists.
Assassin's Creed II: Still the Gold Standard
Playing AC II for the first time in 2009 felt like witnessing gaming evolve. That opening sequence in Florence? Chills. The way sunlight hit cathedral domes? Unreal for its time. Ezio's journey from brash teen to master assassin remains the franchise's emotional core.
What holds up:
- Character writing that makes Ezio feel like family
- Cities that feel historically alive with distinct districts
- Perfect mission variety between stealth, combat, and puzzles
- The Auditore villa upgrade system that started the base-building craze
What hasn't aged well:
- Combat is basically counter-kill simulator
- Parkour can feel sticky and unresponsive
- Modern day sections interrupt flow
Fun detail: The glyph puzzles revealing the First Civilization lore? Spent hours decoding those. Still the best integration of franchise mythology.
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag: Pirate Life Chose Us
Confession time: I played Black Flag while recovering from surgery. Sailing the Caribbean became therapeutic. The shanties, the storms, the whale breaches - it creates magic no other AC replicates.
What surprised me most during replay: How well the naval combat holds up. Boarding enemy ships still delivers that adrenaline rush. The underwater sections though? Pure nightmare fuel when you spot that shark silhouette.
Biggest drawback: Edward Kenway's assassin journey feels tacked on. You're basically a pirate who occasionally stumbles into the templar-assassin conflict. But honestly? Didn't care. That freedom sailing provided unmatched joy.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood: Peak Gameplay Loop
Brotherhood perfected what AC II built. Recruiting assassins and sending them across Europe? Brilliant. The crossbow? Game-changer for stealth. Rome felt massive yet intimate.
Personal memory: That moment when your recruits swoop down to eliminate your target? Goosebumps every time. Brotherhood understood power fantasy better than any sequel.
But let's be real: The full synchronization requirements could be brutal. Remember that tank mission? Took me fourteen tries to not take damage. Almost rage-quit the entire franchise.
The Divisive Middle Tier
These entries spark the most debate in any assassin's creed games ranked discussion. Love them or hate them, they shaped the franchise.
Assassin's Creed Unity: The Flawed Gem
I'll never forget Unity's launch. Pre-ordered special edition. Took vacation days. Then... disaster. NPCs without faces. Falling through the world. Co-op that never connected. It was heartbreaking.
Returning in 2023? Different story. Paris remains the most stunning AC city. The crowd density during revolution riots? Unmatched. Parkour animations flow like silk.
Current State Check: On PS5, Unity runs at 1080p/30fps with occasional dips. PC versions fare better. The co-op servers still work surprisingly well. Worth grabbing on sale if you skipped it originally.
Arno remains painfully bland though. And don't get me started on that modern-day Helix Rift nonsense.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: When AC Became an RPG
Odyssey broke me. 127 hours. I mapped every ? in Greece. Climbed every mountain. The scale still blows my mind. Kassandra? Top-tier protagonist with actual charisma.
But here's the truth: This isn't an Assassin's Creed game. It's a fantastic ancient Greek RPG wearing AC cosmetics. The Cultist system provided great meta-gameplay though.
Major fatigue set in around hour 80. Those procedurally generated quests? Repetitive filler. Mercenary system? Annoying after the fiftieth bounty.
The Modern Trilogy: Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla
These three fundamentally changed what assassin's creed games ranked lists even mean. They're practically a sub-series.
| Feature | Origins (2017) | Odyssey (2018) | Valhalla (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combat Style | Shield-based with hitbox system | Superhuman abilities, no shield | Weighty, stamina-based with parry focus |
| Protagonist | Bayek (fixed) | Alexios/Kassandra (choice) | Eivor (gender choice) |
| Stealth Mechanics | Traditional tools, eagle scouting | Critical assassinations, enhanced eagle | Social stealth return, raven scouting |
| World Size | 80 km² | 130 km² | 140 km² |
| Unique Systems | Phylakes hunters | Mercenary tier system | Ravensthorpe settlement |
| Modern Day | Layla introduction | Layla expands | Layla conclusion |
My controversial take? Origins remains the strongest of the three. Bayek's voice acting during his son's death scene? Best performance in AC history. Odyssey expanded everything but lost focus. Valhalla... well, let's just say I never finished that Asgard arc.
Your Assassin's Creed Questions Answered
After countless debates at gaming meetups, these consistently come up:
AC II or Origins. AC II establishes the core lore perfectly. Origins modernizes mechanics without overwhelming you. Avoid Valhalla first - it's like starting Lord of the Rings with Return of the King.
Modern-day story matters less than you'd think. Play in release order if you deeply care about Desmond's arc (AC1 to AC3). Otherwise, jump to whatever setting excites you. I'd prioritize Ezio trilogy continuity though.
Unity, no contest. The animations flow together beautifully once you master it. Syndicate's grapple hook made navigation lazy. RPG trilogy climbing lacks challenge.
Odyssey and Valhalla absolutely are. Ubisoft mistakes quantity for quality. Mirage shows they're learning though. Pro tip: Skip question marks unless they're directly on your path.
Unity's Paris > Brotherhood's Rome > Syndicate's London. Renaissance Florence (AC II) deserves honorable mention. Constantinople (Revelations) wins for atmosphere despite being smaller.
Choosing Your Next Assassin Adventure
Still unsure? Match your preferences:
For history buffs: Origins' Egypt is meticulously researched. AC III's American Revolution nails period details despite Connor's flat personality.
For stealth purists: Unity (once patched) or Mirage. Black Flag's jungle sneaking also holds up surprisingly well.
For combat enthusiasts: Valhalla's brutal melee or Odyssey's superpowered abilities. Brotherhood's chain kills still satisfy though.
For explorers: Odyssey's Greece can't be beat for sheer variety. Black Flag's Caribbean wins for nautical freedom.
For story lovers: Ezio trilogy (especially II and Revelations). Origins' personal revenge tale hits hard.
The beauty of assassin's creed games ranked lists? They're conversation starters, not bibles. My Odyssey-loving friend scoffs at my Brotherhood placement. I mock his Unity dislike. That's the franchise's strength - there's something for every player across 15 years of evolution.
What matters most? Finding your personal favorite. Maybe you'll agree with my assassin's creed games ranked order. Maybe you'll fight me in the comments. Either way, we're both celebrating one of gaming's most ambitious franchises.
Now excuse me while I replay Black Flag's sea shanties for the hundredth time.
Comment