Dating back to 2007 with it’s original installment, the Assassin’s Creed games franchise launched by Ubisoft, now has 12 titles under it’s belt. Encompassing multiple timelines and historical periods, the games are known not only for their mechanics but for their historical depiction and accuracy as well. However, some of the games in the franchise weren’t up to the mark.
Here are all the Assassin’s Creed games, ranked in the order of their popularity.
12.) Assassin’s Creed (2007)
It would be wrong to start this list off with giving Altair’s story the lowest rank on this list. Being the first installment in the series, this game managed to set the premise for the future games. Not only that, it also set up the battle between the Assassins and the Templars. There’s nothing bad about this game though. The only reason it’s so low on the list is because of the fact that it’s successors have evolved drastically, in terms of both mechanics and storylines.
11.) Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014)
The less we talk about Assassin’s Creed Unity the better. This game had all sorts of problems with it. Ubisoft made a bold attempt of launching this edition on consoles as well. Not only that, the game was set during the French Revolution as well. Now, to take all that into account and create something that is historically accurate, while keeping the fictional bits relevant as well is a humongous task. Ubisoft didn’t pull it off quite well. The result, a disappointing game with a forgettable storyline. And that’s just the start. There were several bugs on the technical side of things which made the overall experience very poor. The only good part about this game was the fact that you could parkour down!
10.) Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014)
2014 was a difficult year for Ubisoft, at least in terms of the Assassin’s Creed franchise. While Rogue wasn’t a disaster like Unity, it had its own share of issues. This game served as a prequel to Unity and set up the premise for everything that happened to Arno and the reason for which he joined the order. Moreover, for the first time ever, we got to play as a Templar, I mean an Assassin who defected to the Templars because someone in the Brotherhood betrayed him. The overall storyline was predictable though. It’s not bad at all, but there are other games that are better.
9.) Assassin’s Creed III (2012)
Assassin’s Creed III had all the scope in the world to be the best game in the entire franchise, but Ubisoft couldn’t quite pull it off with this one either. While Desmond was still reeling from Lucy’s death, we were busy climbing trees, collecting feathers, and hunting animals. The game managed to capture the conflict between the Native Americans and the British very well while keeping a balanced take on things. This game could have done a bit more in terms of the naval missions as well. Also, Desmond running around through the Temple trying to activate those power sources was quite annoying as well.
8.) Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015)
Syndicate was Ubisoft’s saving grace. After a terrible 2014, the developers had to make sure that they got the next one correct. And they did manage to get things right with Syndicate. Set in London during the Victorian era, Syndicate was the first time we saw twin Assassin’s fighting together for the cause – Jacob and Evie Frye. The storyline was nice, the investigation mechanics were a massive upgrade at this point in time. But the gameplay felt massively repetitive so no brownie points there.
7.) Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017)
Origins was the start of something new for the entire franchise. Yes, the series had an open world feel to it before, but it wasn’t an RPG in its truest sense. With the arrival of Origins, the developers started walking down the RPG route with customizable perks and weapons with stat differences and choices, giving players a choice of character customization here. Storyline wise, it’s okay but there are other games in the series that have a more compelling storyline. The scenery was amazing and the developers managed to capture each and every minute detail of Egypt during its peak glory.
6.) Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011)
This is probably the first time that an Assassin retired and then died. Revelations was the best ending that Ezio could get. The storyline was absolutely beautiful and so was Constantinople. But what wasn’t that great was the Den Defense activity in the game. No one really liked it that much because it was tedious and annoying. If you’ve been a fan of strategy games then there’s a chance you might have enjoyed it. We’re not saying it was a bad feature, it’s just something that feels like an overbearing addition at this time. Either way, it was fine in its own tedious little way.
5.) Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (2018)
Released back in 2018, Odyssey took things one notch higher than the bar that Origins set. The franchise took on the full fledged RPG route with character builds, crafting and other similar mechanics. Interestingly enough, this game is set during the Peloponnesian War. This time we end up controlling a mercenary who’s somehow fighting on both sides during the way. A pretty interesting take on behalf of the developers, but overall, the game felt slightly overambitious. Either way it’s bagged a top.
4.) Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla (2020)
Adding a Viking twist to the entire Assassin vs Templar storyline seemed like a bad idea at first, but Ubisoft delivered on its promise. In fact, the way they handled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is quite impressive. While the main campaign is amazing, the side stories are also beautifully woven within the main narrative. There’s a modern day arc to this too, but that’s slightly disappointing as well. I mean, Desmond was the OG, and no other character has felt close to how Desmond felt during the initial titles in the game.
3.) Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood had all of the signs of a cheap cash grab. One year separated its release from Assassin’s Creed II, it continued Ezio’s narrative, and it brought players to Rome after briefly appearing at the end of AC II. Instead of feeling like an expansion or Assassin’s Creed 2.5, Brotherhood surprisingly defied the odds. A shorter campaign was packed full of content, interesting characters, and it tied up loose ends from AC II while offering new quests and locations to explore. For the first time, players could actually build their own Brotherhood (hence the name) and recruit civilians to the Assassin cause. The game concluded in such a jaw dropping moment that it’s still one of the most stunning things to happen in the series to date.
2.) Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
After the rather disappointing Assassin’s Creed III, a lot was riding on Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. For the first time in the series, players would not be in control of Desmond. Instead we were a walking tablet in Abstergo. Not a highlight of the series, but the present day’s mysteries and intrigue were still there. Going back to the Golden Age of Piracy was a bold choice, especially considering it could have easily turned into “Pirate’s Creed.” Thankfully, that didn’t happen. On top of a beautiful, lush open world set in the Caribbean, Edward and his pirate acquaintances’ were perfect conduits for a refreshing take on the Assassin/Templar war. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag somehow took an unpopular feature (naval gameplay) and made it fun and exciting, letting players set sail on the high seas in one of the series’ best outings.
1.) Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
Though the original Assassin’s Creed started it all off, Assassin’s Creed II elevated the franchise to the heights of greatness, and arguably created the series we love and see today. Ezio was substantially more compelling and charming than Altair, and his quest for revenge was a sympathetic journey that everyone couldn’t help but get lost in. It impressively capitalized on the potential of the first game in every way that was achievable at that time. Not only were the historical parts fantastic, but the modern day plot truly started to get interesting with the introduction of the First Civilization. Complete with dozens of new mechanics and a memorable story, Assassin’s Creed II set the standard for what this series could, and should, be.
That’s our very own ranked list for all the Assassin’s Creed games. Each and every Assassin’s Creed game following Unity is available on PC and Consoles.
