Gather ‘round, Assassin’s Creed fans - it’s time to rank every mainline game in the series from worst to best! Since the release of the first Assassin’s Creed game back in 2007, the franchise has gone on to birth 12 mainline titles available on console and PC, as well as several mobile games and sub-series titles.
It's true that the franchise has seen its fair share of criticism, which often revolves around Ubisoft's formulaic game design, ubiquitous microtransactions, and digital rights management (DRM) requirements. However, even before the most recent release, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the franchise had topped 140 million units sold, making it one of the best-selling video game series of all time.
#1 - Assassin's Creed (2007)
Although the series’ first entry suffered from poor pacing and repetitive gameplay, Assassin’s Creed’s visual aspects were praised. Critics enjoyed the novel aspects introduced by this game, such as the viewpoints and the assassination gameplay, even if the AI was beyond idiotic. The game proved popular enough to win several awards and spawn the series gamers know today.
#2 - Assassin's Creed 2 (2009)
Turns out the peak of the Assassin’s Creed series happened early. Assassin’s Creed II introduced Ezio Auditore da Firenze, easily the series’ most compelling and iconic protagonist. Bigger, smoother, and more fun than the series’ debut title, Assassin’s Creed II is often named among the best video games of all time. It’s not perfect by any means (think questionable voice acting and less-than-stellar facial animation), but the good far, far outweighs the bad. Assassin’s Creed II is an absolute must-play.
#3 - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
Like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood doesn’t stray too far from its immediate predecessor. Instead it keeps what was great about Assassin’s Creed II while amping up the mission variety and gameplay elements. In many ways, Brotherhood is basically Assassin’s Creed II 2.0, but that’s not a bad thing.
#4 - Assassin's Creed: Revelations (2011)
The poignant conclusion of the Ezio saga, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations had big shoes to fill from the start. Unfortunately the story didn’t offer much in the way of revelations, leaving fans who simply had to have answers turning to outside sources (such as the animated short Assassin’s Creed: Embers and the Assassin’s Creed Encyclopedia). Overall this game was criticized as being more of the same from Ubisoft save for a few odd additions, such as awkwardly-done den defense segments and a climbing hook which does... very little, actually.
#5 - Assassin's Creed 3 (2012)
Much like every other title in the series, Assassin’s Creed III launched with technical issues, but overall the game was praised for its expansive, colonial American open world - even if the tasks to be done in that world often amounted to little more than busywork. Pacing issues in the main story (which picks up immediately after Assassin’s Creed: Revelations) are somewhat forgiven for the game’s entertaining multiplayer mode.
#6 - Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
With Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, it seemed Ubisoft took the criticisms of Assassin’s Creed III to heart. The game gives players a gorgeous open world to explore while living out “a pirate’s life for me” fantasies. Although the main storyline was not considered to be as good as the side quests, the excellent naval combat is the game’s shining jewel - and don’t forget to sing along with the sea shanties.
#7 - Assassin's Creed Rogue (2014)
Assassin’s Creed Rogue was released one year after Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and it shows. The game does little to differentiate itself from its predecessor, using the same structure, menus, and gameplay.
The storytelling of Assassin’s Creed Rogue, especially the parts involving characters from Assassin's Creed 3 like Haytham Kenway, is compelling, but the main campaign is woefully short. The stealth and parkour mechanics remain blunt at their best and infuriating at their worst.
#8 - Assassin's Creed Unity (2014)
In a pattern that’s become all too familiar of late, the launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity was marred by bugs and glitches - so much so that Ubisoft issued a public apology and provided free DLC as compensation. Beyond that, however, critics praised the game's animation and immersive setting in 18th century Paris, but panned its janky controls, cookie-cutter gameplay, and intrusive microtransactions.
#9 - Assassin's Creed Syndicate (2015)
The combat in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate may be fluid, but it’s also
repetitive. Jacob and Evie Frye, the game’s two protagonists, offer a compelling contrast in viewpoints with which to take on the Victorian-era London. Yet, Evie gets sidelined in the main story quests, and this was later revealed to be due to Ubisoft executives believing that games with female protagonists don’t sell. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate did correct many of Unity’s mistakes, but had too many of its own (such as the motion blur employed during carriage rides that was used to disguise lag) to reach the upper echelons of the series.
#10 - Assassin's Creed Origins (2017)
Assassin’s Creed Origins was a sort of coming out party for the series’ rebirth. Tired franchise staples, such as tailing missions and map clutter, were swapped for more player agency and a streamlined parkour system. Assassin's Creed Origins also offers perhaps the most compelling location of the series - a big, gorgeous ancient Egyptian world to explore.
#11 - Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018)
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey took the ideas of Assassin’s Creed Origins and dialed them up to 11. With its enormous world, engrossing story, and for the first time, choice of protagonists, Assassin's Creed Odyssey proved to be an impressive feat.
However, players criticized the forced exploration and level grinding, sometimes complaining that it was unfeasible to progress without purchasing experience points via microtransactions.
#12 - Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020)
Although Assassin's Creed Valhalla boasts the most successful launch of any title in the series, the game has received many of the same criticisms leveled at its predecessors. The open world is beautiful but buggy, and it’s still a bit big for the tastes of many players. Assassin's Creed Valhalla also improves on Assassin's Creed Odyssey in many ways, such as being able to freely switch between a male or female protagonist rather than being locked into one choice from the beginning. One major change, however, is Ubisoft's requirement that players login to their Ubisoft Connect account or else they will be locked out of the game. Some players don't see this as a big deal, but for others, it's a deal breaker.