Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise has introduced multiple protagonists and time periods since the first installment hit shelves in 2007. It’s a lot to keep track of and begs the question: how do you play the Assassin’s Creed games in order?
The answer is far from simple – even if you stick to just the 14 core Assassin’s Creed entries (and trust us: you should). So, with this in mind, here’s a handy guide to the series’ real-world and in-universe order.
Related: Most Underrated Assassin’s Creed Games, Ranked
As we alluded to above, while there are 24 Assassin’s Creed games (not including remasters, iOS ports, and the like), only the 14 main titles are important to the franchise’s overarching narrative. And while stripping out extraneous spinoffs makes life a bit easier, the number of action-adventure/stealth games we’re left with still pose a challenge, narratively speaking.
All of these games – except for 2023’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage and (first five or so minutes notwithstanding) 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows – consist of two components: a period central story and a modern-day framing sequence. As such, Assassin’s Creed technically has two correct chronological orders, depending on which narrative thread you follow.
Yet most fans agree that following the chronology of the modern-day sequences is the most satisfying way to experience the series’ wider narrative. This breaks down as follows:
That said, if you still want to play through the Assassin’s Creed games based on their historical settings, here’s how to do it:
One final wrinkle applies to both chronological orders: The Tyranny of King Washington. A DLC expansion pack, The Tyranny of King Washington takes place in an alternate version of Assassin’s Creed III‘s Revolutionary War timeline. Although this stuff isn’t technically canon, the bookend cutscenes are set in the franchise’s core reality.
Related: What Assassin’s Creed Game Should You Play First?
That’s the in-universe chronology covered – what about if you want to play Assassin’s Creed in release order? That’s a lot easier: follow the present-day playthrough order listed above.
You can even break the franchise into different eras if that seems daunting. As each of Assassin’s Creed‘s present-day protagonists has a self-contained story arc, each of their debut games is a perfect jumping-off point.
The era approach works as follows:
And that’s how to play the Assassin’s Creed games in order.
The Assassin’s Creed games are available for purchase through Ubisoft.
The above article was updated on 3/20/25 by the original author to include Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
