Assassin’s Creed is one of the most legendary franchises in gaming history, with a series stretching back over fifteen years. It’s an iconic, open-world collection that boasts ambitious adventures, immersive stories, and memorable characters. But, given that there are dozens of games in the series, we’re asking (and answering) an all-important question: ‘Can you play Assassin’s Creed in any order?’
How Many Assassin’s Creed Games Are There?
It’s a rich and storied franchise that can be traced back to 2007. It’s a little-known fact, but Assassin’s Creed’s origins rest with Prince of Persia. It was later revealed that 2007’s Assassin’s Creed title, which kicked off the franchise, was an experiment, with the project being twisted from the failed development of a Prince of Persia game.
In total, there are thirteen major Assassin’s Creed games and several more spin-off titles that were typically released on handheld consoles and mobile devices. It’s a franchise that has taken players from Ancient Greece to Victorian London, and with each new release, the lore gets richer, deeper, and more immersive.
With that in mind, can you play Assassin’s Creed in any order?
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Can You Play Assassin’s Creed in Any Order?
Technically, there are no restrictions blocking you from playing Assassin’s Creed in whatever order you so desire, but there are some barricades that might make the experience a little confusing.
For instance, if you wanted to soak up the entire timeline in order of release, you’d start with Assassin’s Creed (2007) and end with Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023). But, if you wanted to play the series in chronological order, you’d start with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018) and end with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015).
With the most recent releases, Ubisoft pivoted to an RPG-based model, with each game more or less being a standalone title with only a few concepts and aspects connecting them together. For instance, Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017), Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018), and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020) can all be experienced as standalone games but there is an underlying story that connects them together.
It’s not as jarring an experience as if you were to play the older games as standalone titles, though. For example, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (2010) was a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed II (2009). In fact, the former game starts off in the exact scenes where the latter game ends, so if you’ve not played Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood will be disorienting until you’ve managed to catch up on the story.
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Does That Answer Your Question?
So, if you’ve been wondering what order to play Assassin’s Creed in, we hope that’s cleared things up. There are a few ways to soak up the franchise, but ultimately, it’s up to you in which order you play the games. Realistically, if you were to play them in order of release, you’d be neck-deep in Assassin’s Creed games for several hundred hours.
Perhaps it’s best to start with the most recent titles and track backwards if you want to learn about the origins of the series and what it all means.
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Assassin’s Creed is available across all platforms.
