The 10 Best Assassin's Creed Games and Their Storylines: Reliving History, One Leap at a Time

 

Assassin's Creed has spent over a decade whisking gamers away to secret wars and breathtaking landscapes. It’s a series where history and fiction blur, dropping you into moments that feel as real as ancient bloodlines battling for control. With each game, new assassins emerge, new cities breathe, and the conflict between Assassins and Templars moves through centuries.

With so many entries, some stand out for their characters, settings, and the way they push the series forward. Here’s a journey through the top 10 Assassin’s Creed games, each with its own vibrant world and gripping storyline.

Top 10 Assassin's Creed Games Ranked

Assassin's Creed Rogue

Take a walk on the Templar side with Assassin's Creed Rogue. Shay Cormac starts as an Assassin but switches sides after a devastating betrayal. His tale, set among the icy coasts of North America during the Seven Years' War, brings a twist by letting you hunt Assassins instead of playing as one.

Rogue expanded naval exploration, letting you command the Morrigan across frigid seas. The story packs moral conflict, challenging what you know about right and wrong in the series.

Assassin's Creed Unity

Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, Assassin's Creed Unity introduces us to Arno Dorian, a man out for redemption in a Paris roiling with unrest.

The game shines with its detailed recreation of Paris. Monuments like Notre-Dame tower over crowds that feel alive. Unity revolutionized movement too, offering a free-flowing parkour system that made scaling rooftops smooth and exhilarating.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Sibling power takes center stage in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Jacob and Evie Frye battle for control of Victorian London’s criminal underworld.

The game stands out for its focus on gangs. You raise the Rooks to reclaim territory, riding trains and carriages across smoggy streets. The mix of twin protagonists gives you more freedom, while London’s landmark-filled skyline adds Victorian charm.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla drops you into the muddy boots of Eivor, a Viking raider forging a new homeland in Anglo-Saxon England.

Valhalla blends Norse and English myths, letting you build, upgrade, and protect your settlement. Raiding rivers, forging alliances, and shaping Eivor’s fate, you experience both brutal combat and the subtle politics of kingmaking. Norse sagas mingle with moments of community, giving the game real heart.

Assassin's Creed Origins

Travel to the ancient sands with Assassin’s Creed Origins. Bayek of Siwa’s journey for revenge in Egypt sets the stage for the very first Assassins.

Origins changed the series with deep RPG mechanics—leveling, skill trees, and loot. Bayek’s story is emotional and human, exploring the pain, love, and sacrifice that birth the Brotherhood. The pyramids, bustling markets, and wide deserts make Egypt a star.

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Assassin's Creed III

Assassin’s Creed III cranks up revolution with Connor (Ratonhnhaké:ton), a half-Mohawk, half-English warrior. His story rides through the American Revolution, putting you amid battlefields, colonial cities, and wild forests.

Hunting, crafting, and naval battles debut here, letting you feel the wildness of the frontier and the chaos of war. Connor’s personal story adds weight, connecting the fight for freedom with family and loss.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Welcome to the age of pirates. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag stars Edward Kenway, a roguish pirate with ambitions bigger than the ocean.

This game gave players the open Caribbean: ship-to-ship combat, deep-sea diving, and island exploration. It’s a swashbuckler’s playground where every wave holds new dangers. The pirate code and search for treasure make Edward’s story both wild and surprisingly thoughtful.

Assassin's Creed II

Ezio Auditore’s rise from tragedy to legend starts in Assassin’s Creed II. Set in Renaissance Italy—Florence, Venice, and Tuscany—the game brings painting-like cities to life, brimming with art and political intrigue.

Ezio’s journey spans years, following him from youth to mature Assassin. The story’s emotional depth and the vibrant world made the sequel a favorite, setting a new standard for the series.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood continues Ezio’s story in Rome. Now a seasoned leader, Ezio recruits and trains his own Assassin order.

The city of Rome becomes your sandbox—manage resources, rebuild districts, and call on new recruits mid-fight. The expanded combat and city management added new layers of strategy and depth.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

Ancient Greece spreads before you in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Play as Kassandra or Alexios, mercenaries seeking their place during the Peloponnesian War.

Odyssey brings sprawling landscapes, branching choices, and dialogue that shapes the story to your decisions. Naval battles return, big and bold. The RPG elements take center stage: choices, upgrades, and myth woven with history.

How Assassin's Creed Weaves History With Fiction

Assassin’s Creed stands apart by handing players the keys to history’s most dramatic epochs. Of course, you aren't reliving these events one-for-one. Instead, each game drops you into meticulously researched settings, then lets its own stories run wild through those streets.

Rome, as seen through Ezio’s eyes, feels alive with hidden intrigue, though his struggle is a work of fiction. Revolutionary Paris bustles in Unity, placing you face-to-face with landmarks and figures like Napoleon, but letting Arno’s unique journey drive events off the beaten path.

The series always grounds its original characters in world-changing moments. Connor meets George Washington, Bayek rubs shoulders with Cleopatra, and even myth blurs with history in Odyssey and Valhalla. Assassin’s Creed creates a secret side of history, one full of courage, loyalty, and hard choices stretching across distant lands and eras.

Conclusion

Assassin’s Creed does more than give us epic action or grand cities—it transports us to lost times and different lives, letting us feel the blood beating in their stories. Each game adds new layers but never loses the heart: the age-old battle for freedom, fought in the shadows and across ages.

Every player finds their own favorite corner of this universe. So, which Assassin's Creed story stuck with you the most? Share your pick or a memorable moment in the comments below.