Every Assassins Creed game ranked from worst to bestMichael BeckwithPublished March 4, 2025 1:00am Which do you think is the best Assassins Creed game? (Ubisoft)With a new mainline Assassins Creed dropping this month, GameCentral runs through the entire series to determine its best and worst games.Since 2007, Assassins Creed has become easily Ubisofts most prominent franchise and while the days of yearly releases ended a while ago there are still a huge number of entries out there, for a franchise that is only 18 years old.According to a recent report, there are no less than 10 Assassins Creed projects currently in development. The next is Assassins Creed Shadows, which Ubisoft is hoping will turn around the companys fortunes, after the dismal financial year its had.So with Shadows just a few weeks away, lets reflect on Assassins Creeds legacy so far and which games hold up the best and which are better left to be forgotten by history. For the record, well be sticking with the mainline entries, since wed be here all day if we counted the multitude of spin-offs.13. Assassins Creed Unity (2014)2014 was a pretty bum year for Assassins Creed, considering it saw two major releases that year and neither of them were any good. Of the two, the French Revolution themed Assassins Creed Unity is easily the worst.Pushed as the first entry to feature co-op multiplayer, Unity is mostly remembered for how disastrously buggy it was at launch, its strange omission of playable women in the multiplayer, and its baffling lack of French accents in the English dub.Even when it works properly, its easily the dullest entry in the series from both a mechanical and story perspective, with very little parkour and a weak protagonist. At least it was pretty to look at though.12. Assassins Creed Rogue (2014)Rehashing the beloved Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag to create a prequel may have sounded like a smart idea on paper but, inevitability, that meant that Assassins Creed Rogue lacked any real identity of its own.We honestly keep forgetting this one exists, but thats understandable as it was an obviously rushed release, initially produced only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while Unity was current gen-only.The returning naval combat is still fun and, like Unity, Rogue offers some pleasant graphics. Unlike Unity though its story is actually quite good, with one of the few chances in the series to play as a Templar.11. Assassins Creed Syndicate (2015)Even nowadays, Assassins Creed Syndicates open world take on 19th century London is impressively designed and easily the highlight of the whole game. Its just a shame Ubisoft didnt do more with the setting, but then the mid 2010s were definitely a low point for the series.While by no means incompetent, Syndicate plays things safe to the blandest degree. Beyond the admittedly excellent soundtrack and half of its twin protagonists being fairly entertaining, Syndicate is kind of just there. Which is a real shame, because its arguably the best representation of a major city in the series.10. Assassins Creed (2007)The Assassins Creed series had a peculiar start in life, as while the first game, set during the Third Crusade, was a hit it wasnt particularly good, with extremely repetitive missions that were very clearly copy and pasted from each other.Simplistic and repetitive; what attracted people to the game was the unusual historical setting, which is still rare in other titles today. The stealth and parkour was emphasised much more back then, but all of it was done better in the immediate sequels.You can also trace a couple of the series longest running issues to this game, namely the po-faced and overly complex plot and the games propensity for bland protagonists. How well do you think the original has held up? (Ubisoft)9. Assassins Creed 3 (2012)Had we been writing this 10 years ago, when Assassins Creed 3 was still fairly new, wed probably have ranked it higher. In 2012, its efforts to go bigger and bolder were welcomed and seen as a necessary evolution for the series, with its expansive tale of 18th century Colonial America. Nowadays, though, its reputation hasnt fared well.Its activity filled open world, jam packed with side quests and map icons, almost feels like a parody of complaints about modern Ubisoft games, even if at the time this was only the start of the problem. The dull combat doesnt help and despite its best efforts the story is too long winded to get its hooks into you, with one of the longest prologues in gaming history.8. Assassins Creed Origins (2017)On one hand, Assassins Creed Origins was a major turning point for the series, eschewing its stealth game origins in favour of action role-playing elements that have become a mainstay ever since. However, its successors would end up using the formula to more entertaining ends.Even in 2017, Origins felt like a missed opportunity, fixing very few, if any of the previous games issues while retaining many of the same problems. The open world, set in Ancient Egypt, is impressively realised but otherwise boring to explore and woefully barren in places. Plus, the stealth has been dumbed down to the point where it feels like the supposedly experienced protagonist Bayek is stumbling around like a clumsy fool.7. Assassins Creed Mirage (2023)After years of action role-playing games, Ubisoft decided to return to the series stealth game roots, and a setting in 9th century Baghdad, with Assassins Creed Mirage.Mirage is purposefully old school, as a homage to the very first game, and not nearly as big as most other entries, but at a time when modern Assassins Creed games felt bloated and unwieldly, Mirages more streamlined experience made it a great alternative for anyone with a day job.Theres also some decent mission variety (with the best ones being those where you methodically assassinate entire rooms full of enemies) and some nicely detailed graphics. You do get too powerful very quickly through upgrades, but that can be a positive for some players.6. Assassins Creed Revelations (2011)Ubisoft was probably pushing its luck when it made not one, but two follow-ups to the beloved Assassins Creed 2. While it did pay off in terms of sales, some fatigue had set in by the time of the second one, Assassins Creed Revelations.What it offers is still competently entertaining, if dated, especially since Assassins Creed 2s protagonist Ezio remains at the forefront and the first games less charismatic hero Altar thankfully doesnt take up too much time.You only play this nowadays if youve finished Assassins Creed 2 and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood and are still hungry for more and you want one last adventure with Ezio. It also loses points now that its multiplayer doesnt work anymore.5. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood (2010)While not as much of a dramatic leap compared to the jump from Assassins Creed 1 to its sequel, this direct follow-up to Assassins Creed 2 remains one of the better entries in the series.Like Revelations, this may have ranked slightly higher if its multiplayer was still operational. As is, its still a worthy follow-up to Assassins Creed 2, thanks to its titular Brotherhood system, which sees you recruiting new assassins to send out on missions. Theres also some solid mission variety and more refined combat.4. Assassins Creed Odyssey (2018)These next two are arguably interchangeable given theyre of similar quality, and both use the series more modern role-playing style. But both are well worth playing today, whether youre an Assassins Creed veteran or new to the series.After Assassins Creed Origins introduced the new role-playing formula, Assassins Creed Odyssey helped refine it, but its expansive open world setting of Ancient Greece can be a double-edged sword.Youll never want for things to do, and it has some solid features, like fan favourite naval combat and the new conquest battles, but the game is so bloated with content it feels like it goes on forever. Just be sure to pick Kassandra as your protagonist as shes easily the more likeable choice.3. Assassins Creed Valhalla (2020)Assassins Creed Valhalla is Assassins Creed Odyssey but with Vikings instead of Spartans. That said, theres more stealth opportunities here, for those who dont appreciate how much it was downplayed in Odyssey, and probably the best combat in the series.Its also got a nice bevy of mini-games, including historically accurate Viking rap battles, and some beautiful visuals, that include much of 9th century England. If anything its even more bloated than Odyssey, which can become exhausting.2. Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag is so popular with fans Ubisoft has tried to replicate its success multiple times, not just with other Assassins Creed games but also the doomed Skull And Bones live service title.Its hamstrung by the usual Assassins Creed problems uninteresting story, dull main character, underdeveloped ideas but its hard to dislike a proper open world pirate game that features many of the most famous historical figures of the time, including Blackbeard.More TrendingAnd while it couldve afforded to be a bit more focused, it doesnt feel as bloated as later games, while still being chockfull of content. If the rumoured remake addresses some of Black Flags issues, it could end up being the best entry in the series.1. Assassins Creed 2 (2009)This should not be surprising in the slightest. While it has undeniably aged in places, Assassins Creed 2 is well worth revisiting even 15+ years later and is a much better starting point for newcomers than the first game.A big reason for this is leading man Ezio, without a doubt the most charismatic protagonist in the series, while the setting of Renaissance Italy allowed for some wonderful virtual, historical tourism.Even if the parkour mechanics dont hold up quite as well nowadays, the graphics certainly do. We almost recommend tracking down an original Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 copy since the 2016 remaster was very half-assed. Although therell probably be another one along sooner or later. More Assassins Creed heroes could stand to borrow a few things from Ezio (Ubisoft)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy