From ancient Greece to England during its industrialized age, Assassin's Creed games have always been a fun trip through history. Each era explored by the franchise has been surprisingly authentic as well, with Ubisoft even offering gameplay modes in recent titles that allowed players to soak up the time period and not have to worry about being mauled by the local wildlife.So if you were looking to experience the series not from the first game, but from the first chronological entry, where would you start? That's what we've done below, as we've looked at each of the mainline games released so far--and a few of the spin-offs--to create a timeline that covers Spartan legends, the golden age of piracy, and the French revolution.Something to be aware of if you're looking to get the full scope of the AC timeline is that many events take place during DLC expansions for the games, including those for 2, 3, Unity, Syndicate, Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. AC2 is otherwise missing some notable levels, while AC3's Tyranny of King Washington is a great three-part story. Unity's Dead Kings concludes the story in a much-improved way over the base game. Odyssey's The Fate of Atlantis does a lot of worldbuilding involving the Isu. And so on.We've included the just-released Assassin's Creed Shadows, which falls roughly in the middle of the overall timeline. Set in ancient Japan, the game stars two protagonists once again--the first time since 2015's Assassin's Creed Syndicate allowed the Frye twins to share the stage. If you're interested, you can read our Assassin's Creed Shadows review to see how it stacks up against the rest of the series, as well as our Assassin's Creed Shadows guides to help you out.If you need to pick up any of the games in the series, many of them are on sale individually, as well as in discounted bundles through Ubisoft's store right now:Assassin's Creed -- $5 ($20)Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection (PS4) -- $10 Includes: II, Brotherhood, RevelationsAssassin's Creed Ezio Auditore Pack -- $11.60 ($40) Includes: II, Brotherhood, RevelationsAssassin's Creed American History Pack -- $28 ($80) Includes: III Remastered, IV: Black Flag, Freedom Cry, Liberation Remastered HD, RogueAssassin's Creed Mythology Pack -- $32 ($160) Includes: Origins, Odyssey, ValhallaAssassin's Creed Modern Revolutions Pack -- $18 ($90)Includes: Unity, 2x Unity DLC, Syndicate's Gold editionAssassin's Creed Mirage + Valhalla Bundle -- $33 ($100)Assassin's Creed Shadows -- $70 In the beginning (77,986 BCE)While we've yet to journey to the very distant past of humanity, we have seen glimpses of the beings who ruled the world long before humanity did. In fact, humanity was created as a race of slaves by the mysterious Isu, but when two humans known as Adam and Eve revolted, a war broke out between the Isu and their creations. The rebellion ended after a cataclysmic solar flare struck Earth, annihilating most of the Isu and leaving humanity free to find its own path in life.The Isu who did survive helped guide humanity to form their own culture, and while they weren't alive for long after the great disaster, they did live on as myths and legends in human history. A number of powerful Isu artifacts--commonly referred to as Pieces of Eden--also survived into the new era, and these relics became central to the conflict that would unfold across the ages.Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a somewhat standalone DLC, Dawn of Ragnarok, that covers some of these events. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (431 BCE 422 BCE)In the current mythos of Assassin's Creed, Odyssey is the earliest game in the timeline. As one of the grandchildren of the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, players could choose to tackle the game as one of two siblings: Kassandra (the canonical choice) or Alexios.Set during the Peloponnesian War, Odyssey predates the formation of the Templar and Assassin orders, but it does touch on topics that had become staples of the series, like the Isu, Pieces of Eden, and secret organizations looking to control humanity. Assassin's Creed Origins (49 BCE 44 BCE)Almost four centuries later, the next chapter in the Assassin's Creed saga would shift to Egypt for a grand tale of revenge. This is where the groundwork was established for the factions of Assassin's Creed, as Origins introduced the Order of the Ancients that would eventually evolve into the Templars and Abstergo, forcing the protagonists Bayek and Aya to form the Hidden Ones, a secret society that would one day become known as the Assassin Brotherhood. Assassin's Creed Mirage (861)Many centuries later, Assassin's Creed would visit ancient Baghdad and tell the story of Basim, a street thief who would be inducted into the Hidden Ones and would assist in their fight against The Order of Ancients. Hellbent on revenge, Basim's story would be revisited in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (872 878)While Basim did show up and play a pivotal role in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the job of the playable protagonist was thrust onto Viking warrior Eivor. Valhalla was primarily set in ye olde England as Eivor worked to establish their own settlement, but it did feature a few jaunts to faraway and strange lands while also blending recorded history with mythology.The Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients were still fighting one another in the shadows, but after a few centuries had passed, the conflict would heat up as these organizations continued to change with the times.Valhalla has a setting you can toggle to ensure you're playing as the canonical Eivor throughout the story. Assassin's Creed (1191)The first Assassin's Creed game set the stage for the franchise with its foundational building blocks. From protagonists being fond of hoodies to the Animus, Pieces of Eden, and the concept of DNA containing the memories of the past, all of it can be traced back to this single game. Chronologically, Assassin's Creed takes place 300 years after Valhalla and is set near the end of King Philip II of France's Third Crusade.The main storyline focused on protagonist Altar Ibn-La'Ahad atoning for the death of a fellow assassin by hunting down members of the Templar order, but like most Assassin's Creed games, there was a big twist waiting in the shadows. Assassin's Creed 2 (1476 1499)Another massive time-skip would see players engage in some Renaissance-themed resistance in Assassin's Creed 2. With Altair Ibn'La-Ahad having long since passed away, it was time for a new generation to take the fight to the Templars, a job that the charismatic Ezio Auditore da Firenze was well-suited for. Ezio's tale began as a quest for vengeance, but across a journey that would span several years, he'd learn more about the Templars and just how deep the rot went as he explored 15th century Italy. Players also got to trade blows with the Pope, cementing Assassin's Creed 2 as one of the best in the series. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (1499 1507)Set in the wake of Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood saw Ezio embark on a new quest to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood, get some overdue payback, and keep another Piece of Eden out of the reach of the Templars. Set primarily in Rome, Brotherhood was another lengthy adventure that unfolded over several years as Ezio worked to dismantle the Borgia army. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (1511 1512)Ezio's story would eventually reach its end in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, as his brief journey to Constantinople saw him on the hunt for Altair's secret library. After a great deal of effort--and with quite a few Templar agents lying dead in the sand--Ezio would hang up his hidden blade and entrust the fate of mankind to future generations of Assassins, including his descendant Desmond Miles. Assassin's Creed Shadows (1579)The newest game in the series, Assassin's Creed Shadows is set during a pivotal moment in Japanese history. While we're keeping details light so as to avoid spoilers, what has been confirmed so far is that the game kicks off in 1579 during the end of the Sengoku period, an era when Japan was engaged in several bloody civil wars. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (1715 1722)From this point, the Assassin's Creed timeline would start to converge tightly as more major events unfolded. Technically a prequel to Assassin's Creed 3, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag starred the pirate Edward Kenway as he unwittingly became involved in the secret war between the Templars and Assassins during the early 1700s.On top of the race to uncover the location of a lost First Civilization site, Black Flag also puts its own spin on real-life figures from the era--something that had become a staple part of the franchise in earlier games--as infamous pirates like Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch, Stede Bonnet, and Calico Jack appeared in Kenway's adventure. Assassin's Creed Rogue (1752 1760)After years of working in the shadows for the Assassins Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed Rogue was a big narrative departure for the series. A spin-off that bridged the gap between Assassin's Creed 4 and Assassin's Creed 3, players stepped into the shoes of a disillusioned Assassin who had been left for dead by the order and decided to join with the Templars to hunt down another Piece of Eden. Edward Kenway's son Haytham would play a key role in the story, as he'd ascended to the rank of Templar grandmaster. Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry (1735-1737)A hard-hitting game in which players took on the role of former slave Adwal, Assassin's Creed: Cry Freedom was set 15 years after Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and saw Adwal shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue. Originally released as DLC for Assassin's Creed 4, Freedom Cry was later re-released as a standalone game. Assassin's Creed 3 (1754 1783)It might have taken a while to get going--thanks to a lengthy prelude starring Templar problem-solver Haythem Kenway--but Assassin's Creed 3 was all gas and no brakes once Kenway's son Connor began learning the fine art of assassination.Embarking on a years-long quest of revenge for the death of his mother, Connor would meet several famous faces from history while having an impact on the American Revolution. At the same time, Assassin's Creed 3 also brought the story of Desmond Miles to a close, as he raced to prevent the end of the world by any means necessary. Assassin's Creed: Liberation (1765-1777)Originally released for PS Vita--and later ported to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch--Liberation is another spin-off from the Assassin's Creed 3 era. The first game to feature a female protagonist in the form of French Assassin Aveline de Grandpr, Liberation's story primarily unfolded during the final days of the French and Indian War, while also revealing more of humanity's hidden history.Liberation largely takes place at the same time as AC3, and Connor from that game even shows up here. Assassins Creed Unity (1789 1794)Moving ahead to 1789, it was time to swap out the American Revolution for a French one. Assassin's Creed Unity was an ambitious game in the series, and despite it being riddled with several bugs at launch, the story of Arno Dorian is still a fascinating exploration of Paris, rebellion, and love. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (1868)Popping back to England for the Assassin's Creed timeline, Syndicate featured a pair of protagonists in the form of Jacob and Evie Frye. The story was mostly constrained to 1868, but that still allowed players to meet historical figures like biologist Charles Darwin, writer Charles Dickens, and even Queen Victoria. There's even a collection of optional side quests in the latter half of the game that sees you play as Lydia Frye--Jacob's granddaughter, and an Assassin during World War I--where you get to meet future British prime minister Winston Churchill in the digital flesh. The Animus connectionOne of the key elements shared across all of the Assassin's Creed games is that of the Animus, the high-tech device that allows for protagonists in the modern era to relive the memories of their ancestors. The series initially started with Desmond Miles learning about his connections to the assassins from ancient eras, and for a while, this facet of the games took a backseat to the historical action.It would resurface more prominently starting with Assassin's Creed Origins, as the game introduced Layla Hassan and fleshed out her story across the Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Assassin's Creed Valhalla.