What are the best Assassin's Creed games? It's a question that we simply can't answer alone, given the impressive reach of Ubisoft's open world series — and so that's why we asked you to rate every mainline game on PlayStation consoles.
This article is the result of your ratings, with 16 different titles vying to be crowned the best of the best.
To be clear, this is not a final list. The ratings and rankings can and probably will change with time, as we republish the ratings article whenever new Assassin's Creed games are released.
Still, as of right now, these are the best Assassin's Creed games according to the Push Square community. Hopefully you don't regret your choices!
Top 16 Assassin's Creed Games Ranked
16. Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (PS Vita)
Originally released alongside Assassin's Creed III, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation is an often forgotten instalment in Ubisoft's series. The game puts you in the shoes of Aveline de Grandpré, the franchise's first female lead. She scours the city of New Orleans for the members of Templar Order, who have all kinds of nefarious plans in place. The game also features a unique mechanic, in that Aveline can wear different disguises to go undercover during specific missions.
15. Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry (PS4)
Originally an expansion for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry focuses on Adéwalé, Edward Kenway's sea-faring ally. The once enslaved Adéwalé embarks on his own journey to scupper Templar plans in Haiti. A brutal and bloody campaign ensues, as the stoic protagonist rallies against the slave trade and those who would perpetuate it.
14. Assassin's Creed Unity (PS4)
Assassin's Creed Unity is widely regarded as a low point for Ubisoft's series — mostly because of the dreadful condition in which the game launched. Riddled with bugs and performance problems on PS4, Unity's technical issues hamstrung an otherwise impressive sandbox title. Set during the French revolution, Unity's recreation of Paris is often jaw-dropping, and its story is full of political intrigue. The game's surprisingly ambitious co-op missions and online components are also worth mentioning, but they've largely been forgotten in the grand scheme of things. It really is a huge shame, because Unity gets a lot right in terms of parkour and franchise flavouring.
13. Assassin's Creed Rogue (PS3)
Assassin's Creed Rogue takes the blueprint of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag — with its naval combat and island-hopping exploration — but it tells a slightly darker tale. Main character and former Assassin Shay Cormac defects to the Templar Order, and you'll actually have to fight against the Brotherhood throughout this morally weighted adventure.
12. Assassin's Creed Mirage (PS5)
Something of a spin-off title, Assassin's Creed Mirage puts you in the dusty shoes of Basim, who you may remember from Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The story follows Basim's early ascendance through the Hidden Ones, as he learns the ins and outs of being an assassin. A smaller, but suitably dense sandbox map revives the art of parkour, and the game as a whole tries to emulate that traditional Assassin's Creed formula — with varying degrees of success. A solid return to stealth overall.
11. Assassin's Creed (PS3)
The title that birthed one of modern gaming's most popular properties, Assassin's Creed tells the tale of Altair, a member of the Assassin Brotherhood. Blending a historical Holy Land setting with staple gameplay mechanics like social stealth and the all-important Hidden Blade, this original release laid the foundations for Ubisoft's immensely successful series. It's fair to say that its sequels greatly improve upon most of what Assassin's Creed attempts, but this is still where it all began.
10. Assassin's Creed III (PS3)
Breaking away from Ezio and his daring escapades, Assassin's Creed III was something of a new starting point for the sandbox series. The game's opening acts are extremely slow — a characteristic that would draw a lot of criticism — but this tale of American revolution is underpinned by an intriguing setting and some eye-catching story beats. Protagonist Connor Kenway isn't the most lively of Assassins, but his stoic demeanour fits the game's serious tone. A bit of a divisive instalment, all told, but there's still enjoyment to be found — especially in those brutal combat animations!
9. Assassin's Creed Syndicate (PS4)
The first game in the series to feature both male and female protagonists, Assassin's Creed Syndicate arrived at a time when Ubisoft had to play it safe, following the heavily criticised launch of Assassin's Creed Unity a year earlier. Syndicate takes place in London during the industrial revolution, which makes for a rather rich and interesting (but very unhealthy) backdrop. Leads Jacob and Evie Frye are tasked with taking control of the English capital, borough by borough. Cue a lot of skull-cracking fist fights, cockney accents, and brutal stealth takedowns.
8. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (PS3)
The third and final instalment in the 'Ezio trilogy', Assassin's Creed Revelations features an older Ezio who's hellbent on learning the truth behind the once ancient organisation that he now leads. It's a darker, perhaps more serious story than what you'll find in the previous games, as Ezio comes to terms with the violent legacy that he'll one day leave behind. Gameplay-wise, Revelations builds upon its predecessors in a number of ways, introducing new tools like the hookblade and throwable bombs, while also pushing dynamic elements such as random world events.
7. Assassin's Creed Shadows (PS5)
Ubisoft finally takes the fight to Japan in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Boasting dual protagonists and one of the most detailed, intricate open worlds in the entire series, Shadows is another emotionally charged tale of vengeance. The game pushes stealth-based gameplay much harder than its RPG peers, but doesn't shy away from crunchy, counter-heavy combat in the process, offering up the best of both worlds when it comes to stab-happy action. An undeniably strong entry in the long-running franchise, capped off with endearing characters and a surprisingly nuanced story.
6. Assassin's Creed Valhalla (PS5)
In a lot of ways, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is like a blend of Origins and Odyssey. Like Origins, there's much more focus on storytelling in this epic Viking saga. But like Odyssey, Valhalla leans heavily on expanded RPG mechanics, such as levelling up, equipment, and skill trees. You play as Eivor, a vision-haunted Viking warrior who leaves Norway to establish a new home in 9th century England. Featuring a lush open world stuffed with all kinds of landmarks and secrets, Valhalla is a real time-sink of a game, but its story-driven acts offer up some of the best characters and narrative beats in the entire series.
5. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (PS4)
Assassin's Creed Odyssey is much more of an open world RPG than it is a traditional Assassin's Creed title. The second instalment in the series' "open world trilogy", this ancient Greek adventure may overlook a lot of the game design that defined its predecessors, but there's no denying that its interlocking RPG systems make for a deep and engaging experience. Levelling up, loot, skill trees, and randomised elements like bounty-hunting mercenaries all play a part across a truly gigantic map. The story's not bad either, as protagonist Alexios or Kassandra embarks on a branching journey to learn the truth about his or her legendary bloodline.
4. Assassin's Creed Origins (PS4)
A stunning recreation of ancient Egypt is the backdrop for Assassin's Creed Origins — a game that redefined Ubisoft's series. Going full open world and throwing a bunch of RPG systems into the mix, Origins breathed new life into Assassin's Creed after Unity and Syndicate struggled to leave a lasting impression. Origins follows the surprisingly emotional story of Bayek, a determined mystic and warrior, who, with the help of his estranged wife Aya, establishes the Hidden Ones — the precursor organisation that would one day become the Assassin Brotherhood.
3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
A direct sequel to the beloved Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed Brotherhood refined a lot of the gameplay elements that II popularised. Slick combat, improved stealth opportunities, and a superb recreation of Rome make Brotherhood stand out. And, of course, Ezio Auditore da Firenze is back — arguably with even more swagger — and this time, he's the spearhead of Italy's ballooning guild of Assassins. Perhaps the game's most famous mechanic is the ability to call upon these rookie killers both in and out of combat, which really hammers home the sense that you're building a brotherhood.
2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (PS4)
It's a pirate's life for Edward Kenway, the charismatic but troubled protagonist of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Taking control of your own ship and crew, this is an excellently realised pirating sim with some typical Assassin stuff thrown in for good measure. An impressive naval combat system makes exploring the high seas a real thrill, and boarding imperial vessels for some swashbuckling battles simply never gets old. Outside of those tedious tailing missions, Black Flag is a top class Assassin's Creed title.
1. Assassin's Creed II (PS3)
Assassin's Creed II is the game that put Ubisoft's series on the map. It improved upon everything that its predecessor introduced, with more in-depth social stealth, combat, and mission design. The story was a hit as well, following the rise of beloved protagonist Ezio Auditore da Firenze. After his father and brothers are framed and executed, Ezio embarks on a twisting and turning quest for revenge against the Templars — a cult-like organisation that seeks to control society from behind the scenes. With a brilliantly realised renaissance Italy as its backdrop, Assassin's Creed II remains a memorable and atmospheric PS3 classic.
Assassin's Creed FAQ
Now that the best Assassin's Creed games have been decided (for now), we've put together a quick FAQ on the franchise.
Who Makes Assassin's Creed?
Assassin's Creed, as in the property itself, is owned by French publisher Ubisoft. However, there are multiple development studios that work on the games.
Typically, each mainline Assassin's Creed title is spearheaded by one specific team under Ubisoft's umbrella, and they're supported by several other teams from across the globe. In that sense, the series is very much an international effort.
What's the Assassin's Creed Timeline?
Every Assassin's Creed game takes place at a different point in real world history.
Here's the chronological order of the mainline games, along with their primary setting:
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 431 BC, Greece
- Assassin's Creed Origins - 49 BC, Egypt
- Assassin's Creed Mirage - 861, Iraq
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla - 872, Norway / England
- Assassin's Creed - 1191, Holy Land (Israel / Palestine / Syria)
- Assassin's Creed 2 - 1476, Italy
- Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - 1499, Italy
- Assassin's Creed Revelations - 1511, Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
- Assassin's Creed Shadows - 1579, Japan
- Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - 1715, West Indies / Caribbean Sea
- Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry - 1735, Saint-Domingue (Haiti)
- Assassin's Creed Rogue - 1752, North Atlantic Ocean
- Assassin's Creed 3 - 1754, North America
- Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation - 1765, North America
- Assassin's Creed Unity - 1789, France
- Assassin's Creed Syndicate - 1868, England
Does Assassin's Creed Have a Story?
Assassin's Creed as a whole does not have one big story running through it. However, earlier games in the franchise did have a clear, continuous storyline connecting them to one another.
Between the original Assassin's Creed and Assassin's Creed Revelations, the franchise featured a modern day narrative. However, this side of the series was phased out over time, to the point where the modern day stuff barely shows up in titles like Assassin's Creed Shadows.
A mostly separate modern day storyline was established in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, but again, it was scaled back dramatically compared to the overarching plot of the earlier instalments.
In terms of direct sequels, only Assassin's Creed 2, Brotherhood, and Revelations are considered one complete saga. They all have the same protagonist, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and they follow the events of his life, spanning several decades.
With all of this in mind, you can pretty much jump into any Assassin's Creed title without any prior knowledge and enjoy it as a standalone experience. The only real exception is the aforementioned Ezio trilogy.
What's your favourite Assassin's Creed game? Do you agree with these rankings, or are you readying your Hidden Blade? Join the brotherhood in the comments section below.
Comments 28
Odyssey and AC 3 still the peak. The Ezio ones are so overrated.
Removed - trolling/baiting
I respectfully disagree -
Here we go:
16. Liberation
15. Freedom Cry
14. AC1
13. Valhalla
12. Mirage
11. Syndicate
10. Odyssey
9. Rogue
8. Revelations
7. Unity
6. AC3
5. Brotherhood
4. AC2
3. Shadows (pending)
2. Black Flag
1. Origins
Just another reminder that this list is ranked entirely be users.
Don't blame us, blame the Push Square peasants!
Revelations is the best AC game (who remembers the CG trailer with Wodokid music in the ground absolute PEAK), going to lump the rest of Ezio trilogy in 2nd place, and Black Flag is 3rd.
1. Syndicate.
The rest.
I also never understand the love for Black Flag, the worst AC game I've played by far. I hated it by the end of the multiplayer trophies. Maybe it's the trophies that ruined it? That happens a fair bit.
Unity also actually a lot better than people give it credit for. Probably my second favourite.
It’s a shame some people decided to rate/rank Unity on its launch state, rather than its final state after numerous updates. I think the game holds up really well, and I’m still hoping for PS5 60fps patch with a resolution bump. I think my favourite AC game is probably Odyssey or Black Flag, though always had a soft spot for Syndicate too as I loved having Victorian London as a playground (I’m English and live in London, so that may have something to do with it 😂).
@Nightcrawler71 I think the blurb references the launch state, but the score/ranking is an aggregate of user scores of the website, not the review score that PS gave when it launched.
Totally agree with No1.
AC2 had such good set pieces and was a massive improvement over the original.
@Nightcrawler71 I think the reason I love Syndicate so much is we also live near London so it's lovely to see it looking like it does in the game.
@Nightcrawler71 yeah I agree that’s a rough spot for Unity, i was fortunate enough to have waited to play it, so it was in a real good state by that time… and as a result, is one of my favourites.
@graymamba @Nightcrawler71 same here, gave up on launch week and came back five years later and it was brilliant fun.
For me nothing has beaten the Ezio Trilogy all 3 stores were just so good
can 100% agree with the top 3
@Anke because black flag took the best of AC2 & 3 and perfected it (for the most part) The story and setting was enough to keep me interested, i loved the islands and traversing.
also, THE MULTIPLAYER
You forgot AC Bloodlines on the PSP. It was a fully open world game and not a side scroller spin off like the chronicles games.
@wildcat_kickz yeah I just saw that. Will adjust my comments accordingly.
Odyssey then Origins for me. Valhalla still sitting in my backlog and Shadows in the wishlist…too many games, not enough time!
I was going to say it’s amazing how so many people can be so wrong, but then I remembered I’m a citizen of the United States of America…
Origins is by far the best of the modern era.
Bought the very 1st one for my son on PS3 - he didn't like it and neither did I.
Might give these better ones a go though.
AC2 is peak for me.
You know, I was pro-Shadows, but I sort of got bored with it 20-ish hours in and I don’t feel like I need to go back. I don’t know if it’s because it’s more of the same or what. The RPG ones are just… too long for what they are maybe. Too big of maps, I dunno. I should make a ranking, as I’ve played ‘em all, finished most of them. Odyssey and Origins are overrated and Mirage is underrated, but otherwise the list is pretty on point for here.
Shadows' placement feels about right. It's good, but doesn't reach the heights of the series' best like AC4 or Odyssey. Ubisoft really needs to cut down on the bloat and fix the unbalanced combat. I swear, the bosses are insanely easy, but I will routinely be rushed and killed by a group of normal enemies.
That ranking must be a joke
I can't believe these games are being ranked, when they're all pretty much the same to me. If you played one, you've played them all. That being said, Black Flag was my favorite, just for the theme.
Blackflag, Ody, Shadows
There is obviously 2 types of people to these games, the ones who prefer the original games and the ones who prefer the later games. I myself prefer the later ones with rpg elements and open worlds, i haven't even played the first ones, and i feel like "you had to be there". Maybe they upgrade them to current gen sometime, then i will try them. But heres my list of the ones i've played:
1. Shadows(yes, really)
2. Odyssey
3. Black flag
4. Origins
5. Valhalla(bloated, but beautiful)
6. Unity
7. Mirage(painfully bad)
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