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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThere is no official best-to-worst order for Assassin’s Creed. This ranking covers the 14 original mainline releases in Metacritic’s list, not every game in the franchise: spin-offs, remasters, mobile- and VR-exclusive titles are outside its scope. The placements below are an editorial judgment, weighing stealth and the assassin fantasy, movement and world design, combat, story, pacing, and each game’s distinctive contribution.
That boundary matters. GameSpot and PC Gamer include different selections of major sequels and spin-offs, while GamesRadar+ ranks a wider range of titles. Ubisoft said its series had more than 18 games in a May 13, 2024 guide, but that dated count is not a complete 2026 inventory. This is a focused comparison of mainline originals, not a claim that there is one universally correct definition of “all.”
How to read this ranking
The order favors games that make their systems, setting, story, and pacing work together. A big map or a newer combat system does not automatically mean a better Assassin’s Creed. The best personal choice depends on whether you want dense stealth missions, naval exploration, an expansive role-playing game, or a shorter return to focused assassination.
For a useful critical benchmark, Metacritic’s ranking selects the platform with the most critic reviews for each of its 14 mainline games. It puts Assassin’s Creed II at 90 and Unity at 72 in the accessed snapshot. Those are aggregate review scores, not a measure of how enjoyable a game is today, and they do not determine the placements below. Individual rankings also depend on scope and editorial taste: PC Gamer says its writers did not agree on every position, and its list includes titles this one does not.
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Assassin’s Creed games ranked from worst to best
14. Assassin’s Creed
The first game establishes the series’ central conflict between Assassins and Templars and its defining social-stealth idea: blend into a crowd, study a target, then strike. Its 1191 Third Crusade setting and rooftop movement give the formula a strong foundation. The weakness is repetition. GameSpot notes that its mission structure becomes repetitive, so the core fantasy has less room to develop than in the strongest sequels. Choose it for the series’ origins, not for the most varied campaign.
13. Assassin’s Creed Unity
Unity’s French Revolution setting and Paris give it an unusually dense urban playground, and its emphasis on stealth suits the franchise better than treating every encounter as a brawl. Its position reflects how unevenly its systems and story come together, rather than a claim that its launch condition defines the game forever. GamesRadar+ distinguishes the troubled launch from the game’s later strengths; a present-day judgment should not simply treat those as the same thing.
12. Assassin’s Creed Rogue
Rogue stands out by placing players in the role of a Templar protagonist, shifting the familiar conflict’s point of view. It follows Black Flag’s naval direction, which makes ship-based exploration a major part of its identity. That reversal and its place in the series’ chronology make it a worthwhile detour, though it feels less like a fully distinct reinvention than the entries that either transform the formula or refine it to a sharper point.
11. Assassin’s Creed III
Assassin’s Creed III concludes Desmond’s story and introduces the series’ first naval combat, an idea that would become far more central in Black Flag. Its historical setting and frontier spaces give it a different rhythm from the dense cities of the earlier games. The range of ideas is appealing, but the experience is less consistently focused than the best entries: its strongest legacy is partly the mechanics and story threads it hands forward.
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Rank #2
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10. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Valhalla follows Eivor in ninth-century England and leans into a broad, open-world role-playing structure. That scale suits players who want a long journey with room to roam, but it can make the central assassin fantasy feel less immediate than in tighter entries. It ranks here for the ambition and setting, with the understanding that its commitment is a poor fit for anyone seeking a compact stealth campaign.
9. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Syndicate brings the series to Victorian London, a setting that naturally supports street-level movement, crowds, and competing factions. Its city gives the familiar historical framework a fresh character, while the more grounded urban focus offers a contrast to the sprawling RPG-era games. It is an inviting choice for players who want a city-centered adventure, although its overall impact on the series is less pronounced than the games that introduce a major new direction.
8. Assassin’s Creed Revelations
Revelations takes Ezio to Constantinople and gives his story a concluding chapter after the Renaissance-era events of Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood. Its value lies in bringing a familiar protagonist and the wider series mythology to a finish, rather than in radically changing the play structure. It works best for players invested in that arc; newcomers may get more from a game with a more self-contained premise.
7. Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Mirage takes place in ninth-century Baghdad and deliberately narrows its emphasis toward stealth, gadgets, and target investigations. Ubisoft describes it as recalling the first game’s investigation structure, while its more focused scope makes it a sensible option for players with limited time. The Guardian’s Julian Benson, quoted in Metacritic’s article, called it “a more focused Assassin’s Creed” that players with limited time could hope to complete; that is one critic’s assessment, not a universal verdict.
Rank #3
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6. Assassin’s Creed Origins
Origins reimagines much of the series in Ancient Egypt. Ubisoft highlights its scouting eagle, freer climbing, and more open combat system; GameSpot describes it as a major shift toward open-world RPG play, with equipment and large regions. That redesign gives exploration and progression more weight than the older stealth-first structure. It earns this spot for making the change feel consequential, even if players who want the older mission rhythm may prefer Mirage or the earlier games.
5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Odyssey moves the series to Ancient Greece and offers a choice between siblings Alexios and Kassandra. It builds on the broad RPG direction, making it a strong fit for players who want a large-scale historical adventure and freedom to spend time exploring. That same breadth is a trade-off: it is not the first recommendation for someone who wants a concise, tightly paced assassination story.
4. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
Brotherhood brings Ezio’s story to Rome and tightens the Renaissance-era formula around a strong, memorable city. Its setting is central to its appeal: a recognizable urban environment makes traversal and the fantasy of operating within a living historical world feel cohesive. It refines rather than radically replaces what Assassin’s Creed II established, which is precisely why it remains one of the series’ strongest traditional entries.
3. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Black Flag takes the naval combat introduced in Assassin’s Creed III and expands it into a Caribbean open world built around Edward Kenway and an upgradable ship. The result gives exploration a compelling second mode: players can move between land-based missions and life at sea rather than treating ship combat as a side attraction. Its distinct identity makes it a standout even for players who do not rank the classic city-stealth formula first.
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2. Assassin’s Creed II
Assassin’s Creed II moves the series into the Italian Renaissance with Ezio, a protagonist whose journey gives the game a strong narrative spine. It builds on the original’s stealth and parkour while making the experience feel broader and more character-driven. Metacritic’s accessed mainline ranking also places it first by critic aggregate, with a 90 Metascore on the platform it selected under its most-critic-reviews rule. That recognition is useful context, not proof that it must be every player’s favorite.
1. Assassin’s Creed
This ranking’s top choice is Assassin’s Creed II: its combination of Ezio’s story, Renaissance locations, and a more developed take on the original’s stealth-and-traversal foundation makes it the strongest all-round entry here. It is also a more welcoming starting point than the first game for readers who want the classic series identity without as much repetition. If your priority is not story and classic stealth, however, Black Flag, Origins, or Mirage may fit you better.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Assassin’s Creed should you play first?
| What you want | Start with | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A character-led classic adventure | Assassin’s Creed II | Ezio’s story and Renaissance setting give the traditional formula a strong narrative center. |
| Naval exploration and ship combat | Black Flag | It expands the naval idea into a Caribbean open world built around an upgradable ship. |
| A large RPG-style historical world | Origins or Odyssey | Origins introduces a major RPG redesign; Odyssey carries that broad direction into Ancient Greece. |
| Stealth in a shorter, tighter format | Mirage | Its Baghdad setting, gadgets, and investigations emphasize a focused return to stealth. |
| The franchise’s original premise | Assassin’s Creed | It establishes the Assassin–Templar conflict and social stealth, though its mission structure repeats. |
Why rankings of the series disagree
“All Assassin’s Creed games” can mean different things. Metacritic’s cited list is limited to 14 original mainline releases and excludes spin-offs, remasters, and mobile- or VR-exclusive games. GameSpot counts numbered entries and major sequels but omits Chronicles and mobile spin-offs. PC Gamer includes Brotherhood, Revelations, Liberation, and Chronicles, considers standalone DLC alongside its original game, and excludes certain handheld and mobile exclusives it says were not ported to PC. GamesRadar+ also covers a wider selection, including standalone Freedom Cry and Chronicles titles.
Those lists answer different questions, so their orders should not be mistaken for an official franchise canon. Ubisoft’s May 13, 2024 guide presents a release-order overview through Mirage (2023): from the original’s Third Crusade setting and Ezio’s Renaissance chapters to the naval turn in Assassin’s Creed III and Black Flag, Rogue’s Templar viewpoint, Unity’s French Revolution, Origins’ redesign, Odyssey’s Greece, Valhalla’s England, and Mirage’s Baghdad. Chronology explains how the series changed; it does not settle which game is best.
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