Best Assassin’s Creed Games to Play in 2024: Ranking the Entire Series

If you’re looking for action with a huge heaping of historical stories behind it, there’s no better experience for you to dive into than Ubisoft’s Assassin Creed series. Assassin’s Creed is the absolute best at thrusting players into the shoes of a new protagonist who, as it follows for the majority of the protagonists within this series, must deal with the crushing grasp of the Templar Order and the insidious plans it wants to unleash.

With such a strong premise, ranking the best Assassin’s Creed games in 2024 isn’t exactly easy. Everyone will have their favorites, from historical setting to main character, and with so many options to choose from, it’s difficult to pit them against one another.

That doesn’t mean we won’t give it a go, though. Here are our best Assassin’s Creed games to play in 2024, ranked in order.

Table of Contents Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Best Assassin's Creed Games to Play in 2024
3. Other Assassin's Creed Games You Can Play in 2024?
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

Show Full Guide

Table of Contents

1. Key Takeaways
2. Best Assassin's Creed Games to Play in 2024
3. Other Assassin's Creed Games You Can Play in 2024?
Show Full Guide
4. The Bottom Line
5. FAQs
6. References

Best Assassin’s Creed Games to Play in 2024

13. Assassin’s Creed Unity (2014)

With a name like Assassin’s Creed Unity, you’d expect fan consensus of this game to be fairly similar. But the reality is that Unity, despite doing its utmost to improve the standards of Assassin’s Creed as a whole, this entry is easily one of the most controversial of the series thanks to its infamous glitches and the crime of making its protagonist, Arno Dorian, utterly boring and forgettable.

However, Unity isn’t a complete bust. Arno may not be all that memorable, but the setting of Paris during the 1307 French Revolution certainly is. Slipping through Paris’ alleyways and using the environment to your advantage was not only fun back when it was released, but remains so even now. With its refined emphasis on stealth, even at the bottom of our list, it’s still a good assassin game with leading parkour to take advantage of.

Unity also had a built-from-scratch cooperative multiplayer that stood out, even among some of the better games within the series.

While we doubt there’s many on the servers of Unity in 2024, it doesn’t change the fact that this was one of the series’ better attempts at customisation and playstyle.

12. Assassin’s Creed Rogue (2014)

If there’s one thing Rogue can’t be criticized for, it’s the ability to try and do something different with the story. For a long while, the line between Assassin and Templar, Good and Bad, Right and Wrong was obvious. With Rogue (and III) that line became much more blurry, leaving players with the thought that perhaps they weren’t the good guy after all. Shay Cormac, Rogue’s protagonist, conveys this idea with the betrayal he suffers and the ensuing quest he takes on after it.

Yet while the game’s variety in weaponry and combat was much improved, it quickly became repetitive and dull and was largely noticeable due to how short and static the story missions were.

11. Assassin’s Creed (2007)

While the original Assassin’s Creed game, following the legendary Alta?r Ibn-La’Ahad and taking place in 1191 Palestine during the Third Crusade, is without a doubt the game that kicked off this now legendary series. It’s undeniable that the game has aged somewhat poorly, largely due to its clunky combat and parkour compared to the many games that came out after it.

Even so, Assassin’s Creed is a game worth your time. Alta?r may not be as memorable as Ezio, who still largely remains a fan favorite, but he remains just as legendary. It also helps that as far as locations and settings go, the original allows players to explore cities like Damascus and Jerusalem, places which are rarely seen within media.

10. Assassin’s Creed III (2012)

Coming after the back of the Ezio trilogy was always going to be tough, but Assassin’s Creed 3 simply could not stick the landing. Not because of its story or its characters, such as Haytham Kenway and his son, Ratonhnhaké:ton/Connor, but because its mission design left so much to be desired.

The pacing of these missions made everything feel as though it needed to be acted out in a certain way, robbing players of the freedom expected with the Assassin’s Creed series.

That being said, Assassin’s Creed III brought some truly enjoyable mini-games and activities. Moreover, they perfectly highlighted the setting of Colonial America. It innovated at a time where the formula, and older engine, was starting to feel stale. Because of this, it cracks the top 10 best Assassin’s Creed games even all these years later, as it laid the foundation for the series to follow.

9. Assassin’s Creed Revelations

The last of the Ezio trilogy, and our overall least favorite. This entry follows Ezio and his adventures in Constantinople, where a growing Templar enemy proves to be a threat. It’s a fairly well-trodden concept, but it’s also Ezio’s last outing, and the level of mature storytelling really works well with the story Ubisoft was trying to tell.

Unfortunately, Revelations does the impossible by making its setting forgettable. While this series has some incredible environments, Constantinople feels so gray and brown that it sticks out in the worst way. It may not ranked among the most popular Assassin’s Creed games, but it’s worth experiencing at least once to see the end of Ezio’s story.

8. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (2010)

Unlike Ezio’s previous adventure in 2, Brotherhood restricts the protagonist to the city of Rome. This goes directly against the multiple locations of previous games, but fear not: Brotherhood is simply so good, and the city of Rome so vast that it doesn’t really matter. It looks beautiful, the combat remains excellent, and the free-running parkour, if possible, manages to be even better than before.

Moreover, this is Ezio at his very best, at the very height of his career. There is debauchery, violence, and a whole lot of assassinating to do. It’s mindless fun, and you’ll want to jump back into the city of Rome even long after you’ve finished the story.

7. Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is often seen as a return to form by the series die-hard fans, and it’s not hard to see why. The emphasis on stealth and the return of the Assassin’s hidden blade, actually allowing players to one-shot enemies as it did in the older games, was a welcome change from the number-crunching combat of Valhalla and Odyssey.

What’s more, the game focuses on a familiar face: Basim, whom players originally meet in Valhalla. Basim is a complex character with an interesting tie-in to both the modern-day storyline and the goings-on in Baghdad, which is a beautiful and evocative setting from start to finish.

6. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (2015)

Syndicate is easily one of the best Assassin’s Creed games, but overall, it still remains criminally underrated. Set in London in 1868 during the Industrial Revolution, players take on the role of twins Jacob and Evie Frye, two vigilantes who want to bring justice to London’s streets.

Jacob and Evie’s bond in Syndicate is delightful and makes up the heart of the game, with snark and heartfelt dialogue in spades. Moreover, the game knows when to take itself seriously, and when to play into the whimsical and paranormal that feeds into the setting of the 17th century. It’s a boatload of fun, and it has some stellar DLC, too for fans who love a bit of grisly history with figures like Jack the Ripper.

5. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020)

Following Odyssey put Valhalla in a unique spot as it could address some of the issues that old-time fans had and, as such, adding much-missed elements like stealth was added back into the series. There was also more of a focus on the ongoing Templar and Assassin war, which fit well alongside protagonist’s Eivor’s goal of creating a new clan in England.

It also helps that Valhalla has an exciting setting, with it being set in the years 872 to 878 AD and the Viking expansion into England and the cultural clash that comes with it.

However, Valhalla takes the criticism of Odyssey’s size and microtransactions and decides to triple it. The world is much more expansive, which could be forgiven, if the quests that you stumbled across during your time with the game weren’t so mind-numbingly repetitive and boring. It is a game that simply does not know when to bow out gracefully. That said, if you want to explore a game and easily put 200+ hours into it, Valhalla is the one for you.

4. Assassin’s Creed Origins (2017)

A soft reboot for the Assassin’s Creed series, Origins had the weight of an entire franchise on its shoulders. But, it managed to blow away all expectations with an overhauled combat system and a real emphasis on historical accuracy to ensure Bayek’s story was factual and culturally sensitive.

Origins also introduced a new modern day storyline, which has been used by the Assassin’s Creed games ever since. Outside of Origin’s overhaul, what really stands out about it is the game’s Discovery Tour. The tour allows players to explore the majesty of Ancient Egypt, detailing its features in great detail.

3. Assassin’s Creed 2 (2009)

All of the Assassin’s Creed games that follow Ezio Auditore da Firenze are worth playing (you can play all three with The Ezio Collection), but the beginning of our favourite assassin’s adventure still stands up as the ultimate best of his trilogy thanks to its exploration of family values, vengeance and in-depth look at the Assassin-Templar conflict.

Assassin’s Creed 2 has a smaller open world than the latest Assassin’s Creed games, but it still remains one of the most visually stunning. Set in the Renaissance Era, the architecture of some of Italy’s historical places is sublime and truly works as an excellent component to Ezio’s story.

Moreover, while there were collectibles, none felt truly repetitive and often opened up new interactions and meaningful story beats that would then be carried on into the next game. Not even the modern Assassin’s Creed series games can say that, with one of the most common complaints being the continued bloat added to the world and why roaming around Italy with Ezio is so much more memorable.

2. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag (2013)

Is it really a best Assassin’s Creed games list if Assassin’s Creed Black Flag isn’t near the top? Love it or hate it, Ubisoft’s venture into the Golden Age of Piracy changed the series for the better, shaking up everything fans knew about the worldbuilding, the combat, and mission structure. Even now, over 10 years later, there’s never been a better pirate game.

Black Flag’s biggest win is its introduction of naval and ship combat. The feeling of ordering your men around on your ship, boarding enemy ships, and engaging in sea warfare was the most exciting addition in this entry, and not even Ubisoft’s latest sea-faring adventure Skull and Bones has replicated it. It truly highlights the fantasy of piracy and, if you really wanted to, it’s entirely possible just to spend hours and hours exploring the eastern seas. Even as a pirate title, it’s still one of the top rated Assassin’s Creed games with a massive cult following, even spawning the spiritual successor, Skull and Bones, over 10 years later.

But be warned, you will get all of the sea shanties stuck in your head.

1. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (2018)

Not only have we ranked Assassin’s Creed Odyssey as the best Assassin’s Creed game overall, but we’d argue it’s one of the best RPG games in the world, with Spartan protagonists Alexios and Kassandra quickly becoming as well-loved as older heroes like Altair and Ezio – far from an easy feat.

While far from the first game to add dual protagonists, Odyssey made it so that regardless of whether you play Kassandra or Alexios, they’ll both have a vital role to play throughout the Peloponnesian War. Their story is tense, full of heartbreak, and legendary, particularly with the two of them being direct descendants of the Greek hero and king, Leonidas.

Ultimately, what makes Assassin’s Creed Odyssey the best is that it combines all of the best things about the series: engaging characters, extensive weaponry and armor, plenty of customization, an expansive world to explore, and the naval combat that we all know and love from Black Flag. Perfect, in every single way, and easily the best of Assassin’s Creed games.

Other Assassin’s Creed Games You Can Play in 2024?

The Bottom Line

The Assassin’s Creed series has big shoes, especially as Mirage went back to a smaller game format similar to the original Assassin’s Creed games. However, with an inspiring new setting of Japan for Assassin’s Creed Shadows (releasing in November), the future looks bright for AC games in the new era for the franchise.

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