As an Assassin‘s Creed super fan and content creator with over 800 hours across the series, I get asked this question a lot – what is the best order to play the Assassin‘s Creed games? With 12 major installments and dozens of books/comics, it can definitely be daunting!
So after comprehensively analyzing storylines, eras, gameplay evolutions and meta-narrative arcs across the AC franchise, the clear recommendation is to play the main series in release order for the most cohesive and smooth experience:
- Assassin’s Creed (2007)
- Assassin’s Creed II (2009)
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (2010)
- Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (2011)
- Assassin’s Creed III (2012)
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
- Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014)
- Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (2015)
- Assassin’s Creed: Origins (2017)
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (2018)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (2020)
Now let me break down exactly why release order works best, especially for first-time players.
Preserving The Meta-Narrative Arc
The biggest reason is to maintain continuity across the meta-narrative that links these disparate historical sandbox adventures together – the modern day struggle between the Brotherhood of Assassins and the Templar Order.
While each title features ancestors in a wide span of eras from the Third Crusade to Viking Invasions, the framing device of actually reliving genetic memories via the Animus technology adds an overarching storyline set in 2012 onwards with the fate of humanity at stake.
- Assassin’s Creed 1 through Revelations focuses on Desmond Miles and his attempt to prevent the incoming apocalypse in 2012.
- Assassin’s Creed III onwards shifts to a new modern day protagonist investigating Precursor artifacts and uncovering secrets of the First Civilization that directly build towards plots in Origins and Valhalla especially.
So by playing in release order, you experience the real-world narrative smoothly rather than fractured across millennia. Even though the historical settings may takes place earlier, the modern-day segments – and awareness of overlapping Precursor, Piece of Eden lore builds directly on prior events.
Evolving Gameplay & Mechanics
Additionally, the Animus and combat/parkour gameplay mechanics expand significantly with each release. Trying to adapt from the massive RPG choices in Odyssey or Visceral Raids in Valhalla to the repetitive investigation missions on repeat locales in AC1 simply does not work well at all – you‘ll miss quality-of-life improvements and player agency.
By playing in release order, that evolution feels natural and you appreciate the groundwork preceding titles established. Here‘s a quick snapshot of major gameplay evolutions over time:
| Assassin‘s Creed II | Economy system |
| Brotherhood | Recruit Assassins |
| Revelations | Hookblade, bomb crafting |
| III | Hunting, expanded parkour |
| IV: Black Flag | Naval combat, ship upgrades |
| Unity | Black box missions, parkour down |
Rather than dealing with missing gameplay innovations that subsequent releases polished, playing entries in release order lets you appreciate how these mechanics expand with each edition.
Story & Character Arcs
Additionally, sub-plots and character arcs layer neatly on top of each other in release order. By playing II before Brotherhood, Ezio‘s vengeance story in the former feeds directly into defending Monteriggioni from the Borgia in the latter to maintain narrative cause-and-effect.
Likewise, following Edward Kenway‘s redemption arc from greedy pirate to honorable Assassin in Black Flag makes his grandson Ratonhnhaké:ton‘s idealism as Connor in III resonate stronger.
Difficulty Curves & Accessibility
Now an advantage of playing some newer games first lies in more accessible parkour controls, guided quest systems, detailed map markers etc. So for total newcomers to the franchise, I would recommend starting with Origins, then exploring earlier releases before continuing forward chronologically.
That way you avoid notoriously finicky control and steep challenge spikes in entries like the original Assassin‘s Creed and Unity especially; both culprits of supposed "sequel decay" coming off acclaimed predecessors.
By easing into intuitive RPG systems – dialogue choices, leveling stats, gear customization – then tracing backwards, you can better appreciate quality-of-life conventions rather than wrestling outdated mechanics.
Experience Pivotal Eras Before Crossovers
Finally, playing select entries first also means appreciating direct tie-ins and crossover commentary on earlier eras subsequently.
For example, experiencing the French Revolution chaos yourself in Unity makes political conversations and references early in Syndicate click more qualitatively from witnessing events decades prior, not just reading about them. Likewise, recognizing names like Brutus in Origins from having played Brotherhood builds rewarding continuity.
So in summary, while starting as recently with Origins offers a smoother onboarding ramp, quickly jumping back chronologically lets pivotal eras and direct continuity hit. Then playing forward release order enables coherent modern story and mechanic refinement if needed.
Hopefully this comprehensive guide with specific examples demonstrates why release order is the ideal way for both existing and new fans alike to experience the full narrative and evolution of Assassin‘s Creed! Let me know if any lingering questions.
