All Main Assassin's Creed Games Ranked Worst to Best Ubisoft Shadows

All Main Assassin’s Creed Games Ranked (From Worst to Best)

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows set to launch in a couple of months, we thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on the franchise as a whole, trying to decide which games are better than the others. In this ranking, we’re mainly looking at all the main Assassin’s Creed games excluding spin-offs or smaller titles. These include major releases on console and PC or otherwise stated by Ubisoft as a mainline entry. Here’s every main Assassin’s Creed game ranked from worst to best.

This list was compiled and ranked based on a number of factors taken into consideration including data collection from online polls and message boards, critical reception and some of our own opinions sprinkled into the mix. We’ll be excluding smaller releases, spin-offs and DLCs, instead focusing primarily on the quality of the 13 main Assassin’s Creed titles released thus far, leading up to Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

All Main Assassin’s Creed Games Ranked From Worst to Best

13. Assassin’s Creed III

Generally regarded as the lowest point in the Assassin’s Creed series, Assassin’s Creed III didn’t sit well with a lot of fans despite decent review scores. Part of the negative reception to the game nowadays probably has to do with the less-interesting setting of Colonial America and protagonist Connor not being nearly as memorable or commanding as Altair or Ezio. It’s not bad by any means but it didn’t seem to scratch that itch for a lot of players.

12. Assassin’s Creed

The game that started it all, the very first Assassin’s Creed is a bit of an anomaly. On one hand, it’s well-received by die-hard fans as a pretty good nostalgic experience. On the other hand, age hasn’t been very kind to it either. Thanks to clunky, aged gameplay, rough-around-the-edges visuals and a story that only teased the franchise’s future potential, there was still plenty of room for improvement – and improve, Ubisoft did.

11. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

In the middle of the pile we find Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, an entry that’s far more divisive than definitively “good.” Some decent gameplay and writing aside, there really wasn’t much to latch onto here. Dual protagonists Evie and Jacob sounded much better on paper than in execution while the bustling Industrial Revolution of 1868 London proved to not be a very compellling setting.

10. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

If Odyssey was criticised for being too bloated and big, then behold, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Straying very far from the assassination roots of the series, we’re thrown into Viking territory and it’s about as subtle as a bloody axe to the face. The initial dozen hours or so manage to hold your attention perfectly well but once you get into the rhythm of exploration and the action, it simply overstays its welcome.

9. Assassin’s Creed Mirage

After seeing the divided player reception for Valhalla, Ubisoft decided to return to the franchise’s roots with Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Unfortunately, it didn’t land as well as they’d hoped. It was great to play an Assassin’s Creed game again with a smaller world and a welcomed refocus on stealth over RPG-lite action but there’s a reason Ubisoft pivoted the formula with Origins. If anything, Mirage just proved why it was probably a better idea to leave the past buried.

8. Assassin’s Creed Unity

We’ve been over why we think Assassin’s Creed Unity, in retrospect, deserves much more love than it gets. The compelling French Revolution setting and key historical figures play a big part in our appreciation for it while the parkour, stealth and incredibly dense population all manage to impress. The reason why it’s not ranked higher is due to the long-lasting impression it left on fans at a time when they were begging for some much-needed change in the series’ formula.

7. Assassin’s Creed Rogue

Assassin’s Creed Rogue is best remembered now for putting a well-executed spin on the formula by playing as a Templar hunting down your former Brotherhood, but at the time it also managed to successfully integrate Black Flag‘s excellent naval-based exploration and combat with an engaging storyline and writing. Over time, Rogue has seemingly been remembered much more fondly than its mixed reception on release.

6. Assassin’s Creed Revelations

The one and only time Ubisoft followed through on a trilogy of games focused on one protagonist in the series, Assassin’s Creed Revelations put a full stop on Ezio’s story to satisfying results. Apart from Ezio being a terrific main character overall, Revelations didn’t do anything drastically new to push the franchise forward but it gave fans closure to a beloved character while honouring the legacy of the series.

5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Say what you will about Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s insanely massive open world and requiring at least over 100 hours to explore every corner of ancient Greece, there was an undeniable level of quality and effort put into its exploration, world design and combat, taking the best elements from past entries and combining them effectively. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but for those itching to play a great, if slightly bloated action-RPG reminiscent of The Witcher 3 in a lot of ways (strangely), look no further.

4. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Another fan-favourite that’s unshakeable in its impact on the franchise, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood follows Ezio’s second outing as a protagonist, upping the stakes and giving the series its first taste of what it’s like to take down targets with friends in multiplayer. While the series dabbled in multiplayer since then, it never quite hit the same stride as Brotherhood. It’s also a very engaging single-player experience that gave us another reason to step into Ezio’s shoes. Could you ask for more?

3. Assassin’s Creed Origins

Ubisoft rolled the dice with Assassin’s Creed Origins, a soft reboot of the franchise that took a decidedly different direction than its predecessors. Featuring the sprawling ancient Egypt as one of the best settings in the series, Origins also gave us another great protagonist in Bayek with an equally great origins story of the assassins that goes back to the very beginning. Dense, beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable, it managed to breathe new life into Ubisoft’s flagship IP.

2. Assassin’s Creed II

Assassin’s Creed II was the leap Ubisoft needed to land a successful sequel that reiterated on the first game while introducing a laundry list of new features that have since become common in later entries. On top of that, it introduced what many fans would consider the best protagonist in the franchise, Ezio. Assassin’s Creed II still tops lists as the best game in the series as well as one of the best stealth-action games of all time and it’s easy to see why.

1. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is an immense game – ambitious in scope, filled with fresh ideas and creativity, and the first game in the series that truly feels like a vast, epic adventure. The sea shanties alone make it deserving of the number one spot but Black Flag also introduces exciting naval combat and a well-realised setting of the West Indies (and its expansive oceans in-between). In our honest opinion, Ubisoft has yet to top Black Flag and we’re very excited for the remake.

Writer
Editor-in-Chief of Nexus Hub, writer at GLITCHED. Former writer at The Gaming Report and All Otaku Online. RPG addict that has wonderful nightmares of Bloodborne 2.

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