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For most newcomers in 2026, start with Assassin’s Creed Origins: it has modern RPG combat, introduces the Layla story, and works without prior games. Prefer classic stealth and a character-led story? Start with Assassin’s Creed II, then continue through the Ezio trilogy. Short on time? Choose Mirage. Want pirates on current-generation hardware? Pick Black Flag Resynced. For Sengoku Japan and the newest mainline setting, start with Shadows. There is no required first game: the historical campaigns are largely standalone, so the setting and style you want matter more than a single canon order.
Which Assassin’s Creed game should you play first?
Origins is the best all-around first game for a newcomer who wants current-feeling combat and a complete adventure without homework. It begins the Layla Hassan modern-day arc and shifts the series toward levels, loot, and skill trees. It does not require the Desmond-era games. If what appeals to you is a particular period or style, though, there are better-fit starts: Assassin’s Creed II for the classic stealth formula, Mirage for a shorter adventure, Black Flag Resynced for a current-generation pirate game, or Shadows for feudal Japan.
Historical campaigns can generally be enjoyed on their own. The present-day plot is the main reason to follow release order; if you do not care about that thread, choose the era you are most excited to explore.
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At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin’s Creed Origins | Most newcomers; modern combat and a new story arc | Action RPG; starts the Layla arc | Oct 2026 |
| Assassin’s Creed II | Classic stealth and Ezio’s story | Classic era; continue with Brotherhood and Revelations | Oct 2026 |
| Assassin’s Creed Mirage | A shorter, stealth-focused entry | Ubisoft lead producer’s average playthrough: 20–23 hours | Oct 2026 |
| Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced | Pirates and current-generation hardware | Launched 9 July 2026; remake of Black Flag | Oct 2026 |
| Assassin’s Creed Shadows | Sengoku Japan and the newest mainline setting | Dual protagonists: Naoe and Yasuke | Oct 2026 |
| Assassin’s Creed Odyssey | A sprawling Greek RPG | Main campaign well over 40 hours; completion can approach 100 hours | Oct 2026 |
Which game fits the way I want to play?
Assassin’s Creed changes substantially between installments. Before choosing by release date or historical period, decide whether you want stealth, an open-world RPG, or a mix of the two. Time is another useful filter: the length of an adventure can matter more than its place in the series.
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For a modern, self-contained starting point: Origins
Origins follows Bayek in Ptolemaic Egypt and introduces Layla Hassan in the present day. Its 2017 shift to RPG-style progression makes it a natural entry for players used to leveling, gear, and skill trees. Ubisoft’s Discovery Tour, added later, includes 75 guided history tours. The game also starts a modern-day arc that continues in Odyssey and Valhalla, without asking you to know the earlier Desmond story.
For classic stealth and a strong central character: Assassin’s Creed II
Assassin’s Creed II follows Ezio through Renaissance Italy, from Florence and Venice to the Vatican. Its story and protagonist are often singled out as strengths, and it is a much clearer entry into the old formula than starting with a mid-trilogy chapter. Treat it as the opening of a three-game story: continue with Brotherhood and then Revelations. The Ezio Collection is the bundle to look for if you want those games together.
For a shorter, stealth-first modern game: Mirage
Mirage places young Basim in ninth-century Baghdad and deliberately leans back toward stealth and parkour. Ubisoft described it as a shorter, more narrative-driven game than recent entries. Lead producer Fabian Salomon’s reported average playthrough is 20–23 hours; GameRant uses a tighter 15-hour runtime as shorthand. It is a sensible pick if a huge map sounds like a chore. Its story also draws on earlier games, so it is a cleaner introduction to the style than to the full series plot.
For a pirate adventure: Black Flag Resynced
Black Flag Resynced is the 2026 remake of the 2013 Caribbean adventure, with Edward Kenway and naval combat at its center. It launched on 9 July 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Its present-day framing uses optional Animus Rifts rather than the original game’s Abstergo office. The remake does not include the original multiplayer or original DLC, so playing it does not reproduce every part of the 2013 release.
For Japan and the newest mainline setting: Shadows
Shadows, released 20 March 2025, is set in Sengoku Japan and follows Naoe, a shinobi built around stealth, and Yasuke, who favors direct combat. It can work as a first game if Japan is the draw and you are not trying to follow the whole modern-day storyline. The game uses the Animus Hub, rather than introducing a named present-day protagonist. Ubisoft said in March 2026 that it was entering its final, less frequent phase of support.
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For the biggest first-game commitment: Odyssey
Odyssey is a Greek action RPG set during the Peloponnesian War, before the Assassin and Templar orders form. You play as Alexios or Kassandra, and its dialogue choices, mercenary bounty system, and mythological elements distinguish it from earlier entries. GameRant puts the main campaign well over 40 hours and says doing everything can approach 100 hours. Choose it when that scale is a selling point—not because it is the chronological beginning.
For Vikings: Valhalla
Valhalla follows Eivor in Norway and Anglo-Saxon England, with settlement building alongside a large RPG campaign. IGN cites How Long to Beat’s average of 60 hours for its main story; length and repetition are common criticisms. It concludes Layla’s arc, so it makes more sense after Origins and Odyssey if that present-day story matters to you.
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The series has three useful design eras. Knowing which one a game belongs to is a better guide to its controls, pacing, and combat than assuming every installment plays alike.
| Era | Games | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Classic stealth (2007–2015) | Assassin’s Creed through Syndicate | Social stealth, assassination contracts, and animation-driven combat. A good fit for the Desmond story and shorter, more focused city adventures. |
| Action RPG (2017–2020) | Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla | Hitbox combat, enemy levels, loot, skill trees, and much larger maps. Origins divides skills into Hunter, Warrior, and Seer; Odyssey adds dialogue choices and a mercenary system; Valhalla pushes scale further. |
| Hybrid (2023–2025) | Mirage, Shadows | More emphasis on stealth and parkour than the RPG trilogy, while retaining some modern progression and scale. Shadows separates stealth and direct-combat play across its two protagonists. |
The boundaries reflect differences in how combat and progression work, not a clean break in story. For example, Syndicate remains a classic-era game even though it has gear stats and skill trees. Mirage began as a Valhalla expansion before becoming its own stealth-focused game.
Should I play the games in release order or historical order?
Use release order if you want to follow the present-day story; save historical order for a second run. The modern plot moves forward with each release, so jumping between centuries by historical setting disrupts the Desmond and Layla arcs. If you only care about the historical campaigns, you can instead start with whichever setting appeals to you.
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Release order for the full series
- Assassin’s Creed (2007): Altaïr in the Third Crusade; introduces Desmond and the Animus.
- Assassin’s Creed II (2009): Ezio in Renaissance Italy.
- Brotherhood (2010): Ezio in Rome; adds recruitable Assassins.
- Revelations (2011): Ezio’s ending, Altaïr flashbacks, and Desmond in the Black Room.
- Assassin’s Creed III (2012): Haytham and Connor in Colonial America; closes Desmond’s story.
- Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (2013): Edward Kenway in the Caribbean.
- Rogue (2014): Shay Cormac, an Assassin who becomes a Templar.
- Unity (2014): Arno Dorian in Revolutionary Paris.
- Syndicate (2015): Jacob and Evie Frye in Victorian London.
- Origins (2017): Bayek in Ptolemaic Egypt; begins Layla’s arc and the RPG era.
- Odyssey (2018): Alexios or Kassandra in ancient Greece.
- Valhalla (2020): Eivor in Viking England and Norway; concludes Layla’s arc.
- Mirage (2023): Basim in ninth-century Baghdad.
- Shadows (2025): Naoe and Yasuke in Sengoku Japan.
- Black Flag Resynced (2026): a remake with the original’s Caribbean setting and a new Animus Rifts present-day layer.
There are two reasonable ways to place Resynced. Its historical story retells the 2013 game, so it can sit beside Black Flag in a history-focused run. For the newer present-day framing, GAMINGbible places it after Shadows. Digit reports that it can also be played as an isolated adventure.
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If you want to move through the historical periods in sequence, the mainline order is:
Odyssey → Origins → Mirage → Valhalla → Assassin’s Creed → Assassin’s Creed II → Brotherhood → Revelations → Shadows → Black Flag or Black Flag Resynced → Rogue → Assassin’s Creed III → Unity → Syndicate.
This sequence begins with Odyssey in 431 BC and ends with Syndicate in 1868. It places Layla’s complete story before Desmond’s, moves from recent RPG design back to the 2007 original, and puts Mirage before the Valhalla story it follows. Those shifts are why it is more satisfying as a second pass than as a first.
Do I have to play every Assassin’s Creed game?
No. You can follow one historical campaign without completing the whole franchise. IGN counted 14 original mainline games in 2026; counting the Black Flag Resynced remake as a separate title gives 15. Spin-offs such as Liberation, Freedom Cry, Chronicles, and Nexus VR are not required for a first playthrough.
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For a selective route, preserve the stories that matter to the route you chose. If you are following Desmond, play through Assassin’s Creed III; if you start the Ezio trilogy, Revelations is his ending, not an inconsequential side chapter. If you are playing Resynced, the 2013 Black Flag is optional, but skipping it means missing its Abstergo office sections, multiplayer, and original DLC.
Games you can park for later
- Syndicate: it has its own Frye twins story, but no later plot depends on it.
- Unity: its Paris setting and parkour can be worthwhile on their own, but it is not a story-first entry point. Ubisoft released a free 60 FPS patch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 5 March 2026.
- Rogue: useful as a bridge between Assassin’s Creed III, Black Flag, and Unity, especially if Shay’s Templar perspective interests you; otherwise, a recap can cover its link to the others.
- Revelations: the riskiest skip in a classic-story route because it closes Ezio’s story and includes Altaïr flashbacks. Watch a recap if you omit it.
Unity is a distinct choice for players who prize parkour and dense city streets, rather than a recommended opening chapter. Its 60 FPS update improves its fit for current PlayStation and Xbox hardware, but does not change where it sits in the story.
What is happening in the present-day story?
The historical adventures are the bulk of play, but the present-day thread is the reason a full-series run benefits from release order. It evolves through four broad phases, and the connections become looser after Assassin’s Creed III.
- Desmond (2007–2012): Assassin’s Creed through Assassin’s Creed III. Desmond is kidnapped and made to use the Animus; his story ends in the third game.
- Abstergo and Helix (2013–2015): Black Flag, Rogue, Unity, and Syndicate use unnamed employee or Helix-user framing. Later Layla games do not require this arc.
- Layla (2017–2020): Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla follow Layla Hassan, an ex-Abstergo researcher. The arc ends with Layla remaining in a simulation to prevent a magnetic-field crisis, while Basim takes an Isu artifact containing Loki’s consciousness.
- Animus Hub (2023 onward): Mirage and Shadows use the newer Hub framework rather than a new named modern protagonist; Resynced adds its own optional Animus Rifts.
That evolving frame is valuable if you enjoy a long-running plot, but it is not a prerequisite for understanding most historical campaigns. The characters, setting, and local conflict in each game remain the practical reason to choose one.
Which Assassin’s Creed games should I play before Resynced?
None are required to understand Edward Kenway’s pirate story. Resynced can stand alone, and its historical campaign remains close to the original. The choice to play earlier games first is about which version of the present-day framing you want to see, not a prerequisite for following the Caribbean adventure.
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If you want the Desmond-era background, play the original Black Flag after the first five games in release order, or start there if you only want Edward’s historical campaign. The remake’s Rifts replace the original’s Abstergo office segments, and the original’s multiplayer and DLC are not included. For its newer Animus Hub context, place Resynced after Shadows; for a straightforward pirate-game introduction, jump right in.
Does the original Assassin’s Creed still make a good first game?
It is best treated as a historical prologue, not the default first purchase for most players. The 2007 game introduces Altaïr, Desmond, the Animus, Pieces of Eden, parkour, the hidden blade, and the Leap of Faith. Its city design established series ideas, but repetitive missions and dated design make it a less inviting first experience than Origins or Assassin’s Creed II.
There is also a platform wrinkle: Eurogamer lists the original as available on PS3 for PlayStation players, while Xbox players can use backwards compatibility and a PC version exists. If your goal is the full Desmond plot, it is the real beginning; if your goal is to try the series’ strongest old-school formula, start with Assassin’s Creed II instead.
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- Want a safe, current-feeling entry? Start with Origins.
- Want the classic Assassin fantasy and a memorable protagonist? Start with Assassin’s Creed II, then play the rest of the Ezio trilogy.
- Want to know whether the series suits you without committing to a huge RPG? Pick Mirage.
- Want a pirate sandbox on PS5, Xbox Series, or PC? Pick Black Flag Resynced.
- Want Sengoku Japan more than a connected franchise plot? Start with Shadows.
- Want a very large RPG as your first game? Choose Odyssey; avoid it if you need a short campaign.
- Want the whole modern-day plot? Follow release order rather than chronological order.
If no era stands out, choose Origins and continue only if its RPG style suits you. The series is broad enough that stopping after one game, or skipping between standalone historical campaigns, is a perfectly sensible way to play.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a confirmed release date for the next mainline Assassin’s Creed game?
As of Ubisoft’s 29 October 2026 update, no new numbered mainline game had a confirmed release date. Ubisoft said the next major update on Codename Hexe would come in 2027; that is an update date, not a promised launch date.
When does Assassin’s Creed Valhalla New Game+ arrive?
Ubisoft announced New Game+ for 5 November 2026. The update includes optional Power progression, Mithril, Divine Gear, and a Master Assassin outfit inspired by Naoe.
Is another Assassin’s Creed remake in development after Resynced?
Ubisoft said on 29 October 2026 that no other Assassin’s Creed remake was actively in development at that time. The company did not rule out future remakes, but announced no next remake.
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