Ranking Assassin's Creed Games: Which Ones Should You Play?

Assassin's Creed has been around for nearly 20 years, and with so many games, it can be hard to decide where to start. Let's take a look at each main entry and see how they stack up. First off, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a huge game with a lot of issues. It's slow, clunky, and the role-playing elements feel tacked on. Plus, the main character, Eivor, doesn't even join the Assassins at the end. It's a tough one to recommend. Assassin's Creed Syndicate isn't terrible, but it doesn't stand out either. The parkour system is too easy, and the combat is just button-mashing. However, the Jack the Ripper DLC is a real highlight. Odyssey is a big change for the series, and not in a good way. It's more like an RPG than an Assassin's Creed game. There's no parkour or social stealth, and it feels like a waste of the franchise's unique identity. Rogue is an interesting idea, playing as an Assassin-turned-Templar, but it reuses too much from Black Flag and doesn't feel fresh enough. Revelations has a strong story, but the gameplay is lacking. It's more of the same from Brotherhood, but with a cool new tool for parkour.The original Assassin's Creed is important, but it's not a lot of fun to play today. It set the foundation, but the gameplay is too limited. Assassin's Creed III tries to do a lot, but Connor isn't as fun to play as Ezio. The parkour is expanded to include trees, which is cool, but the cities feel limited. Brotherhood refines ACII but doesn't do enough to stand out. The recruitment system is a highlight, though. Mirage is a smaller game that focuses on Basim's origin story. It's a good change of pace after the big RPG games. Unity had a rough launch, but it's aged well. It has the best parkour system and a beautiful recreation of Paris. Origins is the start of the RPG era, and it's a great one. It tells the definitive origin story of the Assassins and features a strong protagonist in Bayek. Black Flag is a great pirate game and a great Assassin's Creed game. It keeps the stealth but adds exciting new mechanics. Assassin's Creed II is still the best of the bunch. It improves on the first game in every way and features a charming protagonist in Ezio Auditore.