Summary

• The Assassin's Creed franchise is one of the best-selling video game series of all time.
• Assassin's Creed 2, with a Metacritic score of 90, is considered one of the best in the series for its iconic protagonist, Ezio Auditore.
• Despite some shortcomings, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag garnered an impressive Metacritic score of 88 due to its engaging pirate theme.

Finding the best and worst Assassin's Creed games means looking over all thirteen main entries in the series, dating from the most recent release back to 2007. This can make it difficult for newcomers to know where to begin, particularly when one wants to experience the best story and avoid the games that might leave one disappointed. Ubisoft has also launched multiple mobile games and spin-off titles that take place within the Assassin's Creed franchise, but it is a bit unfair to compare them to their AAA counterparts.

The beloved franchise has had a long and ongoing legacy and has gained a well-established fanbase who love the storytelling, historical settings, and combat mechanics that the series is known for. It has also seen its fair share of criticism, however, which often revolves around Ubisoft's formulaic game design, ubiquitous microtransactions, and digital rights management (DRM) requirements. Even with these negatives, Assassin's Creed has become one of the best-selling video game series of all time. Here is a look at which games are the best, based primarily on reviews and Metacritic scores.

Assassin's Creed Unity (Released November 2014)

Set During The French Revolution

In a pattern that’s become all too familiar of late, the launch of Assassin’s Creed Unity was marred by bugs and glitches - so much so that Ubisoft issued a public apology and provided free DLC as compensation. Beyond that, however, critics praised the game's animation and immersive setting in 18th-century Paris but were disappointed in its unresponsive controls, cookie-cutter gameplay, and intrusive microtransactions. Commonly considered the worst Assassin's Creed game, Unity has a Metacritic score of 72 with a User score of only 5.6.

Assassin's Creed Rogue (Released November 2014)

Set Before And During The French And Indian War

Assassin’s Creed Rogue was released only one year after Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and it shows. The game does little to differentiate itself from its predecessor, using the same structure, UI, menus, and gameplay. From a narrative perspective, Rogue created a compelling story, particularly in portions involving the familiar characters from Assassin's Creed 3, like Haytham Kenway. Unfortunately, the main campaign suffered from being much too short and offered no surprises for long-time fans of the series. The game received an average Metacritic score of 72, with mixed User scores of 7.3.

Assassin's Creed Mirage (Released October 2023)

Set in 9th Century Baghdad

Assassin's Creed Mirage takes players back as a bit of a prequel to Valhalla through its main character, Basim Ibn Ishaq. The game feels like an homage to the earlier titles in the franchise, including bringing back social stealth and other game mechanics. The narrative of Mirage was well told and placed in a beautiful setting but did not offer much in terms of novelty. Though the game was still received well, with a Metacritic score of 76 and an average User Score of 7.3, it did not meet the expectations that many had for it.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate (Released October 2015)

Set In 19th Century London

The combat in Assassin’s Creed Syndicate may be fluid, but it’s also repetitive. Jacob and Evie Frye, the game’s two protagonists, offer a compelling contrast in viewpoints with which to take on Victorian-era London. Unfortunately, Evie gets sidelined in the main story quests, which was later revealed to be due to Ubisoft executives believing games with female protagonists don’t sell.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate did correct many of Unity’s mistakes but had too many of its own (such as the motion blur employed during carriage rides that was used to disguise lag) to reach the upper echelons of the series, and received a Metacritic score of 76.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Released November 2011)

Set In 16th Century Constantinople

As the poignant conclusion of the Ezio trilogy, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations had big shoes to fill from the start. Unfortunately, the story didn’t offer much in the way of revelations, leaving fans who simply had to have answers feeling frustrated and turning to outside sources. Overall, this game was criticized as being more of the same from Ubisoft, save for a few minor additions to gameplay mechanics that did create a more streamlined experience. As the end of Ezio's story, the game was an automatic seller and was received well, with a Metacritic score of 80 and an average User score of 7.5.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Released November 2020)

Set In Norway During The Viking Era

Although Assassin's Creed Valhalla boasts the most successful launch of any title in the series, the game has received many of the same criticisms leveled at its predecessors. Assassin's Creed Valhalla improves on Odyssey in many ways, such as being able to freely switch between a male or female protagonist rather than being locked into one choice from the beginning. Overall, the Viking experience received a Metacritic score of 80, although User Scores came in a bit lower at 7.1.

One major change that led to some discomfort was Ubisoft's new requirement with Valhalla that people log in to their Ubisoft Connect account or be locked out of the game. Some players don't see being forced to use Ubisoft Connect as a big deal, but for others, it was a dealbreaker. Valhalla's open world is beautiful but, traditionally, was somewhat buggy at launch, and its map was still a bit big for the tastes of many players.

Assassin's Creed Origins (Released October 2017)

Set Primarily In Ptolemaic Egypt

With Assassin's Creed Origins, the series felt as though it was being given a rebirth. Long criticized staples of the franchise, such as tailing missions and map clutter, were done away with, and a greater emphasis on player agency was provided. The mechanics of Origin's parkour system were streamlined, and the setting in which it all takes place is unparalleled.

Assassin's Creed Origins offers perhaps the most compelling location of the series - a big, gorgeous ancient Egyptian world to explore, which was utilized even further with the introduction of Assassin's Creed's educational Discovery Mode. The game was given a Metacritic score of 81 and is considered by many to be one of the best entry points to the series for new players.

Assassin's Creed (Released November 2007)

Set In The Holy Land During The Third Crusade

Although the series’ first entry suffered from poor pacing and repetitive gameplay, Assassin’s Creed’s visual aspects were praised, and the introduction to the series saw overall acclaim and excitement. Critics enjoyed the novel aspects introduced by this game, such as the viewpoints and the assassination gameplay, even if the AI was incredibly easy to fool. Despite this, the original Assassin's Creed proved popular enough to win several awards and has a Metacritic score of 81. It's not the best Assassin's Creed game, but it was the first, and arguably the most important.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey (Released October 2018)

Set In Ancient Greece

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey took the ideas of AC Origins and managed to make them even better and more successful, earning itself a Metacritic score of 83. With its enormous world, engrossing story, and for the first time, choice of protagonists, Assassin's Creed Odyssey reviews show it impressed many.

Set during the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens, the game introduced several historical figures, including famous philosophers Socrates and Plato. It did receive criticism from players, however, who did not like the forced exploration and level grinding, and felt it was unfeasible to progress without purchasing experience points via microtransactions.

Assassin's Creed 3 (Released October 2012)

Set In 18th Century Colonial America

Much like every other title in the series, Assassin’s Creed III launched with technical issues, but overall the game was praised for its expansive, colonial American open world - even if the tasks to be done in that world often amounted to little more than busywork. Pacing issues in the main story (which picks up immediately after Assassin’s Creed: Revelations) are somewhat forgiven for the game’s entertaining multiplayer mode, and ultimately the game received a generally favorable Metacritic score of 84, although User Scores came in a bit lower at 6.9.

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (Released October 2013)

Set During The Golden Age Of Piracy In The 1700s

With Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, it seemed Ubisoft took the criticisms of Assassin’s Creed III to heart. The game gives players a gorgeous open world to explore while living out “a pirate’s life for me” fantasies.

The game quickly became one of the best in the series, getting a Metacritic score of 88 and many positive reviews from critics who were impressed with the overall theme of Black Flag​​​​​​. Although the main storyline was not quite as good as the side quests, the excellent naval combat is the game’s shining jewel - and don’t forget to sing along with the sea shanties.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Released November 2010)

Set In Early 16th Century Italy

As the second game in the "Ezio Trilogy", Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood doesn’t stray too far from its immediate predecessor. Instead, it keeps what was great about Assassin’s Creed II while providing more mission variety and gameplay elements. With a Metacritic score of 89, it is still considered one of the most popular games in the franchise.

Taking Ezio's story further, with his role as a legendary assassin, the game allows players to continue exploration in Rome during the early 16th century. In many ways, Brotherhood is Assassin’s Creed II 2.0, and that’s not a bad thing, as Assassin's Creed II is the best Assassin's Creed game.

Assassin's Creed 2 (Released November 2009)

Set In Late 15th Century Renaissance Italy

The best Assassin's Creed game happened rather early in the series' history and has maintained its place in the hearts of fans, as well as a Metacritic score of 90 with an 8.8 User score. Assassin’s Creed II introduced Ezio Auditore da Firenze, easily the series’ most compelling and iconic protagonist.

Bigger, smoother, and more fun than the series’ debut title, Assassin’s Creed II is often named among the best video games of all time. It is not without its flaws, receiving some criticism for its voice acting and facial animation, but the good far outweighs the bad. Assassin’s Creed II is an absolute must-play, and the best Assassin's Creed game experience out there.

Sources: Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)