The Epic Timeline Journey of Assassin's Creed Games Unveiled

Highlights

The Assassin's Creed franchise prides itself on its captivating historical setting, making it a standout feature for fans. Each installment takes players on a remarkable journey through various time periods, meticulously crafted in collaboration with historians to ensure utmost accuracy.

The Assassin's Creed timeline has grown complex over time, spanning 13 mainline entries and spanning over 1000 years. It all begins chronologically with Assassin's Creed Odyssey which takes place in Ancient Greece, and then takes us through various epochs, delving into the origins of the Assassins and Templars, as well as the enigmatic First Civilization.

The Assassin's Creed franchise offers a unique combination of parkour, stealth, and combat that sets it apart from other games. However, what truly distinguishes the series is its historical setting. Collaborating with historians, each Assassin's Creed game immerses players in a different time period, and meticulous attention is given to ensuring authenticity and accuracy. As a result, the series' timeline has become increasingly complex, with 13 mainline entries spanning over 1000 years.

Explaining Assassin's Creed's Timeline

Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 431-404 BC

Assassin's Creed Origins - 49-43 BC

Assassin's Creed Mirage - 850 AD

Assassin's Creed Valhalla - 872 - 878 AD

Assassin's Creed - 1191 AD

Assassin's Creed 2 - 1476-1499 AD

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood - 1499-1507 AD

Assassin's Creed Revelations - 1511-1512 AD

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag - 1715-1722 AD

Assassin's Creed Rogue - 1752-1776 AD

Assassin's Creed 3 - 1754-1783 AD

Assassin's Creed Unity - 1776-1800 AD

Chronologically, Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the earliest game in the Assassin's Creed franchise. It takes place in Ancient Greece and follows the journey of either Kassandra or Alexios during the Peloponnesian War. This game unveils significant cosmic secrets as players navigate through the war. Alongside Assassin's Creed Origins, which is set several centuries later, Odyssey sheds light on the origins of the Assassins and the Templars, previously known as the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients. These games also provide insight into the First Civilization, referred to as the Isu. The Isu, an advanced species that existed 77,000 years ago, perished due to a solar flare. Before their demise, they created humanity and passed on their consciousness through DNA.

The timeline fast forwards by 900 years to reach the latest installment, Assassin's Creed Mirage, which focuses on the Hidden One named Basim. Basim later appears in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, set a few decades after Mirage, where it is revealed that he is the ancestor of Loki, an ancient Isu who has passed down their consciousness. In Valhalla, the protagonist Evior is the reincarnation of another Isu named Odin.

Jumping ahead several centuries, the original Assassin's Creed game takes place during the Third Holy Crusade, with Assassin Altair finding a powerful Isu artifact called the Piece of Eden. Centuries later, the Ezio trilogy unfolds in the Renaissance era, with Ezio eventually discovering the same Piece of Eden. Two hundred years later, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag portrays Edward Kenway as a pirate lord and a member of the Assassin Order, while his son Haytham Kenway joins the Templars. Later, their descendant Connor Kenway joins the Assassins in Assassin's Creed 3. The events of Assassin's Creed Unity and Syndicate occur relatively soon after.

Of course, Assassin's Creed's storyline includes another significant component that does not fit seamlessly into the timeline. Throughout the series, there are various segments set in the present day, where players assume the role of a character outside of the Animus. These present-day segments progress linearly with each new installment. Chronologically, the initial modern-day protagonist is Desmond, first introduced in the original Assassin's Creed game. In Assassin's Creed 3, Desmond sacrifices himself to prevent another solar flare from causing destruction on Earth. The current present-day protagonist is Layla, who retrieves the Staff of Hermes from the Isu facility Atlantis but falls into a trap and unintentionally frees Basim/Loki from the Isu super-computer known as Yggdrasil. Now trapped within the network of information called The Grey, Layla collaborates with the disembodied Desmond to avert another global catastrophe.