Highlights
- Assassin's Creed II is widely considered one of the best video games ever made, propelling the franchise to mainstream popularity and solidifying its spot as a AAA game.
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey stands out from the rest with its focus on history and mythology, offering an impressive and immersive representation of ancient Greece.
- The introduction of a new parkour system and co-op mode in Assassin's Creed Unity added innovation, but the game received heavy criticism due to numerous bugs in its initial release.
Since its inception, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has taken players on captivating journeys through different historical points, immersing them in the secret war between the Assassins and the Templars across several periods, locations, and cultures. Ubisoft has done a great job in creating superb narratives, breathtaking landscapes, open worlds, and innovative gameplay mechanics that keep them in the good books of gamers worldwide.
As seasoned fans and newcomers venture into the world of stealth, action, and assassinations it is only fitting to know which of the Assassin’s Creed games rank the highest on Steam, as the user scores are one of the best metrics to determine the enjoyability of a game.
10 Assassin’s Creed Unity (76%)
The successor to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flagwas set in 18th-century Paris, where the playable character aims to locate the body of a Templar Grand Master. Arno Dorian, the assassin, seeks revenge against those behind the death of his adoptive father while also trying to expose the people pulling the strings behind the French Revolution.
The introduction of a new parkour system and more contextual movements with fluidity was a great addition, and the game was the first in the Assassin’s Creed series to feature co-op mode allowing up to four players, but because of the numerous bugs in its initial release, it was heavily criticized.
9 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (80%)
The ninth installment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise focuses on finding an artifact located in London before the Templars do. Set in 1868, in London, following the beginning of the Second Industrial Revolution, it mainly follows the sibling assassins Evie and Jacob Frye, who challenge organized crime and try to win the city back from the Templars.
A new traveling system was introduced in this installment as well as improved stealth mechanics and parkour. Players can also switch between the two lead characters whenever they want.
8 Assassin’s Creed: Director's Cut Edition (83%)
This is the version of Assassin’s Creed released for Windows, which contained additional content. As the first installment, the major details of the battle between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order were introduced in this game. Both sides aim to discover powerful and mysterious artifacts called the Pieces of Eden throughout time.
Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, the lead character, explores the open world of the Holy Land, mainly Masyaf, Jerusalem, Acre, and Damascus, to exterminate nine targets and regain his honor after failing to recover one of such artifacts from the Templars.
7 Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (83%)
Set during the Golden Age of Piracy, the West Indies is home to Edward Kenway, father of Haytham Kenway, and grandfather of Connor. The game follows the Welsh pirate as he searches for the Observatory, a mysterious location that both the Templars and Assassins are desperate to find.
The game heavily features sea-based exploration of a vast open world, with co-op returning only for the land-based modes. It is widely considered one of the best games in the franchise due to the amazing pirate theme and improved naval combat.
6 Assassin’s Creed Rogue (84%)
The seventh installment, set between 1752 and 1760 during the French and Indian War, was well renowned because of a major twist. Shay Patrick Cormac, the lead character, is a former Assassin who joins the Templars and helps them to track and kill other Assassins.
The complex protagonist and storyline received great praise, but it was also criticized heavily because it possessed too many similarities with Black Flag and its length. The three main playable areas include the North Atlantic, New York City, and a fictional Valley based on the Hudson Valley.
5 Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (85%)
This installment features the iconic Ezio Auditore da Firenze, albeit much older, on his journey to Constantinople. He aims to locate five keys that can unlock a hallowed library built by Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, the lead character from the first game in the Assassin’s Creed series.
Ezio’s path intertwines with a struggle for the Ottoman throne, where he must unravel the deep conspiracy orchestrated by the Templars, who aim to seize control of the city and find the keys for themselves. Although it outsold its predecessors commercially, the gameplay mechanics were criticized for being overfamiliar with minimal changes.
4 Assassin’s Creed Origins (86%)
Ubisoft took their time to reinvent the Assassin’s Creed series with this game. Moving on from the stealth-action mechanic and including more role-playing game elements and an entirely different combat system as a response to the criticism it was facing.
Set in the Ptolemaic period, the story follows Bayek of Siwa and his wife, Aya, as they seek to avenge their son’s murder. The design and historical accuracy are breathtaking, with a Discovery Tour mode that removes combat, encouraging players to explore and learn about the history and culture of the Ptolemaic era with tours.
3 Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood (88%)
The second chapter of the Ezio Audiotre trilogy unfolds during the Italian Wars, spanning the years 1500 to 1507. The events in this game take place immediately after Assassin’s Creed II, showing Ezio’s adventures in Rome where he attempts to revive the Assassin Brotherhood.
As the Templar Order, led by the Borgais Family, rules over the city, Ezio, the liberator he is, rallies the disparate resistance forces in a bid to reclaim Rome. Although it was seen as slightly inferior to its predecessor, it featured better gameplay and a new multiplayer mode.
2 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (89%)
The eleventh installment of the critically acclaimed franchise released in 2018 is one of its best. As one of the RPG-like games in the franchise, it encourages players to explore its impressive and immersive representation of ancient Greece. Set during the Peloponnesian War, between Athens and Sparta, spanning 431 to 422 BC.
The lead character is a Spartan mercenary who constantly switches sides in a quest to find their family and take down the Cult of Kosmos. The focus on history and mythology, rather than the traditional Assassin-Templar bout, sets Odyssey apart from the rest.
1 Assassin’s Creed II (89%)
Widely considered to be one of the best video games ever made, Assassin’s Creed II was the game that propelled the entire franchise to mainstream popularity, solidifying its spot as a AAA game.
The first chapter of the Ezio trilogy tells his story as he seeks revenge on those who killed his father and brothers. Set during the Renaissance in Italy, between 1476 and 1499, the open world featured great cities like Venice and Florence, among others, properly recreated to depict the time period.
