Assassin’s Creed Games Tier List: Ranking All AC Titles

Over the course of its existence, the Assassin’s Creed series of video games have developed and grown more sophisticated. Ubisoft has tied the series to other brands, such as Watchdogs, as a direct result of the success of the series. When it comes to determining which games are superior to others, though, making a decision may be a serious challenge. Nevertheless, our Assassin’s Creed Games Tier List ranks all of the released games so far, from AC 1 to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

The initial major storyline of Assassin’s vs. Templar was pushed to a corner, and the authenticity of the AC series’ foundation, the storyline is still battling to seem less like a distraction than it does right now. Assassin’s Creed has changed genres, but that does not imply that the games that are being published now are not fun; rather, it simply means that they are distinct.

Although there are some followers who would have rather for the series to have remained the same, the games are still entertaining to play through and add a significant amount of new content to the game with each new version. While you’re at it, consider reading Assassin’s Creed Wrist Blade guide & learn about its history.

Every single gamer, no matter how long they’ve been playing, is familiar with the Assassin’s Creed series of video games. The fast-paced video games have everything a gamer might want to experience. There is a lot of blood and gore, as well as a significant amount of history for you to reflect on.

So if you have never played any AC video game, then our tier list ranking should be the headstart to play Assassin’s Creed games, starting with the best and down to average ones. 

S-Tier

The Assassin’s Creed Games we have mentioned in our S-Tier List are simply the best in the series. From storyline, cinematics, and music to ambiance and combat, these games nailed the AC formula and have no parallel in the rest of the AC series of video games. 

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag

If you ask Assassin’s Creed players what their favorite part of the game is, most of them would probably choose the game’s famous iconography, which depicts a mystery person wearing a hood and pushing through a throng in order to carry out a flawless assassination with a concealed blade.

One of the most important aspects that contribute to the success of the Assassin’s Creed franchise is the expansive open world that players are able to explore in each game. Black Flag was able to capture the franchise’s trademark breadth better than any other game in the series, whether it came before or after it.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag is one of the few games released in the modern era of video games that address the issue of game piracy. There have been some outstanding instances in the period afterward, such as Sea of Thieves.

Still, there have been a surprisingly small number of games that enable players to live out their imaginations of becoming pirates. However, the fact that there were no other games in this genre to compete with Black Flag helped to ensure that it would be a memorable experience for players.

Even while the fighting in Black Flag hasn’t evolved much over the years, it’s still a very user-friendly system that lets players use muskets, dual-wielded swords, and pistols as they control the protagonist, Edward Kenway as he makes his way through waves of foes at leisure.

When the battle is contextual, as when you are storming a fort or boarding an enemy vessel and then killing an opposing captain while guns thunder and muskets blaze, the game is at its very finest. Meanwhile, the classic stealth missions of the series are reenergized by this new, exotic environment.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

RPG-heavy features from the previous game, such as the main quest lasting more than 60 hours and multiple endings, are incorporated into a much larger world in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. 

The fact that there is so much more to do in Odyssey is both the game’s greatest strength and, at other times, its fundamental flaw. It may be difficult to tell how much of the seemingly endless variety of things to see, do, steal, and murder truly contributes to the overall experience of the game since it isn’t always made obvious how much of it actually exists.

Beginning with the option to choose either Alexios or Kassandra as your playable character, which will directly determine how certain interactions and acts will be carried out, you will discover branching routes throughout the whole of the game’s plot from that point forth.

Aside from that, there is a lot happening in Odyssey at the moment. Warfare centered on treasure and skill trees, as well as the naval combat from Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, are both brought back for this installment. You’ll be spending a lot of time in the menus of the game, improving your equipment and your skills.

Much like the other Assassin’s Creed games, Odyssey has a lot of repetitive gameplay, but for the most part, it’s still fun. The challenge of eliminating a target when they are encircled by a large number of guards is still quite exciting. In addition to this, the breadth of the planet continues to stun and amaze me.

It is incredibly enormous, and the degree of detail is astounding, particularly when you ultimately make your way to the major towns, like Athens, where it is set. While you’re at it, consider reading our Assassin’s Creed Odyssey best weapons, best armor, and engravings guides.

Odyssey is a massive, gorgeous, and consistently engaging video game that is packed to the brim with content. Some of the finest new content is inspired by some of the best role-playing games available in the franchise, while a significant portion of the previously released content is recycled from earlier games in the series. 

Before reading the tier list further, why not go through our Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Best Abilities and max level cap guides.

A-Tier

The A-Tier Assassin’s Creed Games Listed below are very close to becoming the ultimate AC games, but they lack a little punch. Don’t get us wrong, and even if you play these titles today, you will be glued to the storyline and combat mechanics for days. Still, these video games in the series are not the perfect as S-tier ones. 

Assassin’s Creed Origins

There is nothing novel about the main storyline of any Assassin’s Creed game at this point. Many players have said that they don’t really know what’s going on anymore, and newbies feel scared by it. The eternal conflict between the Templar Order and the Assassin Brotherhood over the years has grown so confusing and dense.

You now find yourself in Origins, which tells the tale of how the Hidden Ones, the group that served as the ancestor to the Assassin Brotherhood, were founded. The premise, which revolved around Bayek and Aya’s tale of vengeance and became more political as the main questline went, was plain and uncomplicated, which is precisely why it was so enjoyable to play through.

The narratives of the later chapters were not nearly as polished and fascinating as those of the earlier games, with Odyssey having a myriad of plotholes and the emphasis of Valhalla being on an uninspired conquering tale.

The gaming industry as a whole is moving in the direction of making most parts of newly released games more sophisticated—larger maps, an increased number of activities and side quests, as well as more items. Open-world video games have grown to be so extensive that finishing some of them might seem like a chore, even though it may appear to be a wonderful concept. Odyssey and Valhalla are two examples that perfectly illustrate this point.

AC: Origins was the first game to use the concept that was eventually used in subsequent games, although its difficulty level was far more manageable. Because there are fewer question marks and other things to do on the map, players are given the opportunity to engage in more natural exploration and finish all of the game’s goals.

To put it another way, the open world landscape of Assassin’s Creed: Origins is extraordinarily massive, making it by far the biggest Assassin’s Creed game to date. 

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

It’s not true that bigger is always better, but the fact that Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate’s London is constructed on a grander scale than Assassin’s Creed: Unity’s Paris—which was already a technological marvel—is really amazing. Westminster, the Strand, the City of London, Whitechapel, Southwark, and Lambet are going to be the six boroughs that makeup London, which will be around thirty percent larger than Paris. Each of these boroughs is going to have a unique atmosphere.

When taking into consideration all of this information, it raises the issue of whether or not it is still worthwhile to play Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, given how much the franchise has progressed since the game’s first release. Assassin’s Creed Origins, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and the most current installment, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, have significantly broadened the scope of the franchise beyond what was offered by Syndicate.

On a deeper level, though, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is a really valuable experience that captures the essence of what made the genre so successful in the first place. Even after all this time, there are still plenty of compelling reasons to give the game a go due to the depth of personality and vitality it possesses.

At this time, it is quite evident that there are significant differences between Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and the two most recent entries in the franchise. On the other hand, a significant amount of content from Syndicate may be discovered in the games that are now available, demonstrating that Syndicate has left its imprint on the franchise.

The fact that players may choose between a male or female protagonist in Odyssey and Valhalla was inspired by the fact that Odyssey and Valhalla included two playable characters, Jacob and Evie. Meanwhile, the free-flowing combat of Syndicate served as the basis for the hit-box system that has been in place since Origins. Syndicate was responsible for developing the system.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

Many people recall that at its first release, Assassin’s Creed Unity was one of the poorest entries in the series and garnered the least positive reception of all of the games in the franchise. AC  Unity, which was released on the same day as Rogue, was met with disappointment from both fans and critics alike, owing to a large number of game-breaking bugs and flaws, some of which brought the game to the point where it was almost unplayable.

Ubisoft has released a number of patches for the game since it was first released in 2014, addressing many of the game’s problems, and the game is currently in a playable state.

The gameplay in AC Unity is very smooth compared to those of the other games in the series. It provides significant enhancements to the gameplay of earlier games while also bringing new features, some of which, sadly, have not been reintroduced owing to the reception that the game got.

Despite the fact that Assassin’s Creed has since taken a new path, moving further into the action role-playing game genre with Origins and Odyssey, the finished product of Assassin’s Creed Unity is a representation of what the action-adventure Assassin’s Creed games could have been if they hadn’t been rushed to market.

It’s not just that Assassin’s Creed Unity makes parkour better than in prior games; it totally reinvents the mechanic, making it more fluid than in past games in the series as well as recent titles, which have deemphasized freerunning and scaling structures.

Players had the ability to freerun both uphill and downwards in Unity, which made it possible to make descents from lofty structures that were both more efficient and more elegant. The movement across Paris is quite smooth, and numerous new animations and moves, such as sliding and vaulting, have been included to make the game as a whole more enjoyable to play.

What additional components do you believe AC Unity will be missing in order for it to compete with the other games in the Assassin’s Creed canon? Make sure to leave your recommendations in the comments section.

B-Tier

The Assassin’s Creed B-Tier Games that we have ranked below have nailed most of the AC series of video games formula, but they shy away from providing a robust storyline and gameplay elements that players could revisit. These games were one one of the best in the series but since the overall Assassin’s Creed video games formula has evolved over the years, we don’t see them at the top now. 

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

An adventure that takes place mostly in Rome, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood transports players back to Renaissance Italy. They take on the role of Ezio Auditore de Firenze, an accomplished assassin who lives during this time period.

While assisting people from the early 16th century like Machiavelli in a series of major missions and via a dazzling array of polished side adventures, Ezio’s primary employment is still murder. He does it while also participating in a wide variety of side adventures. Ezio is doing his bit to advance the conflict between the Templar Order and the Assassin’s Guild, which has been going on for the whole of the series as well as throughout history.

The battle serves as the impetus for the game’s other, more succinct parts set in 2012, which feature Desmond Miles, the guy who is reliving Ezio’s adventures. The overall narrative may seem familiar, especially if you’ve played Assassin’s Creed II, but the specifics have been completely overhauled. In addition to that, it supports cooperative play.

The multiplayer option in Brotherhood is an improvement over the single-player mode since it adds an additional layer of depth that may be interesting.

In the multiplayer modes of Brotherhood, you will explore a limited region that is populated with computer-controlled gamers and a few real people. You are always going to be someone’s target for assassination, and someone, or even more than one person, will always be coming for you. Therefore, as you are stalking your target, you will be attempting to blend in with the environment.

Despite the fact that in many aspects, AC Brotherhood does follow the same cookie-cutter storyline stated above, it just executes all of these things considerably better than the majority of prior Assassin’s Creed games. Amazing and profound scenes appear throughout the narrative, such as the mission in which you must foil an assassination attempt on the remains of the Roman Colosseum as a play is being performed about the murder of Jesus Christ.

The whole of this endeavor is stressful and exciting all at the same time. It is difficult to describe the mood adequately; in order to really comprehend it, one must participate in the game and live it.

Assassin’s Creed 2

Assassin’s Creed 2 was a great game in its own right, in addition to being crucial in the development of subsequent installments of the series. However, the most important change was the expansion of an assassin’s arsenal of weapons, which allowed cities to be larger and appear better than they did in the first Assassin’s Creed game.

The player’s weaponry was expanded in Assassin’s Creed 2 with the addition of smoke bombs, poisoned swords, and a disguised wrist gun. Additionally, the player was given the ability to unlock and buy improved weapons and armor from local merchants.

More player agency and personalization options were made available in Assassin’s Creed II’s open-world environment, which was a significant improvement over the game’s predecessor. When they weren’t busy eliminating Templars, players may put their wealth to use, restoring Monteriggioni to its former splendor by making investments with the money they had earned.

Collectibles, mercenaries, merchants, and side missions bring the environment to life. This benchmark was set by the second game in the Assassin’s Creed series, which established that the series should be about more than merely eliminating targets.

Even if the visuals of the game have become better over the years, there has not yet been a location that can compete with the cities that were shown in Assassin’s Creed 2. Renaissance Italy is the most breathtaking setting for an assassin to explore, and it doesn’t matter if Ezio is scaling the great Duomo of Florence or hopping across the canals of Venice; the setting is just breathtaking.

The addition of the ability to disarm allowed for alternate strategies to be used during combat, and the vast array of equipment meant that you would have to look very hard to find anything in the way of repetitive gameplay. The same was true for the insanely different ways in which the missions were structured.

In one, you would be charged with murdering a target using stealth during a street fair, while in another, you would join up with the friendly Leonardo da Vinci and utilize his flying contraption to penetrate a strongly guarded structure. Both of these missions would require you to employ stealth.

Assassin’s Creed 3

Within the expansive Assassin’s Creed franchise, which has maintained releases on a nearly yearly basis for more than a decade, Assassin’s Creed 3 has a particularly peculiar position. To begin, it marked the conclusion of the first three games in the Assassin’s Creed series.

To make things even more confusing, it was really the fifth game, and it was the first one to follow the embedded Ezio trilogy, which started with Assassin’s Creed 2 and finished with Revelations. This added an extra layer of complication to the situation.

The game drew players in opposite directions at the same time. On the one hand, it was a new beginning, but on the other hand, it was the conclusion to the saga of Desmond Miles in the current day.

The protagonist of Assassin’s Creed 3 had a far more reserved attitude than Ezio had, which is one of the reasons why many fans believed he was unable to measure up to the standards set by his predecessor. The world that Connor lived in may have been less colorful and extravagant than Italy in the fifteenth century, but despite the fact that it had fewer colors, it was also far less binary in nature.

There were very few instances in Ezio’s journey that addressed larger questions about the core premise of Assassin’s Creed, which is freedom vs tyranny. Ezio was delightful, and the Borgias were intriguing as villains, but there were very few of those points.

George Washington was portrayed in Assassin’s Creed 3 as both a symbol of emancipation for American colonists and as the dreaded town destroyer for which he was known by the Iroquois. Assassin’s Creed 3 was released in October 2015.

After the destruction of Connor’s hometown, which he thinks was caused by Templar troops, the story of the video game begins with Connor being exiled from his home. However, it is subsequently revealed that George Washington was the one who gave the order for the assault on Connor’s hometown.

C-Tier

The C-tier Assassin’s Creed Games we have entailed below have an excellent ambiance and presentation of the AC series formula, but they missed lots of boxes and hence are weak AC games. The gameplay elements, storyline, and combat are three key elements that the games listed below didn’t offer much more than the games released before them.  

In a true sense, these Assassin’s Creed games are more of an AC games’ skinned version; they look like AC games but have striking missing features that can make them a part of this grand series.  

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

The title Assassin’s Creed Revelations is aptly chosen for this game. The most recent episode delivers on the promise made by the title and provides some significant insights into the ever-expanding story for those who have been following the adventures of Desmond, Altair, and Ezio.

The central missions have a degree of cinematic immersion and a tight design that is unique to the series, and the plotline ties up loose ends in the narrative to create a satisfactory setting that follows the installment in the series. Even while there are some problematic side objectives and novel gameplay elements, they are simply minor defects in the context of an otherwise exciting experience.

Ezio remains the focus of the narrative, despite the fact that Revelations features all three of the primary protagonists that have been shown up to this point. The little child who had vowed to get retribution from those who wronged his family is now an adult looking for deeper insights and purpose in life.

The journey leads him from his home in Italy to the faraway metropolitan area of Constantinople, where he is a revered mentor over the entirety of the Assassin order.

His narrative takes two different turns while he is there. One of them draws him into the complex web of intrigue that surrounds the fight for power between the occupying Ottoman Empire and the Byzantines, who have recently been dethroned. In the second part of the story, we see how he gets help from a stunning stranger who he meets while searching for the legacy left behind by his predecessor, Altar.

Both of the story-driven quest lines offer a variety of rewards and are written quite well; they also introduce a large number of new characters and provide an engaging storyline. In a similar vein, the design of these missions is among the greatest that the series has seen up to this point. Thrilling car chases are interspersed with sneaky pursuits through the crowded city streets. Incite rioting in one moment, and then immediately after that, invade an enemy stronghold.

Sometimes, different camera angles that are more cinematic help to emphasize the drama. A prolonged ending that includes some of the most engaging moments from throughout the series brings everything together in the end to make a satisfying whole.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

If someone has played either Assassin’s Creed Origins or Odyssey, Valhalla won’t come as much of a surprise to them at all. The gameplay and all of the additional aspects that come with the game are exact replicas of earlier editions in the series, right down to the gameplay itself. 

There is nothing here that one hasn’t seen before, with the exception of the storyline. There is minimal innovation coming the player’s way, and there are just a few parts that are blended together in order to conceal the fact that it’s a rehash of prior gameplay techniques of the franchise. It is difficult to refrain from criticizing the game for essentially being an extension of games that came before it.

The sea-based gameplay in AC Valhalla is the greatest it has ever been in the series, and it is presented in a more daring light as a result of the game’s emphasis on the exploration aspect of the experience rather than the never-ending fighting that no one appreciates.

The fact that players may relax while on the sea or opt to engage in raid operations brings a new level of sophistication to the game never previously seen. While you’re at it, why not go through our Best AC Valhalla Builds and best shields and best bows guides.

It is unusual for the Assassin’s Creed franchise to choose to connect key storylines that take place more than a decade before the game that is currently being released. The games of Desmond Miles and Layla Hassan are brought together in Valhalla, which accomplishes the same goal.

This is a method that has never been utilized in any of the previous episodes of the series. It was reiterated, and the point was driven home even harder with the most recent Crossover Stories event, which brought together the Valhalla and Odyssey realms.

Before you move on with the tier list, consider reading our AC Valhalla Flyting and skills locations guides.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

You take on the role of Shay Patrick Cormac, a member of the Assassin’s Colonial Brotherhood when you play Assassin’s Creed Rogue. At least in the beginning, for as time goes on, he loses trust in the Creed and betrays them by joining their most dreaded adversary.

After that, he launches an eradication operation against his former brethren and commits himself to advance the aims of the Templar Order. Assassin’s Creed: Rogue was touted as the game where players will finally get the opportunity to control the antagonists for a change. That did a greater injustice to this game than anything else could have.

The fundamental game mechanics were lifted wholesale from the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag video game. Sailing, fighting, and the stealth mechanics required for minimal stealth are largely functionally the same, but each has been modified in ways that significantly enhance them. For instance, in comparison to the Jackdaw, Shay’s ship, the Morrigan, is a far more svelte and nimble beast.

She continues to hit just as hard as before, which results in fights that are shorter yet retain their intensity. In addition, she is equipped with a ram that is more powerful, which may also be employed with the other new sailing mechanic. Icebergs and sheets of ice provide a new challenge now that the northern Atlantic ocean has taken the place of the open sea. Ice sheets force you to go at a slower pace and require the use of the ram to get through them.

On the other hand, icebergs may be possibilities or impediments, depending on how you look at them. When one of these is hit with an explosive shot, it causes the target to explode, delivering significant damage to any close foes. They don’t alter the rules of the game, but they certainly make it more interesting.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

AC Liberation provides a fairly great portable Assassin’s Creed experience for the first time, which is quite astounding given that the multitude of iOS productions like Bloodlines really didn’t do the franchise any genuine justice.

On the other hand, it offers a gameplay experience that can seem disconnected at times, and it has a few technological restrictions that are evidently caused by the fact that Ubisoft tried to fit a game of console quality onto a portable gaming system.

The protagonist of the video game, Aveline de Grandpré, is half French and half African-American. She is a young woman of luxury who has access to a multitude of luxuries that many others do not have, in addition to having the assistance of her family’s assassination organization.

Due to the fact that the game is essentially powered by the same engine, the system of combat is identical to that of Assassin’s Creed III. In addition to using a hatchet and a concealed blade as Connor does, Aveline also has a unique skill that allows her to kill many enemies at once, a blowgun and a whip to help shake things up a little.

As is always the case with the Assassin’s Creed franchise, this installment provides excellent value for your money in terms of the length and endurance of its narrative. The narrative is comprised of 10 episodes and is rather extensive (about ten to fifteen hours), and even after the closing credits have rolled, there is a plethora of additional content to engage in.

Because AC Liberation is the first real portable entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, it is inevitable that it will have certain issues that need to be ironed out along the way. As long as you are able to work around some technological restrictions, you should try to make the most of the time you have while you are waiting for Abstergo to develop further simulations for you.

D-Tier

By all means, Assassin’s Creed Games entailed in our D-tier are not poor or just bad. However, playing these titles will make you quit and experience the better ones we have listed above. 

Assassin’s Creed 1

The world-building in Assassin’s Creed is likely one of the franchise’s most impressive achievements. In Assassin’s Creed 1, there wasn’t a huge open world like there is in the more recent games, but each city had its own flavor, and it seemed like it was still very much alive.

It was exciting to be able to use the masses to Altair’s advantage while dodging Templar warriors, despite the fact that the general AI and NPCs required some changes while working, and players may meet a good amount of bugs along the route.

The presence of Assassin Dens across each area provided a sense of protection and security in the company of fellow assassins who maintained them, a feature that was removed from the series later on.

The current tale, as well as how non-intrusive it was, is another facet of the very first Assassin’s Creed game that is sometimes disregarded by fans. Desmond Miles was the first modern protagonist of the series, although his narrative was not very complex, and he was never even outside of his apartment.

It was only a minor narrative about a regular man who was abducted and utilized for his heritage, and there were no global stakes that had been established at this point.

The later iterations of the Assassin’s Creed game series capitalized on the growing popularity of open-world role-playing video games and gradually drifted away from the series’ stealth-parkour beginnings. The first Assassin’s Creed game took place during the Crusades and focused on the Golden Age of the Assassin Brotherhood. Despite a large number of other assassins in the game, the player was still given the impression that they were the most important.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles comes with three games, and each one of them is comparable to the others in a number of ways. They all provide a tale that is rather unremarkable and tell it in a manner that is uninspired, neither drawing you in nor allowing you to form a relationship or an attachment to the storyline or the people in the story.

As a direct consequence of this, I do not find the protagonists to be very memorable. Fans of side-scrolling games will enjoy the gameplay, which is very solid and complements the outstanding level design very well. There is also an interesting assortment of new weaponry to make use of in the game.

However, the primary stealth features do not provide the same sense of gratification as they did in the previous large-scale Assassin’s Creed games.

The primary reason for it is the presence of a large number of immediate death failures. These failures encourage a play style that is timid and based on trial and error, which rapidly leads to frustration because it causes you to die over and over again.

The ‘cartoony’ style that the games use for their graphics is appropriate for the kind of games that they are, but China’s limited color palette sadly results in a visually uninteresting experience. It is far better in India and Russia, with the colorful brightness of India being possibly the most enticing of the two countries.

Last but not least, the quality of the sound design in each game is excellent, and it works well with the tempo and tone of the narrative. I would say that what distinguishes AC: India the most from the other two is its Indian-style soundtrack, which was also my personal favorite of the three.

These tales might seem intriguing at first, but when it comes to the actual storyline and the goals of the characters, they fall pretty short of expectations.

Assassin’s Creed Games Tier List Criteria

The AC games tier list that we have curated above is based on our experience of all Assassin’s Creed games, along with research involving player base preference for each AC title. We understand that our ranking of all AC games may or may not be similar to how you rank each game. Still, this tier list represents our thought process only, and any criticism regarding the rankings is not welcome. 

At eXputer, we believe in providing unbiased tier lists that are true to the source material and are curated after writers have experienced these titles. 

That is pretty much everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Games tier list rankings. Which is your the best and worst AC game from the series? Let us know more of your thoughts in the comments section below.

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