The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

Assassin's Creed Shadows, the latest installment in this sprawling franchise, might seem chronologically out of place. Set in feudal Japan, it occupies a middle point in the series' historical timeline. That's because the Assassin's Creed games don't follow a strict chronological order; instead, they leap across centuries, exploring pivotal moments from the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece to the eve of World War I.

With 14 mainline games and counting, the Assassin's Creed timeline is undeniably complex. To untangle this centuries-long saga, we've meticulously pieced together the lore, revealing the overarching narrative and how each game fits into the larger picture. Below is a chronological overview of the key events in the Assassin's Creed universe.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

Before we delve into the historical timeline, we need to understand the foundational lore. Eons ago, a highly advanced civilization of god-like beings, the Isu, ruled the Earth. They created humanity to serve as their slaves, maintaining control through powerful artifacts known as the Apples of Eden. However, humanity, naturally averse to enslavement, rebelled. Eve and Adam, two humans, stole an Apple of Eden, sparking a decade-long war. This conflict was abruptly ended by a devastating solar flare that wiped out the Isu, leaving humanity to inherit the Earth.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

Amidst the turmoil of the Peloponnesian War in Greece, Kassandra, a mercenary, uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a clandestine organization secretly manipulating the conflict. She discovers her long-lost brother, Alexios, a demigod-like weapon created by the Cult. Kassandra learns the Cult targeted Alexios due to his Isu lineage, tracing back to the legendary Spartan King Leonidas. Kassandra's mission: to thwart the Cult's plan for Greek domination, a plan involving an Isu device capable of predicting the future. She eliminates key Cult members, destroys the device, and ultimately brings an end to the war. Her journey also leads to a reunion with her father, Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality and appointing her guardian of Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

During Cleopatra's reign in Egypt, Bayek, a Medjay (peacekeeper), and his son are kidnapped by the Order of the Ancients, another shadowy organization collaborating with the Cult of Kosmos. The Order seeks Bayek's bloodline to unlock an Isu vault, but his attempts fail, resulting in the accidental death of his son. Driven by grief and vengeance, Bayek and his wife, Aya, dedicate themselves to dismantling the Order, which controls Egypt through its puppet Pharaoh, Ptolemy, and its influence over Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Their efforts reveal the Order's global reach, its manipulation of politics and religion through Isu artifacts. To combat the Order's oppression, Bayek and Aya establish the Hidden Ones, a secret society of spies and assassins operating in Egypt and Rome.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

Centuries later, the Hidden Ones have established numerous strongholds, including Alamut in Iran. Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief from Baghdad, undergoes assassin training and investigates the Order of the Ancients in his city. He uncovers their quest for an Isu temple beneath Alamut, assisting the assassins in repelling the Order's invasion. Within the temple, he discovers a technologically advanced prison holding Loki, an Isu considered a god by the Norse. Basim learns of his own reincarnation as Loki and vows revenge on those who imprisoned him.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

Basim accompanies a Viking clan to England, continuing his pursuit of the Order of the Ancients. Sigurd and Eivor, the clan's leaders, establish their settlement, Ravensthorpe, while confronting the tyranny of King Alfred, an Order member seeking to impose a Christian system. The discovery of an Isu artifact leads Sigurd to experience godlike visions, revealing Eivor and Sigurd's identities as reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Loki's jailers. Basim attacks, but Eivor prevails, trapping him in a simulated world within the Yggdrasil-shaped Isu computer. Traumatized, Sigurd relinquishes leadership to Eivor, who defeats King Alfred and returns to Ravensthorpe as a hero.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

Over the next three centuries, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing the Knights Templar, the transformed Order of the Ancients. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad steals an Apple of Eden from the Templars, but his arrogance leads to a fellow assassin's death. He's tasked with assassinating nine Templar leaders, uncovering Al Mualim's betrayal and his plan to use the Apple for world domination. Altaïr kills Al Mualim and assumes control of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

In the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore da Firenze joins the Assassin Brotherhood, seeking revenge for his family's murder at the hands of the Templars. Using his father's equipment and Leonardo da Vinci's inventions, Ezio battles the Borgia family, acquiring an Apple of Eden that reveals an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. He confronts Rodrigo Borgia, the Templar Grand Master and Pope, ultimately gaining access to the vault and receiving a vision from Minerva, warning of an impending apocalypse in 2012 and revealing a network of Isu vaults as a potential solution.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Despite defeating Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio's victory is short-lived; the Papal Army attacks his villa, stealing the Apple of Eden. Ezio rebuilds the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, becoming leader of the Italian Bureau. They dismantle the Borgia regime, reclaiming the Apple and hiding it in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Seeking Isu knowledge, Ezio investigates Altaïr's library in Masyaf, only to find the Templars have already begun collecting the keys to unlock it. He travels to Constantinople, allying with Ottoman Assassins against Byzantine Templars, disrupting their plan to restore the Byzantine Empire. In the library, Ezio discovers Altaïr's remains and a message from Jupiter revealing the Grand Temple and crucial data for humanity's survival. Ezio leaves the Apple secured and retires, dying shortly after.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

In 16th-century Japan, an African mercenary travels with a Jesuit missionary, becoming a samurai named Yasuke under Oda Nobunaga. He encounters Naoe, daughter of a shinobi master, and they unite despite their opposing sides in the conflict.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy

Edward Kenway, a pirate, becomes entangled in a Templar conspiracy involving The Observatory, an Isu device for spying on humanity. The Templars seek Bartholomew Roberts, the current Sage, to unlock it. Edward aims to exploit The Observatory but is betrayed by Roberts. He retrieves the artifact, assassinates Laureano de Torres y Ayala, and secures the device, returning to England.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, after causing an earthquake in Lisbon, defects from the Assassin Brotherhood, stealing their map of Isu temples. He joins the Templars, rising through their ranks and pursuing his former master, Achilles. In 1776, he suggests the Templars spark a revolution in France.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

The Templars seek the Grand Temple. Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, travels to America, failing to unlock the Temple but fathering Connor Kenway with a Mohawk woman. After his mother's death, Connor becomes an Assassin, fighting Templars during the American Revolution and ultimately killing his father.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

Aveline de Grandpré, an Assassin in New Orleans, uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana, discovering her stepmother's involvement and activating a Prophecy Disk revealing Eve's story.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian, orphaned after his father's murder, becomes an Assassin, uncovering a Templar plot to ignite the French Revolution. He works with Élise, his adoptive sister, ultimately killing François-Thomas Germain, the extremist Templar leader and Sage.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

Twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye battle the Templars in London, seeking The Shroud. They defeat Crawford Starrick, the Templar leader, and secure The Shroud.

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Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Templars establish Abstergo Industries, using the Animus to explore the memories of ancestors.

Assassin’s Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, and 3

2012

Desmond Miles, an Assassin, uses the Animus to locate Isu artifacts, ultimately sacrificing himself to prevent the apocalypse.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Abstergo continues its search for Isu technology using Desmond's DNA, encountering the modern-day Sage, John Standish.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014

An initiate relives Arno Dorian's memories to locate the remains of François-Thomas Germain.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate explores Jacob and Evie Frye's memories to find The Shroud, learning of Abstergo's and Juno's plans.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

2017

Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, uses Bayek and Aya's DNA to relive their memories and joins the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Layla explores Kassandra's memories, discovering Atlantis and receiving the Staff of Hermes.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Layla explores Eivor's memories, discovering the Yggdrasil computer and working with Basim and Desmond's consciousness to prevent future apocalypses.

Assassin's Creed: The Complete Playlist

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