Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the latest installment in the celebrated Assassin’s Creed franchise, set during the Sengoku period of Japan in 1579. This setting places it mid-way through the series' sprawling historical timeline, which doesn't follow a strictly chronological order but rather jumps across different eras to explore pivotal moments in history.

With 14 mainline games and counting, the Assassin’s Creed series weaves a complex narrative spanning centuries. IGN has meticulously analyzed the lore to construct a comprehensive timeline that arranges the key events of the series in chronological order, shedding light on the overarching story and how each game fits into the broader narrative.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

To understand the Assassin’s Creed timeline, we must delve into its foundational lore. Long before recorded history, the Isu—a highly advanced, god-like race—ruled the earth. They created humans to serve as their slaves, controlling them with powerful artifacts known as the Apples of Eden. However, humans, driven by a desire for freedom, rebelled against their creators. Adam and Eve, two humans, stole an Apple of Eden, sparking a revolutionary war that lasted a decade. This conflict was abruptly ended by a catastrophic solar flare that wiped out the Isu, leaving humanity to rise from the ruins and claim the planet.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

During the Peloponnesian War, mercenary Kassandra uncovers The Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the conflict. Her journey reveals that her brother, Alexios, was kidnapped and transformed into a weapon by the Cult due to their shared lineage with the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a descendant of the Isu. Kassandra’s mission to thwart the Cult’s plans leads her to destroy an Isu device used to predict the future and ultimately reunite with her father, Pythagoras, who gifts her the Staff of Hermes, an artifact granting immortality, tasking her with safeguarding Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

Set in Cleopatra’s Egypt, the story follows Bayek, a peacekeeper whose son is killed during a kidnapping by The Order of the Ancients, an organization linked to the Cult of Kosmos. Driven by vengeance, Bayek and his wife Aya dismantle The Order, discovering its global ambitions to control politics and religion through Isu artifacts. Their resistance leads to the formation of The Hidden Ones, the precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood, dedicated to opposing The Order’s tyranny.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

Nearly a century later, The Hidden Ones have expanded their influence, with strongholds like the fortress of Alamut in Iran. Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin and uncovers The Order of the Ancients’ plans to access an Isu temple. Inside the temple, Basim learns of his past life as Loki, an Isu, and vows to seek revenge on those who imprisoned him.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

Basim joins a Viking clan in England, led by Sigurd and his sibling Eivor, to continue his hunt for The Order of the Ancients. The Vikings establish Ravensthorpe, confronting King Alfred’s oppressive rule, a Templar ally. Basim reveals Eivor and Sigurd as reincarnations of Odin and Týr, respectively, and seeks vengeance. Eivor traps Basim within a simulation generated by the Yggdrasil computer, while Sigurd, traumatized, cedes leadership to Eivor, who returns to Ravensthorpe as a hero after defeating King Alfred.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

Three centuries later, The Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing a transformed foe, The Knights Templar, who seek global domination through the Apples of Eden. Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, tasked with redeeming himself after a botched mission, assassinates nine Templar leaders, uncovering a plot involving the Apple of Eden. His mentor, Al Mualim, betrays the Brotherhood to control the Apple, forcing Altaïr to confront and kill him, taking leadership of the Assassins.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

During the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze joins the Assassin Brotherhood to avenge his family, killed by the Templar-aligned Borgia family. With Leonardo Da Vinci’s innovations, Ezio reclaims an Apple of Eden and uncovers an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. Inside, he encounters Minerva, who warns of an impending apocalypse in 2012, revealing that Isu vaults worldwide hold the key to humanity’s survival.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Despite defeating the Pope, Ezio spares his life, leading to the Borgia’s Papal Army besieging Ezio’s villa and stealing the Apple of Eden. Ezio rebuilds the Assassin Brotherhood, reclaims Rome from the Borgia, and secures the Apple in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, safeguarding it from the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Ezio seeks more knowledge about the Isu, leading him to Masyaf and Altaïr’s library. The Templars are also after the library, prompting Ezio to ally with the Ottoman Assassins against the Byzantine Templars in Constantinople. Inside the library, Ezio discovers Altaïr’s remains and a message from Jupiter about data crucial for surviving an apocalypse, stored in the Grand Temple. Ezio leaves the Apple in the library as intended and eventually dies from his accumulated injuries.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set during Japan’s Sengoku period, an African mercenary named Yasuke arrives with a Jesuit missionary. He becomes a samurai under the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga, aiding in the unification of Japan’s warring factions. Yasuke’s path crosses with Naoe, a shinobi from the Iga province, and despite their initial opposition, they unite to pursue a common goal.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway becomes entangled with the Templars’ quest for The Observatory, an Isu device for surveillance. As he seeks to profit from the device, Edward allies with pirates, including the Sage Bartholomew Roberts, who can unlock The Observatory. After betrayal and a quest for vengeance, Edward ultimately secures the device, assassinates the Templar leader, and chooses the world's safety over personal gain, retiring to England.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, an Assassin, inadvertently causes an earthquake while retrieving an Isu artifact, leading him to defect and join the Templars. His journey takes him from Lisbon to New York, where he rises through the Templar ranks, thwarting the Assassins’ plans to access more Isu temples. Shay’s actions contribute to the Templar’s suggestion of sparking a revolution in France, mirroring the Assassins’ actions in America.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

Haytham Kenway, a Templar, seeks to unlock the Isu Grand Temple and fathers a son, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with a Mohawk woman. Years later, after his mother's death, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now called Connor, joins the Assassins and battles the Templars during the American Revolution. His quest leads to a confrontation with his father, Haytham, resulting in a fatal clash over their opposing ideologies. Connor secures the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars’ plans.

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 through slavery and Isu artifacts. Her investigation leads to a confrontation with her stepmother, the ‘Company Man’ behind the plot. Aveline kills her and activates the Prophecy Disk, revealing the story of Eve’s rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian, orphaned after Shay Cormac kills his father, joins the Assassin Brotherhood to avenge his adoptive father’s murder. His journey reveals a Templar faction led by François-Thomas Germain, sparking the French Revolution. Arno and his sister Élise confront Germain, who attempts to use a Sword of Eden. The weapon explodes, killing Élise and wounding Germain, who reveals himself as the current Sage. Arno secures Germain’s remains in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In Victorian London, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye pursue The Shroud, an Isu device. They dismantle the Templar control over the city, with Jacob assassinating key figures while Evie races to find The Shroud. The twins ultimately secure The Shroud, thwarting Templar plans, and later confront Jack the Ripper. Evie raises her daughter Lydia as an Assassin, who during World War I, battles a Templar-led German spy network, killing the latest Sage.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Assassin’s Creed series uses a modern-day framing story, with the Templars establishing Abstergo Industries in 1937 as a front for their global control efforts. Abstergo develops the Animus, a device to explore ancestral memories, aiming to control the future through the past.

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

2012

In 2012, Desmond Miles, a descendant of Altaïr and Ezio, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts. With help from an Assassin mole, Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Assassin Brotherhood. Exploring his ancestors’ memories, he learns of an impending apocalypse and sacrifices himself to activate Isu technology that prevents it, inadvertently releasing the Isu Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Abstergo continues its search for Isu technology using Desmond’s genetic material, tasking a researcher, "The Noob," to explore Edward Kenway’s memories. The Noob uncovers a plot involving the modern-day Sage, John Standish, who attempts to use them as a host for Juno but is killed by Abstergo security.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014

Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing the public to experience genetic memories. An initiate, guided by an Assassin named Bishop, explores Arno Dorian’s life, locating the remains of Sage François-Thomas Germain in the Paris Catacombs, thwarting Abstergo’s plans.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate investigates The Shroud’s location through Jacob and Evie Frye’s memories, discovering it beneath Buckingham Palace. Abstergo retrieves it first, intending to create a living Isu, while Juno manipulates events to sabotage their efforts.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

2017

Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops a new Animus version and uses Bayek and Aya’s DNA to explore the origins of The Hidden Ones. Contacted by the Assassin leader William Miles, Layla joins the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra’s memories and finds Atlantis. Kassandra, kept alive by the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla’s role in maintaining balance between the Assassins and Templars. Kassandra passes the Staff to Layla and dies, relieved of her duty.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Layla investigates Earth’s magnetic field disturbances, exploring Eivor’s memories and discovering the Yggdrasil computer. She enters its simulation, meeting Basim and a manifestation of Desmond’s mind, "The Reader." Layla sacrifices her mortal form to prevent future apocalypses, while Basim escapes with the Staff of Hermes, seeking Loki’s children.