The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the latest entry in the iconic series, but its setting in feudal Japan positions it at the midpoint of the franchise's vast historical timeline. The Assassin's Creed series does not follow a linear progression through history; instead, it leaps across time, exploring pivotal moments from the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece to the eve of the First World War.

With 14 mainline games and counting, the timeline of these events grows increasingly intricate. IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to construct a comprehensive timeline that places all key events in the Assassin's Creed saga in chronological order.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

Before diving into the timeline, it's essential to understand the lore. In ancient times, a highly advanced race known as the Isu ruled Earth. These god-like beings engineered humanity to serve as their slaves, controlling them with powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden. However, humans, led by Eve and Adam, rebelled after stealing an Apple, sparking a decade-long war. A cataclysmic solar flare ultimately wiped out the Isu, leaving humanity to rebuild from the ashes.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

During the Peloponnesian War in Greece, mercenary Kassandra uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the conflict. Among its members is her brother Alexios, who was abducted by the Cult as a child and transformed into a formidable weapon. Kassandra learns of her lineage to the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu. Her mission is to dismantle the Cult's plans, which involve using an Isu device to predict and control the war's outcome. Kassandra thwarts the Cult, destroys the device, and is reunited with her father Pythagoras, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality as the guardian of Atlantis.

Assassin's Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

Set during Cleopatra's reign, the Order of the Ancients, another shadowy organization, kidnaps Bayek and his son in an attempt to unlock an Isu vault. Bayek, unable to open the vault, accidentally kills his son during their escape, fueling his quest for vengeance. Together with his wife Aya, they dismantle the Order's control over Egypt, learning that the Order aims to dominate global politics and religion using Isu artifacts. In response, Bayek and Aya found the Hidden Ones, a secret society of spies and assassins.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

Nearly a century later, the Hidden Ones have established strongholds, including Alamut in Iran. Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, joins their ranks and is tasked with thwarting the Order's plans to access an Isu temple beneath Alamut. Inside, Basim discovers he is a reincarnation of Loki, an Isu once imprisoned there, and vows to avenge his past life.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

Basim continues his quest with a Viking clan in England, where Sigurd and his sibling Eivor seek to establish their settlement, Ravensthorpe. They uncover the tyranny of King Alfred, a member of the Order of the Ancients. Sigurd, influenced by an Isu artifact, believes himself to be a god. Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, respectively, and attempts to exact revenge. Eivor traps Basim in an Isu simulation, and after defeating King Alfred, returns to Ravensthorpe as a hero.

Assassin's Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

By the 12th century, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood. Their adversaries, the Order of the Ancients, transform into the Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad aims to retrieve an Apple of Eden stolen by the Templars. His mission leads him to assassinate nine Templar leaders, uncovering a plot to use the Apple for world domination. Altaïr learns of his mentor Al Mualim's betrayal and kills him, taking leadership of the Brotherhood.

Assassin's Creed II

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

In Renaissance Italy, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze seeks revenge against the Templars for his family's murder. With Leonardo Da Vinci's innovations, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family, securing an Apple of Eden. Inside a Vatican vault, he encounters the Isu Minerva, who warns of an impending apocalypse in 2012 and hints at a network of Isu vaults as humanity's salvation.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

After defeating the Pope in combat but sparing his life, Ezio faces the consequences when the Papal Army seizes the Apple of Eden. He rebuilds the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, reclaims the Apple, and hides it in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum.

Assassin's Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Ezio's quest for Isu knowledge leads him to Masyaf, where the Templars seek Altaïr's library. Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins in Constantinople to thwart the Templars. Inside the library, he finds Altaïr's remains and an Isu message from Jupiter about data crucial for humanity's survival. Ezio leaves the Apple locked inside and retires, later succumbing to his injuries.

Assassin's Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

Details about Assassin's Creed Shadows' storyline are sparse, but it follows an African mercenary, Yasuke, who arrives in Japan with a Jesuit missionary. He joins Oda Nobunaga's forces as a samurai and participates in the invasion of Iga. Here, he meets Naoe, a shinobi, and the two unite against a common enemy.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway becomes entangled with the Templars after killing an Assassin. He learns of their quest for the Observatory, an Isu device for spying on humans. Edward allies with pirates, including the Sage Bartholomew Roberts, to disrupt the Templars' plans. After retrieving the Observatory's artifact, Edward assassinates the Templar leader and returns home to England.

Assassin's Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, sent by the Assassin Brotherhood to retrieve an Isu artifact, inadvertently causes a devastating earthquake in Lisbon. Guilt-ridden, Shay defects, stealing the Brotherhood's map of Isu temples. Rescued by the Templars, he ascends their ranks, eventually confronting his former mentor Achilles in the Arctic. Shay suggests sparking a revolution in France, setting the stage for future events.

Assassin's Creed III

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

Haytham Kenway, seeking to unlock the Isu's Grand Temple, fails but fathers a child with Kaniehti:io. Their son, Ratonhnhaké:ton (Connor), becomes an Assassin after the destruction of his village. Amidst the American Revolution, Connor eliminates Templars within the British forces and confronts his father Haytham, ultimately killing him to prevent the Templars from controlling the nation.

Assassin's Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

In New Orleans, Aveline de Grandpré uncovers a Templar conspiracy to control Louisiana through slavery and Isu artifacts. She assembles components of an Isu device, the Prophecy Disk, and learns of her stepmother's Templar allegiance. After defeating her, Aveline activates the disk, revealing the story of Eve's rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin's Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Orphaned Arno Dorian joins the Assassin Brotherhood to avenge his adoptive father's murder by Shay Cormac. Their investigation leads to the Templar extremist François-Thomas Germain, who sparks the French Revolution. Arno and his sister Élise confront Germain, who is revealed as a Sage. After Germain's death, Arno secures his remains in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In Victorian London, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek the Shroud of Eden. They discover the Templars' control over the city and split their efforts: Jacob targets Templar leaders, while Evie searches for the Shroud. After assassinating the Templar leader Crawford Starrick, they secure the Shroud in a vault beneath Buckingham Palace.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Assassin's Creed series uses a framing story set in the modern era. During this period, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries, a pharmaceutical company, and develop the Animus, a device to explore ancestral memories. Abstergo aims to control the future by uncovering Isu artifacts.

Assassin's Creed I, II, Brotherhood, Revelations, and III

2012

Desmond Miles, a bartender, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts through his ancestor Altaïr's memories. With help from Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Brotherhood. Exploring Ezio's memories, Desmond learns of an impending apocalypse and discovers an Apple of Eden. Juno, a villainous Isu, possesses Desmond, leading him to kill Lucy and fall into a coma. Upon awakening, Desmond sacrifices himself to activate Isu technology that prevents the apocalypse, releasing Juno in the process.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

2013

Abstergo continues its search for Isu technology using samples from Desmond's body, focusing on Edward Kenway's memories. A researcher, dubbed "The Noob," uncovers the location of the Observatory. John Standish, the modern-day Sage, attempts to use The Noob as a host for Juno but is killed by Abstergo security.

Assassin's Creed Unity

2014

Abstergo releases "Helix," a public software for experiencing genetic memories. An initiate, guided by Assassin Bishop, explores Arno Dorian's life to locate Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains, which are secured in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate searches for the Shroud of Eden through Jacob and Evie Frye's memories. Abstergo retrieves the Shroud, intending to create a living Isu. Juno manipulates Abstergo employees to sabotage this plan.

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. She is recruited by the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

2018

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's memories and discovers Atlantis. Kassandra, kept alive by the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's role in maintaining balance between the Assassins and Templars. Kassandra dies after passing the Staff to Layla.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

2020

Layla and the Assassins investigate Viking remains to explore Eivor's memories, uncovering the Yggdrasil computer. Layla enters the simulation to stabilize Earth's magnetic field, encountering Basim and Desmond's consciousness, "The Reader." She abandons her mortal form to prevent future apocalypses, while Basim escapes with the Staff of Hermes, joining the Assassins in search of Loki's children.