Assassin's Creed: A Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the latest installment in the iconic series, transports players to the heart of feudal Japan, setting it at the chronological midpoint of the franchise's expansive timeline. The Assassin’s Creed series is renowned for its non-linear progression through history, jumping from pivotal moments such as the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece to the dawn of the First World War. With 14 mainline games and an ever-growing universe, the timeline can be quite intricate. That's why IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to construct a comprehensive timeline, detailing the key events in chronological order and illustrating how each game fits into the overarching narrative.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

To fully understand the Assassin’s Creed timeline, we must delve into its lore. In ancient times, a highly advanced civilization known as the Isu ruled the earth. These god-like beings created humanity to serve as their slaves, controlling them with powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden. The spark of rebellion was ignited when Adam and Eve, two humans, stole an Apple and escaped, leading to a revolutionary war against their Isu masters. This conflict lasted a decade until a catastrophic solar flare wiped out the Isu, allowing the remnants of humanity to rise and claim the planet.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

Set against the backdrop of the Peloponnesian War in Greece, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey follows the mercenary Kassandra as she uncovers The Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the war. Among its members is her brother Alexios, kidnapped and transformed into a powerful weapon due to his lineage from the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu. Kassandra's quest to thwart the Cult's plans leads her to an Isu device that predicts future outcomes. By eliminating key Cult members and destroying the device, Kassandra ends the conflict. Her journey also reunites her with her father, Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who bestows upon her the Staff of Hermes, granting immortality and the responsibility to guard Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

During Cleopatra's reign in Egypt, the narrative shifts to Bayek, a peacekeeper whose son is kidnapped by The Order of the Ancients, a group connected to the Cult of Kosmos. Seeking to unlock an Isu vault, the Order targets Bayek's bloodline. Tragically, Bayek accidentally kills his son during an escape attempt, fueling his quest for vengeance. Alongside his wife Aya, Bayek dismantles the Order, which manipulates Egypt through its puppet Pharaoh, Ptolemy, and influences Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Realizing the Order's global ambitions to control politics and religion with Isu artifacts, Bayek and Aya form The Hidden Ones, a network of spies and assassins aimed at opposing the Order's tyranny.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

A century later, The Hidden Ones have established strongholds worldwide, including Alamut in Iran. Here, Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin to investigate The Order of the Ancients' activities. His discoveries lead to an Isu temple beneath Alamut, containing a prison once holding Loki, an Isu revered as a Norse god. Basim learns of his reincarnation as Loki and vows revenge against his former captors.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

Basim joins a Viking clan in England, pursuing members of The Order of the Ancients. The clan's leader, Sigurd, and his sibling Eivor, seek to establish their settlement, Ravensthorpe, amidst King Alfred's oppressive rule, who is a key member of the Order. After discovering an Isu artifact, Sigurd experiences visions, leading Basim to reveal that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Isu who imprisoned Loki. Eivor survives Basim's attack and traps him within a simulated world generated by the Yggdrasil tree. Sigurd, traumatized, relinquishes leadership to Eivor, who triumphs over King Alfred at the Battle of Chippenham 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, while their adversaries, The Order of the Ancients, transform into the Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, an Assassin, steals an Apple of Eden from the Templars. His arrogance leads to a fellow assassin's death, prompting his leader, Al Mualim, to task him with assassinating nine Templar leaders. As Altaïr completes his mission, he uncovers a plot involving the Apple of Eden and learns that Al Mualim had betrayed the Templars to control the artifact and impose "peace" on the world. Altaïr kills his former mentor and takes command of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

In the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze seeks vengeance for his family's execution, orchestrated by the Templars. With equipment inherited from his father and innovations from Leonardo Da Vinci, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family. His journey leads him to an Apple of Eden, revealing an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. The Templars, led by the newly appointed Pope Rodrigo Borgia, seek to access this vault. Ezio confronts Borgia and, after defeating him, enters the vault to meet the Isu Minerva, who warns of an impending apocalypse in 2012 and suggests that Isu vaults worldwide could be humanity's salvation.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Despite sparing Borgia's life, Ezio faces repercussions when the Papal Army besieges his villa and steals the Apple of Eden. In response, Ezio strengthens the Assassin Brotherhood, becoming the leader of the Italian Bureau. Their efforts dismantle the Borgia regime in Rome, reclaiming the Apple, which Ezio secures in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Seeking more Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's library. The Templars, already aware of the library, are collecting keys to unlock it. Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins in Constantinople to thwart the Byzantine Templars' plans. Inside the library, Ezio finds Altaïr's remains, who had locked himself in with his Apple to keep it from the Templars. A message from the Isu Jupiter reveals data crucial for humanity's survival post-apocalypse, stored in the Grand Temple. Ezio, understanding the message is meant for a future observer, leaves the Apple secured and retires, later succumbing to injuries sustained over his decades of service.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces us to an African mercenary and a Catholic Jesuit missionary arriving in Japan during the Sengoku period. The mercenary, Yasuke, serves under the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga, who is unifying Japan's warring factions. Yasuke participates in the invasion of the Iga province, home to Naoe, daughter of a shinobi master. Despite their opposing allegiances, Yasuke and Naoe eventually 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 in a Templar plot after killing an Assassin and assuming their identity. The Templars seek The Observatory, an Isu machine capable of spying on humans, which can only be accessed by the Sage, a human reincarnation of the Isu Aita. Edward, seeing a chance for profit, allies with pirates to find the current Sage, Bartholomew Roberts. Despite their initial success, Edward is betrayed by Roberts, who takes a crucial artifact. Edward eventually retrieves it, assassinates the Templar leader, and secures the Observatory, prioritizing global safety over personal gain.

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 an earthquake that devastates Lisbon. Guilt-ridden, Shay defects, stealing a map of Isu temples. Rescued by the Templars, he rises within their ranks, targeting Assassins and eventually confronting his former mentor, Achilles, in the Arctic. Shay and Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, injure Achilles to prevent further Isu temple disturbances. In 1776, Shay suggests sparking a revolution in France in response to the Assassins' actions in America.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

Haytham Kenway, seeking to unlock the Isu Grand Temple, travels to the American Colonies, where he falls in love and fathers Ratonhnhaké:ton with a Mohawk woman, Kaniehti:io. After abandoning his family, the Mohawk settlement is destroyed, and Kaniehti:io killed. Seeking revenge, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now Connor Kenway, trains as an Assassin under Achilles during the American Revolution. He eliminates Templar threats within the British forces, ultimately confronting Haytham. Their conflicting visions lead to Connor killing his father and burying the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars' plans.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

Parallel to Connor's story, Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans uncovers a Templar conspiracy to control Louisiana using slaves to unearth an Isu temple. Her quest leads her to confront her stepmother, the 'Company Man,' who had been grooming Aveline for the Templars. After killing her stepmother, Aveline activates a Prophecy Disk, revealing the tale of Eve's rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian, orphaned by Shay Cormac, grows up under the care of the French Templar Grand Master, François de la Serre. Framed for de la Serre's murder, Arno joins the Assassin Brotherhood to uncover the truth, leading him to the extremist François-Thomas Germain, who ignites the French Revolution. Arno and his sister Élise pursue Germain to a Templar crypt, where he attempts to kill Arno with a Sword of Eden. The sword explodes, killing Élise and mortally wounding Germain, who reveals himself as the Sage. Arno secures Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs, out of Templar reach.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In Victorian London, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye hunt for The Shroud, an Isu device. The Templars control the city through industry, politics, and crime. Jacob focuses on dismantling the Templar leadership, while Evie races to find The Shroud. The Templar leader, Crawford Starrick, steals The Shroud from beneath Buckingham Palace, but Jacob and Evie assassinate him, returning the artifact to its vault. Jacob becomes head of the London Assassins, and Evie later confronts Jack the Ripper. During the First World War, their daughter, Lydia, foils a Templar espionage operation, eliminating the latest Sage.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Assassin’s Creed series features a modern-day narrative framing each historical adventure. During this transition period, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries in 1937, a pharmaceutical company aimed at controlling the world through capitalism. By the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a virtual reality machine allowing exploration of ancestral memories, hoping to control the future by understanding 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 Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Assassin Brotherhood. Through the Animus, he relives Ezio's memories, learning of an impending apocalypse and the existence of the Grand Temple. Desmond sacrifices himself to activate the temple's technology, preventing the apocalypse but releasing the Isu Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Abstergo continues its search for Isu technology using Desmond's DNA, focusing on Edward Kenway's memories. An unnamed researcher, "The Noob," explores these memories while being manipulated by John Standish, the modern-day Sage. Standish's plan to use The Noob as a host for Juno fails, leading to his death at the hands of Abstergo security.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014

Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing public access to genetic memories. An unnamed initiate, guided by Assassin Bishop, relives Arno Dorian's life to locate the Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains, secured in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate's next mission involves locating The Shroud in London through Jacob and Evie Frye's memories. Abstergo retrieves The Shroud first, 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. William Miles recruits her into the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Layla uses DNA from the Spear of Leonidas to relive Kassandra's memories, uncovering Atlantis. Kassandra, immortal due to the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's destiny to balance the Assassins and Templars, gifting her the Staff before dying.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Layla investigates magnetic field disturbances linked to Desmond's actions, using Viking remains to explore Eivor's memories. She enters the Yggdrasil simulation in Norway to stabilize the magnetic field, meeting Basim and Desmond's digital manifestation, "The Reader." Layla abandons her physical form to prevent future apocalypses, while Basim escapes with the Staff of Hermes, seeking Loki's children.