The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the latest addition to the expansive Assassin's Creed series, setting its scene in the rich backdrop of feudal Japan. This choice places it squarely in the middle of the franchise's historical timeline, which famously jumps through time rather than progressing linearly. From the ancient Peloponnesian War in Greece to the dawn of the First World War, each installment delves into pivotal moments in history.

With a total of 14 mainline games and counting, the Assassin's Creed universe has woven an increasingly intricate tapestry of events and narratives. To help fans navigate this complexity, IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to construct a comprehensive timeline. This timeline not only chronicles key events in chronological order but also ties together the overarching narrative and the connections between each game.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE ------------------------

Before diving into the historical timeline, it's essential to understand the foundational lore. In the distant past, a highly advanced civilization known as the Isu ruled the Earth. These god-like beings created humanity as their servants, controlling them with powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden. However, humans, led by Adam and Eve, rebelled after stealing an Apple, sparking a decade-long war. This conflict ended abruptly when a solar flare devastated the Isu, leaving humanity to rise from the ashes.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War -------------------------------------------------------------

Amid the chaos of the Peloponnesian War, mercenary Kassandra uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the conflict. She learns that her brother, Alexios, kidnapped and transformed into a weapon by the Cult, shares the bloodline of their grandfather, the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a descendant of the Isu. Kassandra's quest to thwart the Cult's domination over Greece leads her to destroy an Isu device used for predicting futures. Reunited with her father Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, she is entrusted with the immortal-granting Staff of Hermes and tasked with guarding Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt ----------------------------------------------------------

During Cleopatra's reign, the Order of the Ancients, a group linked to the Cult of Kosmos, abducts peacekeeper Bayek and his son, seeking to unlock an Isu vault. The tragic loss of his son propels Bayek and his wife Aya to dismantle the Order, which manipulates Egypt through its puppet Pharaoh, Ptolemy, and enlists Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Discovering the Order's global ambitions to control politics and religion with the Apples of Eden, Bayek and Aya form the Hidden Ones, a secret society of spies and assassins, to combat this oppression.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age ---------------------------------------------------

As the Hidden Ones establish strongholds worldwide, Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin at Alamut in Iran. His mission to investigate the Order of the Ancients in Baghdad uncovers their plan to access an Isu temple. Inside the temple, Basim discovers a prison once holding Loki, an Isu revered as a god by the Norse. Learning he is Loki's reincarnation, Basim vows to seek vengeance on those who imprisoned him in his past life.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England -------------------------------------------------------------------

Basim joins a Viking clan in England to hunt members of the Order of the Ancients. Alongside clan leader Sigurd and sibling Eivor, they navigate England, confronting King Alfred, a leader within the Order with ambitions to enforce a Christian regime. Sigurd's visions after discovering an Isu artifact lead Basim to reveal that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, respectively, triggering his attempt to exact revenge. Eivor traps Basim in a simulated world, and after defeating King Alfred, returns as a hero to Ravensthorpe.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade ---------------------------------------

By the late 11th century, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing the newly formed Knights Templar, successors to the Order of the Ancients. During the Third Crusade, assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad aims to steal an Apple of Eden from the Templars. His mission leads him to assassinate nine Templar leaders, uncovering their plot to use the Apple's power. Altaïr learns of his mentor Al Mualim's betrayal and kills him, taking control of the Brotherhood to prevent the misuse of the Apple.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance --------------------------------------------------------

Ezio Auditore Da Firenze is thrust into the Assassin Brotherhood after the Templar-orchestrated execution of his family. Armed with his father's assassin tools and Leonardo Da Vinci's innovations, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family. He secures an Apple of Eden, uncovering an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. After defeating the Pope, Ezio learns from the Isu Minerva of an impending apocalypse in 2012, hinting at a global network of Isu vaults as humanity's salvation.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance -----------------------------------------------------------------

Despite defeating the Pope, Ezio's decision to spare him backfires 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. They overthrow the Borgia regime in Rome, reclaiming and hiding the Apple in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, keeping it safe from the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War ---------------------------------------------------------------

Seeking more Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's library, but the Templars are already collecting the keys to unlock it. In Constantinople, Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins to thwart the Byzantine Templars' plans. Inside the library, he finds Altaïr's remains and an Apple of Eden. A message from the Isu Jupiter reveals vital data for humanity's survival stored in the Grand Temple. Honoring Altaïr's wishes, Ezio leaves the Apple locked away and retires, succumbing to his injuries shortly after.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period -------------------------------------------------

Set during Japan's Sengoku period, Assassin's Creed Shadows follows an African mercenary, who becomes samurai Yasuke under the command of Oda Nobunaga. Alongside a Catholic Jesuit missionary, Yasuke's journey intersects with Naoe, the daughter of a shinobi master in Iga province. Despite their opposing allegiances, they unite to pursue a common goal amidst Nobunaga's campaign to unify Japan.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy ---------------------------------------------------------------------

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway inadvertently joins the Templar quest for the Observatory, an Isu device for spying on humanity. Only the 'Sage,' a reincarnation of the Isu Aita, can unlock it. Edward allies with pirate Bartholomew Roberts, the current Sage, but their partnership sours when Roberts betrays him. After reclaiming the Observatory's artifact, Edward assassinates Templar leader Laureano de Torres y Ayala and seals the artifact away, choosing the world's safety over personal gain.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War -------------------------------------------------------------

Assassin Shay Patrick Cormac's mission to retrieve an Isu artifact in Lisbon results in a devastating earthquake, leading him to defect and steal the Assassins' map of Isu temples. Rescued by the Templars, Shay rises through their ranks, eventually confronting his former mentor, Achilles, in the Arctic. Shay and fellow Templar Haytham Kenway prevent the Assassins from further temple excavations. Shay's suggestion leads to the Templars igniting the French Revolution in response to the American uprising.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution -------------------------------------------------------

The Templars aim to unlock the Isu's Grand Temple, with Haytham Kenway securing the key and fathering Ratonhnhaké:ton with a Mohawk woman. After the Mohawk settlement's destruction, Ratonhnhaké:ton becomes Connor Kenway, an Assassin trained by Achilles. Amid the American Revolution, Connor eliminates Templar-influenced British forces, confronting Haytham in a fatal clash over control and ideals. Connor buries the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars' plans.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parallel to Connor's journey, Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana and enslave people to unearth an Isu temple. Her quest leads to the 'Company Man,' revealed as her stepmother, who aimed to induct Aveline into the Templars. After defeating her, Aveline activates the Isu 'Prophecy Disk,' learning of Eve's leadership in the human rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution ---------------------------------------------------------

Orphaned Arno Dorian, taken in by the French Templar Grand Master, is framed for murder and imprisoned. After escaping with the help of the Assassin Brotherhood, Arno uncovers a Templar faction led by extremist François-Thomas Germain, who sparks the French Revolution. Alongside his sister Élise, Arno tracks down Germain to a crypt, where a Sword of Eden explodes, killing Élise and mortally wounding Germain, who reveals himself as the Sage. Arno seals Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England -----------------------------------------------------

In Victorian London, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye search for the Isu device, The Shroud. They find the city under Templar control through industry, politics, and crime. While Jacob assassinates Templar leaders, Evie races to find The Shroud first. After Templar leader Crawford Starrick steals The Shroud, the twins kill him and return the device to its vault, securing another victory for the Assassins. Jacob later leads the London Assassins, and Evie confronts Jack the Ripper and raises her daughter Lydia as an Assassin. During World War I, Lydia thwarts a Templar espionage network, killing its Sage leader.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012 --------------------------------

The Assassin's Creed series uses a modern-day framing story to connect its historical narratives. During this transition period, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries, a pharmaceutical company, in 1937 to exert control through capitalism. By the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a virtual reality machine for exploring 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 bartender with Assassin lineage, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts through his ancestors' memories. Assisted by Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Brotherhood. Exploring Ezio's memories, he learns of an impending apocalypse and finds the Apple of Eden hidden by Ezio. Juno, a villainous Isu, possesses Desmond, forcing him to kill Lucy. Despite a coma, Desmond relives Ezio's final memories, leading him to the Grand Temple, where he sacrifices himself to activate Isu technology and prevent the apocalypse, unwittingly releasing Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013 -------------------------------------

Using Desmond's samples, Abstergo continues its hunt for Isu technology through his ancestor Edward Kenway's memories. Assigned to this task, "The Noob" is manipulated by Abstergo's IT head, John Standish, the modern-day Sage, to hack their systems. Standish's plan to use The Noob as a host for Juno fails when she is not ready to emerge, leading to his death by Abstergo security.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014 -----------------------------

To locate former Sages' remains, Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing public access to genetic memories. An Assassin initiate, guided by Bishop, explores Arno Dorian's life, discovering the Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs, believed to be safe from Abstergo.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015 ---------------------------------

The initiate's next mission is to find The Shroud, hidden in London. Through Jacob and Evie Frye's memories, they learn its location beneath Buckingham Palace. Abstergo retrieves The Shroud first, planning to create a living Isu. Juno manipulates Abstergo employees to sabotage these plans.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

2017 -------------------------------

Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops a new Animus version using DNA samples directly. In Egypt, she explores Bayek and Aya's memories, witnessing the birth of the Hidden Ones. Contacted by William Miles, Layla joins the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018 -------------------------------

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's memories, locating Atlantis. There, Kassandra, kept alive by the Staff of Hermes, reveals the need for balance between Assassins and Templars and prophesies Layla's role in achieving it. Kassandra passes the Staff to Layla before dying.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020 --------------------------------

After detecting magnetic field disturbances, Layla explores Eivor's memories, uncovering the Yggdrasil computer in Norway. Inside the simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness, "The Reader," to prevent future apocalypses. Meanwhile, Basim escapes, claiming the Staff of Hermes, which contains Aletheia, and joins the Assassins to find Loki's children.