Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest installment in the renowned series, set in the feudal Japan of the Sengoku period, which places it at a unique midpoint within the series' historical timeline. Unlike a typical chronological progression, the Assassin’s Creed franchise leaps through time, exploring pivotal moments from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the dawn of the First World War. With a total of 14 mainline games and counting, the timeline of these events can become intricate. That's why IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to create a comprehensive timeline that spans centuries, detailing the overarching narrative and how each game interconnects.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

Before diving into the historical timeline, it's essential to understand the lore that sets the stage. In ancient times, the Isu, a highly advanced civilization with god-like powers, ruled the Earth. They engineered humanity to serve as their slaves, controlling them with powerful artifacts known as the Apples of Eden. The rebellion against this control began when two humans, Eve and Adam, stole an Apple of Eden and sparked a revolutionary war against the Isu. This conflict lasted a decade until a catastrophic solar flare obliterated the Isu, leaving humanity to rebuild and inherit the Earth.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

Set during the Peloponnesian War in Greece, the game follows Kassandra, a mercenary who uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the war's course. Kassandra's journey reveals her brother Alexios, transformed by the Cult into a formidable weapon due to his lineage from the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, an Isu descendant. Kassandra's mission is to thwart the Cult's domination of Greece, which involves destroying an Isu device used for forecasting the future. Her quest also leads her to reunite with her father, Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who entrusts her with the immortal-granting Staff of Hermes and the guardianship of Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

During Cleopatra's reign in Egypt, the Order of the Ancients, another shadowy organization linked with the Cult of Kosmos, kidnaps Bayek and his son in an attempt to unlock an Isu vault. After a tragic accident that leads to his son's death, Bayek, alongside his wife Aya, sets out to dismantle the Order. Their journey uncovers the Order's global ambitions to control politics and religion using the Apples of Eden. In response, Bayek and Aya establish the Hidden Ones, a secret society of assassins operating from Egypt and Rome to counter the Order's oppression.

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 former street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin to investigate the Order of the Ancients. Basim uncovers their plan to access an Isu temple beneath Alamut, which houses a technologically advanced prison containing Loki, an Isu god revered by the Norse. Discovering his own reincarnation as Loki, Basim vows to seek vengeance against those who imprisoned him in his past life.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

In the following decade, Basim accompanies a Viking clan to England to continue his hunt for the Order of the Ancients. Viking siblings Sigurd and Eivor establish a settlement in England, Ravensthorpe, and uncover the tyranny of King Alfred, a leader within the Order aiming to impose a Christian regime. Sigurd's encounter with an Isu artifact leads to visions of his divinity, prompting a journey back to Norway. There, Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Isu who once imprisoned Loki. Eivor survives Basim's attack and traps him within a simulated world created by the Isu's Yggdrasil computer. Sigurd relinquishes leadership to Eivor, who returns to England to defeat King Alfred and secure Ravensthorpe's future.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

Over the next three centuries, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing the transformed Order of the Ancients, now known as the Knights Templar, with the same goal of establishing a new world order. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, an assassin, is tasked with stealing an Apple of Eden from the Templars. His mission leads him to assassinate nine Templar leaders, revealing their plot to use the Apple's power. However, Altaïr discovers that his mentor, Al Mualim, had betrayed the Templars to seize the Apple for himself, planning to enforce world peace through its power. Altaïr is forced to kill Al Mualim, taking leadership of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

During the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze is drawn into the Assassin Brotherhood following the Templar-orchestrated execution of his father and brothers. Armed with his father's assassin gear and innovative tools crafted by Leonardo Da Vinci, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family. His quest leads him to an Apple of Eden, which unveils an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. Confronted by the Isu Minerva, Ezio learns of an impending global catastrophe in 2012 and the potential of Isu vaults to avert it.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Despite defeating Pope Rodrigo Borgia in combat, Ezio spares him, a decision that backfires when the Borgia's forces seize the Apple of Eden from Ezio's villa. In retaliation, Ezio revitalizes the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, rising to lead the Italian Bureau. Their efforts dismantle the Borgia regime in Rome, reclaiming the Apple and securing it within an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, safeguarding it from Templar reach.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Seeking further insights into the Isu, Ezio journeys to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's library. He finds the Templars already in pursuit of the library's five keys. In Constantinople, Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins to thwart the Byzantine Templars' ambitions to re-establish their empire. Inside the library, Ezio discovers Altaïr's remains and an Apple of Eden, which projects a message from the Isu Jupiter about crucial data for surviving an apocalypse, stored in the Grand Temple. Understanding this knowledge is not for him but for a future observer, Ezio leaves the library and dies shortly after due to his long service to the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

Set during Japan's Sengoku period, Assassin’s Creed Shadows follows an African mercenary who arrives in Japan with a Catholic Jesuit missionary. He is recruited by the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga, adopting the name Yasuke and becoming a samurai. Yasuke participates in the invasion of the Iga province, home to Naoe, a shinobi master's daughter. Despite their initial opposition, Yasuke and Naoe eventually unite in pursuit of 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 conspiracy after killing and impersonating an assassin. He learns of the Templars' pursuit of the Observatory, an Isu device capable of surveilling any human, intending to blackmail world leaders. The device can only be unlocked by the 'Sage,' a human reincarnation of the Isu Aita. Edward allies with pirates to find the current Sage, Bartholomew Roberts, and disrupt the Templars' plans. After a series of betrayals and confrontations, Edward assassinates the Templar leader, secures the Observatory, and retires to England with his family.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, an assassin, triggers an earthquake in Lisbon while retrieving an Isu artifact, leading to his guilt-ridden defection from the Brotherhood. Rescued by the Templars, Shay rises through their ranks, eliminating key assassins and eventually confronting his former mentor, Achilles, in the Arctic to halt the Brotherhood's pursuit of Isu temples. Shay's actions indirectly influence the Templars to consider sparking a revolution in France in response to the American uprising.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

Haytham Kenway, a Templar, seeks to unlock the Isu's Grand Temple, acquiring the key in London before heading to the American Colonies. There, he falls in love with Kaniehti:io, and they have a son, Ratonhnhaké:ton, later known as Connor Kenway. After his mother's death and the destruction of his Mohawk settlement, Connor trains with the Assassins to exact revenge. His quest leads him to confront his father, Haytham, whose vision of Templar control clashes with Connor's ideals, culminating in Connor killing Haytham and burying the Grand Temple key.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

Simultaneously, Aveline de Grandpré, an assassin in New Orleans, uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana using slaves to unearth an Isu temple. Her investigation leads her to the 'Company Man,' revealed to be her stepmother, who intended to groom Aveline for the Templars. Aveline kills her stepmother and activates the Isu 'Prophecy Disk,' learning the story of Eve, the leader of the human rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Orphaned Arno Dorian, taken in by the French Templar leader, grows up with his new sister, Élise. Framed for murder and imprisoned, Arno is recruited by the Assassin Brotherhood to uncover a Templar conspiracy. Their investigation leads to the extremist François-Thomas Germain, who seeks to ignite the French Revolution. Arno and Élise pursue Germain, who attempts to use an Isu Sword of Eden. The sword's explosion kills Élise and wounds Germain, who reveals himself as the current Sage before Arno seals his remains in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In 1868, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye arrive in London to find the Shroud, an Isu device. They discover the Templars' control over the city through industry, politics, and crime. Jacob focuses on assassinating Templar leaders, while Evie searches for the Shroud. After Templar leader Crawford Starrick steals the Shroud, the twins assassinate him and return the device to its vault. Jacob later leads the London Assassins, and Evie tracks down Jack the Ripper. During World War I, their daughter Lydia, an assassin, investigates a Templar-run German spy facility in London, ultimately killing the espionage network's leader, another Isu Sage.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

While each Assassin’s Creed game is set in a historical period, the series features a modern framing story. During this transition period, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries in 1937 as part of their capitalist control strategy. In the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a virtual reality device 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 descendant of Altaïr, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts. Assisted by Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Brotherhood to explore Ezio's memories. Through these, he learns of an impending apocalypse and the Brotherhood's mission to prevent it. Desmond finds an Apple of Eden, but it leads to Lucy's death and his coma. Upon awakening, he and the Assassins locate the Grand Temple, where Desmond sacrifices himself to activate Isu technology, preventing the apocalypse but unleashing Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Using Desmond's DNA, Abstergo explores Edward Kenway's memories to find the Observatory. Their researcher, "The Noob," uncovers a plot by the modern-day Sage, John Standish, to host Juno. Standish's attempt to kill The Noob fails, and he is killed by 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 find Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains, believed to be safely sealed in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate's next mission is to locate the Shroud in London through Jacob and Evie Frye's memories. Abstergo retrieves the Shroud first, planning to create a living Isu, while Juno manipulates Abstergo employees 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. William Miles recruits her into the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's memories, discovering Atlantis and the Staff of Hermes. Kassandra, kept alive by the Staff, explains the need for balance between Assassins and Templars, prophesying Layla's role in maintaining it before passing away.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Layla investigates magnetic field fluctuations, exploring Eivor's memories to find the Yggdrasil computer in Norway. Inside the simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness to prevent future apocalypses. Basim escapes the simulation, claiming the Staff of Hermes, which holds Aletheia's consciousness, and joins the Assassins to find Loki's children.