Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows may be the latest installment in the iconic series, but its setting in feudal Japan positions it right in the middle of the franchise’s extensive historical timeline. The Assassin’s Creed series is known for its non-linear approach to history, jumping between different eras from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the eve of the First World War. This method allows the series to explore pivotal moments across centuries, creating a rich tapestry of narratives.

With 14 mainline games and counting, the timeline of events in the Assassin’s Creed universe has become increasingly intricate. To help fans navigate this complex web, IGN has meticulously analyzed the lore to compile a comprehensive timeline. This timeline presents the key events of the Assassin’s Creed saga in chronological order, providing clarity on the overarching story and how each game interconnects.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

Before diving into the timeline, it's essential to understand some background lore. Long before recorded history, the Earth was governed by the Isu, a highly advanced civilization often revered as gods. They engineered humanity to serve as their workforce, maintaining control through powerful artifacts known as the Apples of Eden. However, rebellion sparked when two humans, Eve and Adam, stole an Apple and incited a revolution against their Isu overlords.

The ensuing war lasted a decade but was abruptly halted by a catastrophic solar flare that obliterated the Isu. Humanity, now free, emerged from the ashes to rebuild and shape their own destiny.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

Set during the tumultuous Peloponnesian War, the story follows Kassandra, a mercenary who uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group orchestrating the conflict. Kassandra learns that the Cult, which includes her long-lost brother Alexios, has targeted him due to their shared lineage with the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu.

Determined to thwart the Cult's ambitions, Kassandra embarks on a mission to dismantle their organization and destroy their Isu device that predicts future outcomes. Her journey leads her to reunite with her father, Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality, and tasks her with guarding Atlantis for eternity.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

During Cleopatra's reign, the Order of the Ancients, an organization linked to the Cult of Kosmos, abducts Bayek, a peacekeeper, and his son. Believing Bayek's lineage holds the key to an Isu vault, the Order's plans are thwarted when Bayek, in a tragic accident, kills his son during their escape.

Driven by vengeance, Bayek and his wife Aya dismantle the Order, which manipulates Egypt's power dynamics through Pharaoh Ptolemy and allies Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Realizing the Order's global reach and their quest for Isu artifacts, Bayek and Aya establish The Hidden Ones, a covert group dedicated to opposing their tyranny.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

A century later, The Hidden Ones have expanded globally, with a stronghold in Alamut, Iran. Here, Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin to investigate the Order of the Ancients' activities. His investigation leads him to an Isu temple beneath Alamut, where he discovers a prison once holding Loki, an Isu revered as a god by the Norse.

Realizing he is a reincarnation of Loki, Basim vows revenge against those who imprisoned him in his past life, setting the stage for further conflict.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

A decade later, Basim joins a Viking clan in England, seeking members of the Order of the Ancients. The clan's leader, Sigurd, and his sibling Eivor, work to establish their settlement, Ravensthorpe, while confronting the tyranny of King Alfred, a prominent Order member aiming to impose a Christian regime.

After discovering an Isu artifact, Sigurd experiences visions of divinity. Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Isu who imprisoned Loki. Following an attack, Eivor traps Basim in a simulated world within an Isu computer. Sigurd, traumatized, 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 their nemesis, the Order of the Ancients, which transforms into the Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, an assassin, aims to steal an Apple of Eden from the Templars.

Despite initial success, Altaïr's recklessness leads to a fellow assassin's death. Tasked with assassinating nine Templar leaders, he uncovers their plot to use the Apple for world domination. However, he discovers his mentor, Al Mualim, betrayed the Templars to control the Apple himself. Altaïr kills Al Mualim and takes leadership of the Brotherhood.

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 Templars. Armed with his father's equipment and new inventions from Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family, ultimately securing an Apple of Eden.

Using the Apple, Ezio uncovers an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. Inside, he encounters Minerva, who warns of an impending apocalypse in 2012 and suggests that a network of Isu vaults might offer humanity a chance at survival.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Despite defeating the Pope in a confrontation, Ezio spares his life, a decision that backfires when the Pope's forces besiege Ezio's villa and reclaim the Apple. In response, Ezio strengthens the Brotherhood, becoming the leader of the Italian Bureau.

The Assassins overthrow the Borgia regime in Rome, recover the Apple, and hide it in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, safeguarding it from Templar hands.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

Seeking further knowledge about the Isu, Ezio travels to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's library. However, the Templars are also after the library, collecting keys to unlock it. Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins in Constantinople to thwart the Templars' efforts and secure the keys.

Inside the library, Ezio finds Altaïr's remains, who sealed himself with his Apple to keep it from the Templars. A message from Jupiter reveals critical data for humanity's survival in the Grand Temple. Understanding the message is meant for someone else, Ezio leaves the Apple locked away and retires, eventually succumbing to his injuries.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

While details about Assassin’s Creed Shadows are limited, the game is set in 16th-century Japan, where an African mercenary named Yasuke, under the service of Oda Nobunaga, and a shinobi named Naoe, daughter of Fujibayashi Nagato, navigate the Sengoku period's chaos. Despite their opposing sides, they 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 stumbles into a Templar conspiracy after killing an Assassin. The Templars seek The Observatory, an Isu device for global surveillance, which can only be accessed by the 'Sage', a reincarnation of the Isu Aita.

Edward allies with pirates to find the current Sage, Bartholomew Roberts, and disrupt the Templar plan. After a betrayal by Roberts, Edward retrieves the Observatory's key, assassinates the Templar leader, and secures the device, choosing humanity's safety over personal gain. He later retires to England with his family.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, sent by the Assassins to retrieve an Isu artifact, inadvertently causes a devastating earthquake in Lisbon. Guilt-ridden, Shay defects and steals the Assassins' map of Isu temples. Rescued by the Templars, he ascends their ranks, targeting his former Assassin allies.

Tracking down his old mentor, Achilles, Shay and Haytham Kenway (Edward's son) thwart the Assassins' further attempts at Isu artifacts. In 1776, Shay suggests starting a revolution in France, influenced by the American uprising sparked by the Assassins.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

The Templars aim to unlock the Isu's Grand Temple. Haytham Kenway obtains the key but fails to unlock it, later fathering a child, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with a Mohawk woman. Years later, after his mother's death, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now Connor Kenway, becomes an Assassin and eliminates Templars within the British forces.

Reuniting with Haytham, Connor seeks peace, but their conflicting visions lead to a fatal confrontation. Connor buries the Grand Temple key, preventing the Templars from achieving their goal.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

Parallel to Connor's journey, Aveline de Grandpré, an Assassin in New Orleans, uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana. She learns of a larger conspiracy involving the 'Company Man', who uses slaves to find an Isu temple.

Discovering her stepmother as the Company Man, Aveline kills her and uses a 'Prophecy Disk' to learn about Eve, the leader of humanity's rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Orphaned by Shay Cormac, Arno Dorian grows up with the Templar Grand Master's family. Framed for murder, he's imprisoned and recruited by the Assassins. Their investigation reveals a Templar faction led by François-Thomas Germain, who ignites the French Revolution.

Arno and his sister, Élise, track Germain to a Templar crypt, where he attempts to kill Arno with a Sword of Eden. The weapon's explosion kills Élise and wounds 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 1868, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye arrive in London to find The Shroud, an Isu device. They discover the Templars have taken control of the city through industry and crime. Jacob focuses on assassinating Templar leaders, while Evie races to secure The Shroud.

Despite the death of their lieutenants, Templar leader Crawford Starrick retrieves The Shroud, but Jacob and Evie assassinate him, returning the device to its vault. Jacob later leads the London Assassins, and Evie tracks down Jack the Ripper, raising her daughter, Lydia, as an Assassin.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Assassin’s Creed series uses a modern-day framing story to connect its historical narratives. During the transition from the Victorian era to the modern storyline, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries, a pharmaceutical company, in 1937. By the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a 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 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 Assassins. Exploring Ezio's memories, he learns of an impending apocalypse and the potential of Isu technology to prevent it.

Desmond finds an Apple of Eden and is possessed by Juno, an Isu villain, who forces him to kill Lucy. In a coma, Desmond still accesses Ezio's memories, discovering the Grand Temple. Awakening, he sacrifices himself to activate the temple's technology, saving humanity but releasing Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Using Desmond's samples, Abstergo continues its search for Isu technology through Edward Kenway's memories. A researcher, "The Noob", is tasked with this mission but is manipulated by Abstergo's head of IT, John Standish, the modern-day Sage. Standish aims to host Juno within The Noob but is killed by security after his plans are exposed.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014

To find former Sages' remains, Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing public access to genetic memories. An Assassin initiate relives Arno Dorian's life, locating François-Thomas Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs, believed safe from Abstergo.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate then seeks The Shroud in London through Jacob and Evie Frye's memories. Abstergo retrieves it first, aiming to create a living Isu. Juno manipulates Abstergo to sabotage their plans, but the Assassins learn of Abstergo's intentions through a hacked Templar computer.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

2017

Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops an advanced Animus using DNA samples. In Egypt, she explores Bayek and Aya's memories, learning about The Hidden Ones' origins. William Miles recruits Layla into the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's memories and locates Atlantis. Kassandra, immortal through the Staff of Hermes, explains the need for balance between Assassins and Templars, prophesying Layla's role in achieving this. Kassandra dies after passing the Staff to Layla.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Observing magnetic field fluctuations, Layla explores Eivor's memories, discovering the Yggdrasil computer in Norway. Inside its simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness to prevent future apocalypses. Basim, freed from the simulation, claims the Staff of Hermes, which holds Aletheia's consciousness, and joins the Assassins to find Loki's children.