Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the latest entry in the beloved franchise, setting its stage in the midst of feudal Japan—a period that slots right into the middle of the series' expansive historical timeline. Unlike other series that might follow a straightforward chronological path, Assassin’s Creed thrives on its unique approach of jumping across time, from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the brink of the First World War. This non-linear storytelling enriches the series, allowing it to explore pivotal historical moments in depth.

With a total of 14 mainline games and more on the way, the timeline of Assassin’s Creed can be quite intricate. To help fans navigate this complex narrative, IGN has meticulously analyzed the lore to construct a comprehensive timeline. This timeline not only maps out the chronological sequence of events but also ties together the overarching story that spans centuries.

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 humans as their workforce, controlling them with powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden. However, the seeds of rebellion were sown when two humans, Adam and Eve, stole an Apple and sparked a revolution against their oppressors.

The ensuing conflict between humans and the Isu lasted for a decade until a catastrophic solar flare wiped out the Isu. The surviving humans then rose to claim the earth, setting the stage for the events that would unfold over millennia.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

During the tumultuous Peloponnesian War, the mercenary Kassandra uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the conflict from behind the scenes. Her journey reveals that her brother Alexios, kidnapped by the Cult as a child, has been transformed into a formidable weapon due to his lineage from the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu.

Kassandra's mission to thwart the Cult's plans leads her to dismantle their organization and destroy a predictive Isu device they use to control the war. Along the way, she reconnects with her father Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality and the duty to guard Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

In the era of Cleopatra, the Order of the Ancients—a shadowy group connected to the Cult of Kosmos—kidnaps Bayek, a peacekeeper, and his son. Believing Bayek's bloodline holds the key to an Isu vault, the Order is disappointed when he cannot unlock it. In a tragic twist, Bayek accidentally kills his son during their escape, fueling his quest for vengeance.

Bayek and his wife Aya dismantle the Order's control over Egypt, which has been manipulating Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Their journey reveals the Order's global ambitions and leads them to form the Hidden Ones, a precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood, dedicated to fighting tyranny.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

A century later, the Hidden Ones have established a strong presence, including the fortress of Alamut in Iran. Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin and tasked with investigating the Order of the Ancients' activities in his city.

His mission uncovers the Order's search for an Isu temple beneath Alamut, leading to a confrontation where Basim discovers his past life as Loki, an imprisoned Isu. This revelation fuels his quest for revenge against those who confined him.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

In the following decade, Basim joins a Viking clan led by Sigurd and his sibling Eivor as they seek to establish a settlement in England. Their journey uncovers the tyranny of King Alfred, a member of the Order of the Ancients intent on imposing a Christian regime.

After discovering an Isu artifact, Sigurd experiences visions convincing him of his divine nature. Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Isu who once imprisoned him. Eivor traps Basim in a simulated world, and after the traumatic events, Sigurd hands leadership to Eivor, who returns to England to defeat King Alfred at the Battle of Chippenham.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

Over the next three centuries, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, while their adversaries transform into the Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, an assassin, works to steal an Apple of Eden from the Templars.

After a botched mission, Altaïr is tasked with assassinating nine Templar leaders. As he carries out his mission, he uncovers a conspiracy involving the Apple of Eden. The plot thickens when he discovers that his mentor, Al Mualim, has betrayed the Brotherhood to control the Apple's power. Altaïr kills Al Mualim and takes leadership of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

Fast forward to the Italian Renaissance, where Ezio Auditore Da Firenze joins the Assassin Brotherhood after his family's murder by the Templars. Armed with his father's equipment and Leonardo Da Vinci's innovations, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family.

His quest leads him to an Isu vault beneath the Vatican, where he learns of an impending apocalypse from the Isu Minerva. Ezio also discovers a network of Isu vaults that might hold the key to humanity's survival.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

After defeating Pope Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio helps rebuild the weakened Assassin Brotherhood. They reclaim Rome from Borgia's control and secure the Apple of Eden, which Ezio hides in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

In search of more Isu knowledge, Ezio travels to Masyaf to investigate Altaïr's library. He allies with the Ottoman Assassins to thwart the Byzantine Templars' plans to access the library.

Inside, Ezio finds Altaïr's remains and a message from the Isu Jupiter about data crucial for humanity's survival. Understanding the message is not meant for him, Ezio leaves the Apple locked away and retires, later dying from his accumulated injuries.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

1579 - Sengoku Period

Set during Japan's Sengoku period, Assassin’s Creed Shadows follows an African mercenary and a Catholic missionary who encounter the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga. The mercenary, renamed Yasuke, becomes a samurai and joins Nobunaga's campaign against the Iga province.

In Iga, Yasuke meets Naoe, a shinobi, and despite their opposing sides, they eventually unite for a common cause.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway finds himself entangled with the Templars after assuming the identity of an Assassin he killed. The Templars seek the Observatory, an Isu device capable of surveillance, which can only be activated by a 'Sage', a human reincarnation of the Isu Aita.

Edward, seeing an opportunity for profit, allies with pirates to locate Bartholomew Roberts, the current Sage. Their partnership sours when Roberts betrays Edward, but Edward eventually retrieves the Observatory's key and assassinates the Templar leader, choosing the world's safety over personal gain.

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 an earthquake that devastates Lisbon. Stricken with guilt, Shay defects and steals the Assassins' map of Isu temples.

Rescued by the Templars, Shay rises through their ranks, hunting down Assassins and ultimately confronting his former mentor, Achilles, in the Arctic. Shay's suggestion to start a revolution in France influences the Templars' future plans.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

Haytham Kenway, a Templar, murders a man in London to obtain the key to the Isu's Grand Temple. In the American Colonies, he falls in love with a Mohawk woman, Kaniehti:io, and fathers a son, Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Years later, after the Mohawk settlement is destroyed, Ratonhnhaké:ton, renamed Connor Kenway, trains as an Assassin. His quest during the American Revolution leads him to confront his father, Haytham, over their conflicting ideologies, resulting in Connor killing Haytham and burying the Grand Temple key.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

During the same period, Aveline de Grandpré, an Assassin in New Orleans, uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana. Her investigation leads her to discover a larger conspiracy involving the 'Company Man', who is using slaves to uncover an Isu temple.

Aveline's journey culminates in a confrontation with her stepmother, the Company Man, whom she kills. She then activates the Prophecy Disk, an Isu device that reveals the story of Eve, the leader of the human rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian, orphaned by Shay Cormac, grows up in the Templar Grand Master's household. Framed for murder and imprisoned, Arno is recruited by the Assassins to uncover the truth.

His investigation reveals a Templar faction led by François-Thomas Germain, sparking the French Revolution. Arno and his sister Élise track down Germain, who attempts to kill Arno with a Sword of Eden, resulting in Élise's death and Germain's injury. Arno seals Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs to keep them from the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In Victorian London, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek the Shroud, an Isu device. They discover the Templars' control over the city and split their efforts: Jacob assassinates Templar leaders, while Evie searches for the Shroud.

After the Templar leader Crawford Starrick steals the Shroud, the twins assassinate him and return the device to its vault. Later, Evie hunts down Jack the Ripper, and their daughter Lydia continues the fight during the First World War.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

While each Assassin’s Creed game is set in a historical period, the series uses a modern-day framing story. During this transition period, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries, a pharmaceutical company that develops the Animus to explore ancestral memories and control the future.

Assassin’s Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, and 3

2012

In 2012, Desmond Miles, a bartender, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts through his ancestral memories. Helped by an Assassin mole, Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Assassins.

Exploring Ezio's memories, Desmond learns of an impending apocalypse and the existence of Isu technology that could prevent it. He sacrifices himself to activate this technology, unleashing the Isu Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Using Desmond's samples, Abstergo continues exploring ancestral memories through "The Noob", who relives Edward Kenway's life. The Noob is manipulated by the modern-day Sage, John Standish, but Standish is killed before Juno can emerge.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

2014

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

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The same initiate explores the Frye twins' memories to find the Shroud. Abstergo retrieves it first, planning 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 that uses DNA samples directly. In Egypt, she relives Bayek and Aya's memories, learning about the Hidden Ones, and is recruited by the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

2018

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's life and discovers Atlantis. Kassandra, immortal due to the Staff of Hermes, reveals to Layla her destiny to balance the Assassins and Templars, then passes on the Staff before dying.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Noticing magnetic field fluctuations, Layla explores Eivor's memories and learns of the Yggdrasil computer in Norway. Entering its simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness to stabilize the field, while Basim escapes, claiming the Staff of Hermes containing Aletheia's consciousness, and joins the Assassins.