Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the latest addition to Ubisoft's acclaimed series, setting its narrative during Japan's Sengoku period in 1579. This choice situates it within a rich historical timeline, though not at its chronological endpoint. Instead, the Assassin’s Creed saga is known for its non-linear approach, jumping across centuries to delve into pivotal moments from the Peloponnesian War in Ancient Greece to the dawn of World War I.
With a sprawling narrative spanning 14 mainline games, the Assassin’s Creed timeline can be quite intricate. IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to construct a comprehensive chronological timeline, detailing the series' overarching story and how each game interconnects. Below, we explore this timeline, starting with the earliest events and moving forward through history.
The Isu Era
75,000 BCE
To fully grasp the Assassin’s Creed universe, it's essential to delve into its ancient lore. Long before recorded history, a sophisticated civilization known as the Isu ruled Earth. These god-like beings created humanity to serve as their workforce, using powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden to control them. However, a rebellion led by humans Adam and Eve, who stole an Apple of Eden, sparked a decade-long conflict. This war was abruptly ended by a catastrophic solar flare that wiped out the Isu, allowing humanity to rise from their ashes and inherit the planet.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War
Set during the tumultuous Peloponnesian War in Greece, Assassin's Creed Odyssey follows mercenary Kassandra as she uncovers The Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the conflict. Kassandra's journey reveals her brother Alexios, kidnapped and transformed into a weapon by the Cult due to their shared lineage with the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu. Kassandra's mission to dismantle the Cult involves destroying an Isu device used for predicting future outcomes. Her quest also leads her to reunite with her father, Pythagoras, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting immortality, and tasks her with safeguarding Atlantis.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt
In the time of Cleopatra, The Order of the Ancients, another shadowy organization, abducts peacekeeper Bayek and his son in hopes of accessing an Isu vault. Tragically, Bayek's son dies during their escape, driving Bayek and his wife Aya to dismantle The Order, which had infiltrated Egyptian politics and enlisted Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Realizing The Order's global ambitions to control through Isu artifacts, the couple forms The Hidden Ones, the precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood, dedicated to opposing this tyranny.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
861 - Islamic Golden Age
Nearly a century later, The Hidden Ones have established strongholds worldwide, including the fortress of Alamut in Iran. Here, Baghdad street thief Basim is trained as an assassin and sent to investigate The Order of the Ancients' activities in his city. Basim uncovers their plan to access an Isu temple beneath Alamut, where he discovers a prison holding Loki, an Isu considered a god by the Norse. Learning of his reincarnation as Loki, Basim vows revenge on those who once imprisoned him.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England
Following his journey, Basim accompanies a Viking clan to England, seeking remnants of The Order. The clan's leaders, Sigurd and Eivor, establish Ravensthorpe while battling the tyranny of King Alfred, a key member of The Order. Sigurd's exposure to an Isu artifact leads him to believe he is a god, prompting a return to Norway where Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr, Isu deities who imprisoned Loki. After a confrontation, Eivor traps Basim in a simulated world within an Isu computer resembling the Yggdrasil tree. Eivor returns to England, victorious at the Battle of Chippenham, and becomes a revered leader.
Assassin’s Creed
1191 - Third Crusade
Over the next three centuries, The Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing off against The Order of the Ancients, now transformed into The Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad works to thwart the Templars' plan to dominate the world using an Apple of Eden. After successfully stealing the artifact, Altaïr's hubris leads to tragedy, and he's tasked with eliminating nine Templar leaders. Discovering a deeper conspiracy, Altaïr confronts his mentor Al Mualim, who intended to use the Apple to enforce peace. Altaïr ultimately kills Al Mualim and assumes leadership of the Brotherhood.
Assassin’s Creed II
1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance
During the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore da Firenze joins the Assassin Brotherhood seeking vengeance for his family's execution 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 to the discovery of an Apple of Eden and an Isu vault beneath the Vatican. Inside, Ezio encounters Minerva, an Isu who warns of an impending apocalypse in 2012, revealing the existence of global Isu vaults as humanity's potential salvation.
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance
Despite defeating Pope Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio's decision to spare him leads to the Papal Army's siege on Monteriggioni, resulting in the theft of the Apple of Eden. Ezio rebuilds the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, becoming the leader of the Italian Bureau. The Assassins reclaim Rome from the Borgia regime and secure the Apple in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, safeguarding it from the Templars.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations
1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War
In pursuit of Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf, where Altaïr's library holds secrets. The Templars are already seeking to unlock it with five keys. Ezio thwarts their efforts in Constantinople, working with the Ottoman Assassins against the local Byzantine Templars. Inside the library, Ezio finds Altaïr's remains and a message from the Isu Jupiter about crucial data stored in the Grand Temple that could save humanity from an apocalypse. Honoring Altaïr's wishes, Ezio leaves the Apple secured and retires, eventually succumbing to his injuries.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows
1579 - Sengoku Period
Set in Japan's Sengoku period, Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces an African mercenary who becomes a samurai under the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga. Named Yasuke, he joins Nobunaga's campaign against the Iga province, home to shinobi master Fujibayashi Nagato's daughter, Naoe. Despite their opposing allegiances, Yasuke and Naoe unite in pursuit of a common goal, though the specifics of their storyline remain largely undisclosed.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy
During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway becomes entangled in a Templar plot after inadvertently killing an Assassin. The Templars seek The Observatory, an Isu device for surveillance, requiring the 'Sage', a reincarnation of the Isu Aita, to activate it. Edward allies with pirates, including Bartholomew Roberts, the current Sage, to unlock The Observatory. After a betrayal and subsequent revenge, Edward secures the device, choosing to protect humanity over personal gain, and returns to England to live with his family.
Assassin’s Creed Rogue
1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War
Assassin Shay Patrick Cormac's mission to retrieve an Isu artifact in Lisbon triggers a devastating earthquake, leading to his defection from the Brotherhood. Rescued by the Templars, Shay ascends their ranks, thwarting the Assassins' pursuit of Isu temples. Alongside Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, Shay confronts his former mentor Achilles in the Arctic, halting further Assassin excavations. Shay's suggestion to instigate a revolution in France sets the stage for future conflicts.
Assassin’s Creed III
1754 to 1783 - American Revolution
Haytham Kenway's quest for the Isu's Grand Temple leads him to the American Colonies, where he fathers a child, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with Kaniehti:io. After Kaniehti:io's death and the burning of their Mohawk settlement, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now Connor Kenway, joins the Assassins to avenge his people. Amid the American Revolution, Connor eliminates Templar influence within the British forces, confronting and ultimately killing his father Haytham over ideological differences. Connor secures the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars' plans.
Assassin’s Creed Liberation
1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana
Concurrent with Connor's journey, Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana using enslaved people to unearth an Isu temple. Her quest leads to the discovery of a 'Prophecy Disk', an Isu device revealing the story of Eve's rebellion against the Isu. Aveline learns her stepmother is the 'Company Man' behind the plot, kills her, and uses the disk to uncover the human-Isu conflict's origins.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
1789 to 1794 - French Revolution
Arno Dorian, orphaned by Shay Cormac, grows up within the Templar family of François de la Serre. Framed for de la Serre's murder and imprisoned, Arno is recruited by the Assassins to uncover the truth. Their investigation reveals a Templar schism led by François-Thomas Germain, aiming to incite revolution. Arno and his Templar sister Élise track Germain, who attempts to use an Isu Sword of Eden against Arno, resulting in Élise's death and Germain's revelation as the Sage. Arno secures Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs, keeping them from Templar hands.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
1868 - Victorian England
In Victorian London, twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek The Shroud, an Isu healing device. The Templars control the city through industry, politics, and crime. Jacob assassinates Templar leaders while Evie races to find The Shroud. After Templar leader Crawford Starrick steals the device, the twins kill him, returning The Shroud to its vault. Jacob leads the London Assassins, while Evie tracks and eliminates Jack the Ripper, later raising her daughter Lydia as an Assassin. During World War I, Lydia thwarts a Templar espionage operation, killing its leader, another Sage.
Transition Period
1914 to 2012
While the Assassin’s Creed games explore historical periods, their framing stories are set in the modern era. During this transition, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries in 1937 as a pharmaceutical front to control the world through capitalism. In the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a virtual reality device for exploring ancestral memories, aiming to control the future by understanding the past.
Assassin’s Creed I, II, Brotherhood, Revelations, and III
2012
In 2012, Desmond Miles, a bartender with Assassin ancestry, is abducted by Abstergo to locate Isu artifacts. Assisted by Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Assassins, exploring the memories of Ezio and learning about an impending apocalypse. Using Ezio's memories, Desmond retrieves an Apple of Eden, but Juno, a malevolent Isu, possesses him, forcing him to kill Lucy. Desmond awakens from a coma to explore more memories, eventually sacrificing himself to activate Isu technology that prevents the apocalypse, releasing Juno in the process.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
2013
Post-Desmond, Abstergo uses his DNA to explore Edward Kenway's memories in search of The Observatory. The researcher, known as "The Noob", is manipulated by John Standish, the modern-day Sage, who intends to host Juno. However, Juno's plans are delayed, and Standish's attempt to silence The Noob results in his own death by Abstergo security.
Assassin’s Creed Unity
2014
Abstergo releases Helix, allowing the public to experience genetic memories. An unnamed initiate, guided by Assassin Bishop, relives Arno Dorian's life to locate Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains, ensuring they remain out of Abstergo's reach in the Paris Catacombs.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
2015
The initiate explores Jacob and Evie Frye's memories to find The Shroud, but Abstergo retrieves it first, aiming to create a living Isu. The Assassins learn of Juno's interference in Abstergo's plans, intending to sabotage them.
Assassin’s Creed Origins
2017
Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops a new Animus to explore memories without direct descendants. In Egypt, she uses Bayek and Aya's DNA to uncover The Hidden Ones' origins, later joining the Assassin Brotherhood at William Miles' invitation.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
2018
Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla relives Kassandra's memories, locating Atlantis. Kassandra, still alive due to the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's destiny to balance the Templars and Assassins, gifting her the Staff before passing away.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
2020
After detecting magnetic field fluctuations, Layla explores Eivor's memories, uncovering the Yggdrasil computer. Inside its simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness, "The Reader," to prevent future apocalypses. Basim, also trapped, escapes and joins the Assassins, seeking to find Loki's children using the Staff of Hermes, which contains Aletheia's consciousness.
