Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin’s Creed Shadows marks the latest installment in the expansive Assassin’s Creed series, uniquely set during the Sengoku period of feudal Japan. This setting positions it chronologically at the midpoint of the series' historical timeline, which doesn't progress linearly but rather jumps through various epochs. From the ancient Peloponnesian War in Greece to the dawn of the First World War, each game explores pivotal historical moments.

With over 14 mainline titles, the Assassin’s Creed timeline has grown increasingly intricate. IGN has meticulously analyzed every piece of lore to construct a comprehensive timeline that places all key events in chronological order, providing clarity to the overarching narrative and how each game interconnects.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE

To fully understand the timeline, we must first delve into the lore. In ancient times, a highly advanced civilization known as the Isu ruled Earth. These god-like beings created humanity to serve as their slaves, controlling them with powerful artifacts called the Apples of Eden. However, humanity rebelled, led by Eve and Adam, who stole an Apple of Eden and sparked a revolutionary war against the Isu. This conflict lasted a decade until a catastrophic solar flare wiped out the Isu. Humanity, the survivors, then rose to inherit the Earth.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

Set during the Peloponnesian War in Greece, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey follows mercenary Kassandra as she uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the war. Kassandra learns her brother Alexios, kidnapped and transformed into a weapon by the Cult, is among them. The Cult targets Alexios due to his lineage to 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. After reuniting with her father Pythagoras, also an Isu descendant, Kassandra receives the Staff of Hermes, granting immortality, and is tasked with guarding Atlantis eternally.

Assassin’s Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

In the time of Cleopatra’s reign over Egypt, the Order of the Ancients, another secretive group allied with the Cult of Kosmos, kidnaps peacekeeper Bayek and his son. Believing Bayek’s bloodline can unlock an Isu vault, the Order fails to achieve this. In the ensuing chaos, Bayek accidentally kills his son, fueling his quest for vengeance against the Order. Alongside his wife Aya, Bayek uncovers the Order's global conspiracy to control politics and religion using the Apples of Eden. To combat this, they establish The Hidden Ones, a secret society of spies and assassins operating from Egypt and Rome.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age

Nearly a century later, The Hidden Ones have established strongholds worldwide, including Alamut in Iran. Here, Baghdad street thief Basim is trained as an assassin and tasked with investigating the Order of the Ancients’ activities. Basim uncovers their plan to access an Isu temple beneath Alamut, which holds a prison containing Loki, an Isu revered as a Norse god. Inside, Basim learns of his past life as Loki and vows revenge against those who imprisoned him.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

In the following years, Basim accompanies a Viking clan to England in pursuit of the Order of the Ancients. Clan leader Sigurd and his sibling Eivor seek allies to establish their settlement, Ravensthorpe. They encounter the tyranny of King Alfred, a member of the Order intent on Christianizing the regime. After discovering an Isu artifact, Sigurd experiences visions suggesting his divinity. Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Isu gods Odin and Týr, whom he seeks to avenge against. Eivor survives Basim's attack and traps him in a simulated world within an Isu computer. Sigurd, traumatized, hands leadership to Eivor, who returns to England to defeat King Alfred and become a hero at Ravensthorpe.

Assassin’s Creed

1191 - Third Crusade

Over the next three centuries, The Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, while their adversaries, the Order of the Ancients, transform into the Knights Templar. During the Third Crusade, assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, tasked with stealing an Apple of Eden from the Templars, inadvertently causes the death of a fellow assassin. As penance, he must eliminate nine Templar leaders. Discovering their plan to use the Apple of Eden for world domination, Altaïr learns that his mentor, Al Mualim, betrayed the Templars to seize the Apple for his own ambitions. Forced to kill Al Mualim, Altaïr assumes leadership of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

Fast forward to the Italian Renaissance, Ezio Auditore da Firenze is drawn into the Assassin Brotherhood to avenge his family, killed by the Templars. Equipped with his father’s tools and Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions, Ezio confronts the Templar-aligned Borgia family. He acquires an Apple of Eden, leading him to a secret Isu vault beneath the Vatican. Inside, he encounters Minerva, an Isu who warns of an impending catastrophe in 2012 and reveals that scattered Isu vaults might hold the key to humanity's survival.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

After sparing the life of Pope Rodrigo Borgia, Ezio faces repercussions when Borgia’s forces besiege his villa and steal 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, reclaim the Apple, and Ezio secures it in an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, thwarting the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

In pursuit of Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf, where he discovers Altaïr’s library. The Templars, already aware of it, seek keys to unlock it. Ezio allies with Ottoman Assassins in Constantinople to thwart the Byzantine Templars' efforts to re-establish their empire. Inside the library, he finds Altaïr's remains and a message from the Isu Jupiter about data crucial for humanity's survival in the Grand Temple. Realizing this knowledge isn't meant for him, Ezio leaves the Apple locked inside 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 and a Catholic Jesuit missionary who meet Oda Nobunaga, a lord unifying Japan's warring clans. The mercenary, named Yasuke, becomes a samurai and participates in the invasion of the Iga province. Here, he encounters Naoe, the daughter of a shinobi master. Despite their initial opposition, they unite to achieve 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 plot after killing an Assassin and taking his place. The Templars seek The Observatory, an Isu machine capable of spying on anyone, to blackmail world leaders. Only the 'Sage,' a reincarnation of the Isu Aita, can unlock it. Edward, seeing an opportunity for profit, allies with pirates and eventually finds the current Sage, Bartholomew Roberts. After disagreements and betrayals, Edward retrieves the device's key and assassinates the Templar leader, choosing to protect the world over personal gain. He returns to England to spend his remaining days with his family.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac, sent by the Assassin Brotherhood to retrieve an Isu artifact, inadvertently triggers an earthquake in Lisbon, leading to his defection. After stealing the Brotherhood's map of Isu temples, Shay is rescued by Templars and rises through their ranks, killing prominent Assassins. He and Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, confront Shay's former mentor, Achilles, to prevent further Isu temple explorations. Shay suggests sparking a revolution in France in response to the American uprising led by Assassins.

Assassin’s Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

The Templars aim to unlock the Isu’s Grand Temple. Haytham Kenway, after obtaining the key in London, travels to America but fails to unlock the temple. He fathers a child, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with a Mohawk woman but later abandons them. Years later, after his village is destroyed and his mother killed, Ratonhnhaké:ton becomes Connor Kenway and trains as an Assassin. Amidst the American Revolution, he eliminates Templars within the British forces and confronts his father Haytham, ultimately killing him over their conflicting visions for America. Connor buries the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars.

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 using enslaved people to uncover an Isu temple. Aveline collects components forming the Isu 'Prophecy Disk' and learns the plot's mastermind is her stepmother, grooming her for the Templars. After killing her stepmother, Aveline activates the Prophecy Disk, which recounts the story of Eve leading the human rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian, orphaned by Shay Cormac, grows up with the Templar Grand Master's family. Framed for murder, he joins the Assassin Brotherhood in prison and uncovers a Templar schism led by François-Thomas Germain, who aims to overthrow the French monarchy. As Paris descends into chaos, Arno and his adoptive sister Élise pursue Germain to a Templar crypt. There, Germain uses a Sword of Eden, which explodes, killing Élise and wounding him. Revealed as the current Sage, Germain's remains are sealed by Arno in the Paris Catacombs, out of Templar reach.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England

In Victorian London, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek The Shroud, another Isu device. They find the city controlled by Templars through industry and crime. Jacob targets the Templar leadership, while Evie races to find The Shroud first. Despite Jacob's success in killing Templar lieutenants, their leader Crawford Starrick steals The Shroud from Buckingham Palace. The twins assassinate Starrick and return The Shroud to its vault. Later, Jacob leads the London Assassins, while Evie tracks down Jack the Ripper. During World War I, their daughter Lydia, an Assassin, is tasked by Winston Churchill to investigate a Templar espionage network, ultimately killing its Sage leader.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012

The Assassin’s Creed series uses a modern framing story. During the transition period between Syndicate and the modern storyline, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries in 1937 as a pharmaceutical company to control the world through capitalism. By the late 1970s, they develop the Animus, a virtual reality machine for exploring ancestors' memories, aiming to control the future.

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. With help from Assassin mole Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Assassin Brotherhood. Through reliving Ezio's memories, Desmond learns of an impending apocalypse and the need to find Isu vaults. After obtaining the Apple of Eden from the Colosseum, Desmond is possessed by the Isu Juno and kills Lucy, falling into a coma. Upon waking, he and the Assassins find the Grand Temple, where Desmond sacrifices himself to prevent the apocalypse, releasing Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

2013

Using Desmond's DNA, Abstergo continues exploring his ancestors' memories, focusing on Edward Kenway to find The Observatory. An unnamed researcher, "The Noob," is tasked with this and hacking Abstergo's systems. The head of IT, John Standish, revealed as the modern-day Sage, plans to use The Noob as a host for Juno. However, Juno isn't ready to emerge, leading Standish to attempt murder, only to be 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 François-Thomas Germain's remains, believed to be safely sealed in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

2015

The initiate explores the memories of Jacob and Evie Frye to locate The Shroud. Abstergo intercepts it, 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, discovering 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, locating Atlantis. Kassandra, kept alive by the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's destiny to balance the Assassins and Templars. She dies after gifting Layla the Staff.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

2020

Investigating magnetic field fluctuations, Layla and the Assassins explore Eivor's memories, uncovering the Yggdrasil computer in Norway. Inside its simulation, Layla meets Basim and Desmond's consciousness, "The Reader." Abandoning her body, Layla works to prevent future apocalypses. Basim escapes with the Staff of Hermes, containing Aletheia's consciousness, and joins the Assassins to find Loki's children.