The Assassin's Creed franchise is pretty much the Call of Duty of third-person action and open-world games. The series has only existed for barely 13 years but there have been 23 Assassin's Creed titles. That very well means the rate at which Assassin's Creed games get released is more than one per year on average.
While the developers and the publisher are bound to produce some Game of the Year contenders among those, there are also bound to be some rotten eggs among the bunch. Hence, if players are looking to binge-play some Assassin's Creed games, here are seven of the best games in the series and another seven they ought to avoid, courtesy of Metacritic.
Updated by Juliet Childers on October 12th, 2020: The games in the Assassin's Creed franchise are many and varied. Where some veteran fans of the series only stan the original games, many newer players fell in love with Kassandra in Assassin's Creed Odyssey and look forward to Valhalla and playing a badass female Viking. But Metacritic scores are ever mercurial, so which games have maintained their higher scores and which have stayed awful?
14 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED SYNDICATE - 76
Set in 1868 London during the Industrial Revolution, the Frye twins (Evie and Jacob) operate as instigators on behalf of the exploited working class. The player works to build a group/gang to challenge competing gangs, as well as fight for freedom amongst workers. Tasks range in variety from train robbery and base infiltration to child rescue.
In the modern-day, the player is working for the Assassins to find a Piece of Eden in London. The game offers a more unique take on the formula with a duo-protagonist element that gets perfected in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
13 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED: MEMORIES - 48
Remember those off-map contract missions for assassins apprentices in Brotherhood? Now, imagine if they were stripped-down, made more clunky, and had an interface and gameplay similar to browser-based games five years ago, that's what Assassin's Creed Memories looked like.
For a mobile game released in 2014, it looked low-effort and horrible, combining turn-based card battles with cheap and linear chase sequences. It's a good thing there are more Assassin's Creed games along the way to bury failed projects like this one.
12 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED ORIGINS - 81
By far one of the most tragic characters in the series, players explore the world of Ancient Egypt as Bayek to discover the origins of the Assassin's Brotherhood (just ignore Odyssey). The game saw a fantastic graphical update and unveiled new combat strategies using shields and assassination tactics.
But what really captivated fans what the dedicated love story between Bayek and Aya. Without getting into plot spoilers, Bayek has just had a really sad life and seems caught in a fateful web of destiny that takes something from him at every turn. For an enveloping story and solid AC mechanics, give this one a go.
11 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED CHRONICLES: RUSSIA - 53
The developers simply cannot ignore the gameplay and story potential for the Russian Revolution. That's why Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia was introduced. It was the most modern time period Assassin's Creed explored, which is 1918 Tsarist Russia under a Bolshevik uprising.
Sadly, this setting was not enough to save the game from its unfair difficulty spikes and poor gameplay mechanics. While the art style, main character, and stealth were compelling, it just wasn't a good game, especially by Assassin's Creed standards.
10 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED III - 85
It may not be the best of the best, but Assassin's Creed III revolutionized the series-- the pun is intended as it takes place during the American Revolution. Anyway, bad pun delivery aside, Assassin's Creed III was good enough to get a remaster.
The general consensus with it is how it became a transitory introduction to naval combat, one of the most enjoyable features of future Assassin's Creed games. Moreover, it's a good chance to play as an important figure in the American War of Independence.
9 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED: ALTAÏR'S CHRONICLES - 58
Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles was Ubisoft's attempt to bring the franchise to Nintendo DS owners. Sadly, it was a failed attempt and the game was critically panned due to how it feels less like an Assassin's Creed game and more like Prince of Persia.
It's ironic since the Prince of Persia series laid the groundwork for Assassin's Creed. Altaïr's Chronicles for that matter was a step backward. It was too scripted and the controls were not optimal for a game of its kind.
8 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED ODYSSEY - 87
One of the latest officially released titles in the franchise, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey fully embraced RPG systems and Ubisoft introduced an Assassin's Creed game that's a far cry from the original.
That's not necessarily a bad thing-- the critics absolutely and generally liked what Odyssey had to offer. The open-world was huge and the graphics were stunning. It also had the most insane replay value out of all the games.
7 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED REARMED - 60
It's understandable to be skeptical when one hears about Assassin's Creed one a smartphone and people who doubted its quality were... right. Assassin's Creed Rearmed for iOS was good and exciting on paper.
In practice, it was boring, repetitive, and clunky due to the top-down perspective it assumes. The multiplayer component is certainly intriguing but the touch-based gameplay and controls just don't do it justice.
6 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG - 88
As one of the first games in the franchise to completely veer off from the beaten path, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was lauded as a pirate simulator. It's the series' first proper fleshed out into naval combat.
The end result was awesome. Black Flag changed the way Assassin's Creed was played forever. It also had an interesting story where the character didn't start off initially as a member of the Assassin Brotherhood which is a nice change of scenery.
5 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED CHRONICLES: INDIA - 63
Take out the open-world and RPG components of Assassin's Creed and the game will be left with a still decent stealth-action platformer. That's what Assassin's Creed Chronicles wanted to achieve but its India iteration was underwhelming.
It had a different developer and the critical consensus was that the gameplay and design aspect took some steps in the wrong direction. Still, it was more fun than the previous Chronicles games, apparently.
4 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED: BROTHERHOOD - 90
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is what happens when the developers just began incorporating elements of other video games such as killstreaks, off-map contract missions, and multiplayer. It's not a bad thing as featured by Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
Brotherhood improved upon the already award-winning Assassin's Creed II and introduced one of the best villains the franchise ever had: Cesare Borgia. It was the first Assassin's Creed to be jam-packed with new gameplay mechanics and surprisingly, they're all good and welcome.
3 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED REBELLION - 63
This bizarre departure from the typical AC formula saw a complete change in graphical style to these miniature character models that kind of resemble Funko Pops. Though rendered well, these characters hardly feel intimidating.
This mobile game features Ezio, Shao Jun, and others fighting against Templars as users build their own teams. The concept is cool enough with HQ building, infiltration missions, and exploring. But technical difficulties seem to plague many people's experiences despite high reviews on Google and Apple.
2 BEST: ASSASSIN'S CREED II - 91
The very first Assassin's Creed, while decent, was not exactly an enjoyable game-- it was repetitive and the combat was poorly implemented. Assassin's Creed II fixed the franchise's rough start so much that it was hard to go back to the first game after being spoiled in many ways by the second.
Assassin's Creed II introduced a better protagonist, had an improved story, and the gameplay was miles better. The only common gripe with it was that it's too easy. Other than that, it's still currently the best Assassin's Creed game according to the critics.
Curiously, Aya from Origins seems to appear in this game in the form of a statue.
1 WORST: ASSASSIN'S CREED: BLOODLINES - 63
Apart from that claustrophobic UI situation, Bloodlines released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) only. This direct sequel to 2007's game had similar gameplay and controls, but again: it only released on the PSP, but players could connect it to a PS3 for bonuses? This is just weird.
It follows Altaïr through Cypres in 1191 as he continues to pursue the Templars. Critics described the game as generic, repetitive, and one-dimensional even if it remained faithful to the original game and displayed the upper echelons of what the PSP could produce graphically at the time.