Assassin's Creed: Full Timeline Revealed

Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the latest chapter in the acclaimed series, yet its setting in feudal Japan positions it at the heart of the Assassin's Creed historical timeline. Unlike a straightforward chronological progression, the franchise masterfully weaves through time, delving into pivotal moments from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the cusp of the First World War. With 14 mainline games and counting, the saga's timeline grows increasingly intricate. IGN has meticulously analyzed every detail of the lore to construct a comprehensive timeline that chronologically outlines the key events of the Assassin's Creed universe.

The Isu Era

75,000 BCE ------------------------

To understand the timeline, we must first delve into the lore. Long before recorded history, the Isu, a highly advanced race of god-like beings, ruled Earth. They engineered humanity as their workforce, controlling them with the powerful Apples of Eden. However, discontent brewed among humans, leading Eve and Adam to steal an Apple and spark a rebellion. The ensuing war raged for a decade until a cataclysmic solar flare wiped out the Isu, leaving humanity to reclaim the planet.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War -------------------------------------------------------------

During the tumultuous Peloponnesian War in Greece, Kassandra, a mercenary, uncovers the Cult of Kosmos—a secretive group manipulating the conflict. Among its ranks is her brother Alexios, transformed into a formidable weapon by the Cult due to his lineage from the Isu-descended Spartan King Leonidas. Kassandra's mission to dismantle the Cult reveals their use of an Isu device to predict and control the war's outcome. After neutralizing the Cult's leaders and destroying the device, she reunites with her Isu-descendant father, Pythagoras, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality to protect Atlantis.

Assassin's Creed Origins

49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt ----------------------------------------------------------

Set during Cleopatra's reign, the Order of the Ancients—a shadowy group allied with the Cult of Kosmos—abducts Bayek and his son, seeking access to an Isu vault. Tragically, Bayek's son dies during their escape, spurring Bayek and his wife Aya to dismantle the Order, which manipulates Egypt through Pharaoh Ptolemy and enlists Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. Their crusade against the Order leads to the formation of The Hidden Ones, a network of spies and assassins dedicated to countering the Order's global influence through the control of Isu artifacts like the Apples of Eden.

Assassin's Creed Mirage

861 - Islamic Golden Age ---------------------------------------------------

A century later, The Hidden Ones have fortified their presence worldwide, including the stronghold of Alamut in Iran. Here, Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin to investigate the Order's activities. Discovering the Order's pursuit of an Isu temple beneath Alamut, Basim uncovers his own past life as the Isu Loki and vows to avenge his imprisonment.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England -------------------------------------------------------------------

In the following decade, Basim joins a Viking clan in England to hunt down the Order's members. Alongside clan leader Sigurd and his sibling Eivor, they encounter the tyranny of King Alfred, an Order member aiming to establish a Christian regime. After discovering an Isu artifact, Sigurd experiences visions of his past life as the Isu Týr, while Basim reveals his identity as Loki, seeking revenge against Eivor and Sigurd, reincarnations of Odin and Týr. Eivor traps Basim in a simulated world, and Sigurd, traumatized, relinquishes leadership to Eivor, who defeats King Alfred and returns to Ravensthorpe as a hero.

Assassin's Creed

1191 - Third Crusade ---------------------------------------

Over the next three centuries, The Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, while their adversaries, the Order, transform into the Knights Templar, both still driven by their ancient goals. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, tasked with redeeming his mistakes, uncovers a Templar plot to use an Apple of Eden to establish a new world order. Discovering his mentor Al Mualim's betrayal, Altaïr kills him and assumes leadership of the Brotherhood.

Assassin's Creed 2

1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance --------------------------------------------------------

Fast forward to the Italian Renaissance, where Ezio Auditore da Firenze, driven by vengeance for his family's execution by the Templars, joins the Assassin Brotherhood. Armed with his father's tools and innovations from Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family, eventually securing an Apple of Eden. Inside a Vatican vault, the Isu Minerva warns Ezio of an impending apocalypse in 2012, hinting at a network of Isu vaults as humanity's salvation.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance -----------------------------------------------------------------

Despite sparing the Pope, Ezio's decision leads to the Borgia's Papal Army seizing the Apple of Eden. Rallying the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, Ezio ascends to lead the Italian Bureau, dismantling the Borgia regime and securing the Apple in an Isu vault beneath the Roman Colosseum.

Assassin's Creed Revelations

1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War ---------------------------------------------------------------

Seeking further Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf, where Templars are collecting keys to Altaïr's library. In Constantinople, Ezio allies with Ottoman Assassins against Byzantine Templars, thwarting their plans. Inside the library, Ezio discovers Altaïr's remains and a message from the Isu Jupiter about vital data to avert the apocalypse, stored in the Grand Temple. Honoring Altaïr's wish, Ezio leaves the Apple secured 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 Jesuit missionary who meet Oda Nobunaga, a lord unifying Japan's warring factions. The mercenary, renamed Yasuke, joins Nobunaga as a samurai and allies with Naoe, a shinobi from the Iga province, to pursue a common goal amidst their conflicting allegiances.

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 to control the world using The Observatory, an Isu device capable of spying on anyone. Seeking profit, Edward allies with pirates to locate the device's keyholder, the Sage Bartholomew Roberts. After a series of betrayals and battles, Edward defeats the Templars, secures The Observatory, and returns home to England to live with his family.

Assassin's Creed Rogue

1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War -------------------------------------------------------------

Shay Patrick Cormac, an Assassin, inadvertently causes a catastrophic earthquake in Lisbon while retrieving an Isu artifact. Guilt-ridden, he defects to the Templars, who rescue him from his former allies. Over years, Shay rises through Templar ranks, targeting Assassins and thwarting their search for Isu temples. His actions influence the Templars to ignite the French Revolution in response to the American uprising.

Assassin's Creed 3

1754 to 1783 - American Revolution -------------------------------------------------------

The Templars aim to unlock the Isu Grand Temple, with Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, at the forefront. After failing to unlock it and fathering a son, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with a Mohawk woman, Haytham abandons his family. Years later, after his mother's death, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now Connor Kenway, becomes an Assassin, dismantling Templar influence during the American Revolution. His confrontation with Haytham ends in his father's death, and Connor hides the Grand Temple key.

Assassin's Creed Liberation

1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Parallel to Connor's story, Aveline de Grandpré in New Orleans uncovers a Templar plot involving enslaved labor to unearth an Isu temple. Aveline's investigation reveals the 'Company Man' behind the plot is her stepmother, aiming to induct her into the Templars. After confronting and killing her, Aveline activates an Isu device, the Prophecy Disk, learning about Eve's rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin's Creed Unity

1789 to 1794 - French Revolution ---------------------------------------------------------

Orphaned Arno Dorian, raised by the French Templar Grand Master, is framed for murder and imprisoned. With help from an Assassin, Arno uncovers a Templar faction led by François-Thomas Germain, sparking the French Revolution. Alongside his adoptive sister Élise, Arno pursues Germain to a crypt where he attempts to use an Isu weapon, the Sword of Eden. The weapon's explosion kills Élise and reveals Germain as the current Sage. Arno seals Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

1868 - Victorian England -----------------------------------------------------

In Victorian London, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek The Shroud, an Isu device. They uncover Templar control over the city and split to pursue their goals: Jacob assassinates Templar leaders, while Evie searches for The Shroud. After the Templars steal The Shroud, the twins defeat their leader, Crawford Starrick, and return the device to its vault. Later, Jacob leads the London Assassins, and Evie hunts down Jack the Ripper. Their daughter Lydia, trained as an Assassin, later thwarts a Templar espionage network during World War I.

Transition Period

1914 to 2012 --------------------------------

The Assassin's Creed series features a modern-day framing story where the Templars, through Abstergo Industries established in 1937, aim to control the world using capitalism and the Animus, a device to explore ancestral memories. By the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus to locate Isu artifacts and control the future.

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

2012 -------------------------------------------------------------

In 2012, Desmond Miles, abducted by Abstergo, uses the Animus to explore his ancestor Altaïr's memories. With the help of an Assassin mole, Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the Brotherhood. Through Ezio's memories, Desmond learns of an impending apocalypse and finds an Apple of Eden. Juno, a villainous Isu, possesses Desmond, forcing him to kill Lucy and enter a coma. Upon awakening, Desmond sacrifices himself at the Grand Temple to prevent the apocalypse, releasing Juno.

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

2013 -------------------------------------

Using Desmond's samples, Abstergo explores Edward Kenway's memories to find The Observatory. An Abstergo researcher, "The Noob," uncovers a plot by the modern-day Sage, John Standish, to host Juno. Standish's plan fails, and he is killed by Abstergo security.

Assassin's Creed Unity

2014 -----------------------------

Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing public access to genetic memories. An Assassin initiate, guided by Bishop, relives Arno Dorian's life to locate François-Thomas Germain's remains, ensuring they remain safe from Abstergo.

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

2015 ---------------------------------

The initiate explores Jacob and Evie Frye's memories to find The Shroud. Abstergo intercepts it, planning to create a living Isu, while Juno manipulates events to sabotage their efforts.

Assassin's Creed Origins

2017 -------------------------------

Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops a new Animus version and uses Bayek and Aya's DNA to explore the origins of The Hidden Ones. Contacted by William Miles, she joins the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

2018 -------------------------------

Using DNA from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla explores Kassandra's memories, locating Atlantis. Kassandra, immortal via the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's role in maintaining balance between Assassins and Templars and gifts her the Staff before dying.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

2020 --------------------------------

Observing Earth's magnetic fluctuations, Layla explores Eivor's memories, discovering the Yggdrasil computer. Entering its simulation, she meets Basim and a manifestation of Desmond's mind, "The Reader," to prevent future apocalypses. Basim escapes, claiming the Staff of Hermes with Aletheia's consciousness, and joins the Assassins to find Loki's children.