Summary
- Over the years, the Assassin's Creed series has changed its approach to optional content and side activities, adding more RPG mechanics.
- Among the older entries, AC Brotherhood, Unity, and Black Flag offer the most generous and meaningful optional content, despite their maps differing greatly in scope.
- Later action-RPG entries like AC Origins, Odyssey, Shadows, and Valhalla feature vast worlds with plenty of optional content for different tastes.
The Assassin's Creed series has changed drastically over the years, with each new entry striving to offer more sprawling worlds and additional activities for players — sometimes to the point of overdelivering in scope. While the earlier entries were more tightly focused on the story, recent installments have shifted toward lengthy main plots additionally packed with side activities, a myriad of collectibles, and a wealth of optional content.
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When it comes to the most universally beloved Assassin's Creed titles, rankings often vary from fan to fan, depending largely on the game's setting, characters, and story. Fortunately, it's easier to evaluate Assassin's Creed games based on the quality and depth of their optional content. Each title offers a distinct set of side activities, quests, and exploration opportunities not tied to the main plot, along with a unique direction that shapes how well this content fits within the game world. Below is a ranking of the Assassin's Creed games based strictly on the quality, variety, quantity, and overall enjoyment of everything offered outside the main story.
7 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Optional Content Feels Meaningful & Tied To The Central Narrative
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
- Released
- November 16, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Stealth
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a perfect example of a quality-over-quantity approach, but at the same time, it's easily among the most generous Assassin's Creed titles of its era, largely due to its innovative assassin recruit system. Training assassins, calling upon them in combat, or sending them on missions across Europe feels exciting, almost like a game within a game, while simultaneously reflecting Ezio's growth as a leader narratively throughout the trilogy. On top of that, Brotherhood packs a ton of side content into a single, relatively small (by today's standards) city, featuring an optional city renovation mechanic in Rome that feels meaningful.
Even though the game might lean a bit too heavily on collectibles (a common feature in earlier Assassin's Creed games), there are also Borgia tower liberations, faction and Romulus follower missions, and the Templar lairs with challenging platforming for parkour fans. Despite its compact size, the depth and integration of optional content into Ezio's overarching story make Brotherhood one of the most iconic early AC titles, and rightfully so.
6 Assassin's Creed Shadows
Focusing On Assassinations Above All Else
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
Taking Valhalla's criticism of bloat to heart, Assassin's Creed Shadows takes an entirely different approach to its optional content, cutting out almost everything that isn't tied to the game's assassin-focused core. Shadows' optional content revolves almost exclusively around dozens of targets scattered across the vast world of Feudal Japan (some available only during specific seasons), with players receiving only vague clues about their whereabouts — or whether each target even deserves to be killed or spared.
This encourages players to explore the map, discover new locations, and utilize the new scout mechanics to better understand where to look next. With this in mind, Assassin's Creed Shadows may become a favorite for players who've long wanted to experience what it's truly like to be an assassin on a hunt.
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Beyond assassinations, players will find a modest selection of side activities and collectibles, mostly tied to character progression and unlocking new skills for Yasuke and Naoe. The game also includes numerous optional castles and fortresses to clear, which, coupled with Shadows' refined stealth mechanics, can be a fulfilling endeavor on their own. Finally, the Hideout settlement system is the most flexible and intricate in the series to date, allowing players to shape their League's base as they envision it — and then share it with other fans.
5 Assassin's Creed Unity
Presenting The Most Dense & Vertical City That Feels Lived-In
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
Assassin's Creed Unity was positioned as the first true next-gen Assassin's Creed title, with Paris's architecture recreated at a remarkably accurate real-life scale and its streets brought to life through dynamic crowds and random events that enhance the sprawling city exploration experience. To this day, Paris remains one of the biggest and most densely detailed cities in the franchise and one of its most “lived-in” worlds, providing an intoxicating sense that there's always something to do. Even a simple traversal across the rooftops of massive buildings is a joy, thanks to Unity's verticality and refined movement system. The game also introduced co-op missions to the series, a feature still missed by some fans in later entries.
Unity's optional content is exceptionally engaging and handcrafted, featuring creative Paris Stories side quests that often involve historical figures, detective-style murder mysteries that feel fresh for the series, and intricate, riddle-based Nostradamus Enigmas. It also includes city renovation projects that echo Ezio-era titles like Brotherhood. Naturally, Paris is also packed with collectibles of all sorts, encouraging thorough exploration of every corner of this dense, bustling city.
4 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
Rich Naval Aspect & Exploration Of Uncharted Lands
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag still ranks among the series' games with the biggest maps, thanks to its pirate-themed open world of the Caribbean and a deep naval exploration aspect. Having a map that large means it has to be filled with something, and the game is brimming with optional content. Outside of ship and crew customization and naval combat that runs deeper than in Odyssey, Black Flag fully embraces the pirate fantasy with treasure hunting, uncharted island exploration, deep-sea diving for underwater wrecks, capturing or liberating forts, and dozens of collectibles.
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In terms of side missions, Black Flag offers much beyond traditional assassination contracts and Templar hunts, featuring memorable and varied side missions that enrich the journey. While it does feature a vast map, it feels far less overwhelming than the later RPG entries. The variety and its tight integration with the pirate theme give the optional content a more curated, cohesive feel, which is why the game is often regarded as a fan-favorite among Assassin's Creed titles.
3 Assassin's Creed Origins
A Strong Emphasis On Story-Driven Side Missions
Assassin's Creed Origins
- Released
- October 27, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Although it doesn't offer much choice in quests and story, Assassin's Creed Origins kicked off the RPG era for the series with a rich Egyptian sandbox and one of the largest open worlds on the market at the time. The game features numerous story-driven side quests inspired by The Witcher 3, as well as various other activities to keep players immersed and engaged outside of the main plot.
One of the game's standouts is the ability to explore ancient Pharaoh tombs and the Great Pyramids themselves, along with the optional Trial of the Gods challenges, which feature epic boss fights against Anubis, Sekhmet, and Sobek. Additional memorable content includes gladiator arenas and chariot races for Bayek, all playing to the setting's strengths. While far less bloated than Odyssey and Valhalla, Origins strikes a solid balance between quantity and quality, keeping its activities from feeling overly repetitive.
2 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Vibrant Setting, Sea Romance, And Dynamic Activities Make This Hard To Put Down
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Released
- October 15, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Assassin's Creed Odyssey's setting of Ancient Greece is undoubtedly the game's biggest draw, and it's perfectly realized and delivered. Odyssey's vibrant landscapes, unique atmosphere, and overall playful tone set the stage for an unforgettable adventure as the Misthios — a free mercenary for hire, doing the dirty work for anyone willing to pay.
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The world is massive and packed with quirky side quests, targets and cultists to track, mythical creatures to face, dynamic mercenary encounters, and much more. Set during the Peloponnesian War, Odyssey allows players to switch allegiances at will, weakening Athenian or Spartan forces and then participating in large-scale battles to determine the fate of each region in Greece.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey was also the first in the series to fully embrace some RPG elements, introducing branching dialogue in both main and side quests. In addition, the game features a robust naval component for those who missed commanding and customizing their ship and crew like in Black Flag. While Odyssey's naval battles may lean a bit toward the arcade side, they still bring a welcome sense of freedom and adventure, fully embracing the romance of the sea.
1 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Unmatched Variety & Breadth Ensure Every Fan Finds Something to Do
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Released
- November 10, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is arguably the least Assassin's Creed-ish in the series, fully embracing deep RPG mechanics and mythological elements, at times feeling almost like The Witcher 3.5: Skellige Edition. It stands as by far the most expansive and longest game in the franchise to date, packed with mythical realms, RPG-style side activities, a wealth of optional content, and even additional game modes.
Benefiting from the longest post-launch support of any Assassin's Creed title, Valhalla received three sizable expansions, along with smaller additions such as the free roguelike mode Forgotten Saga. There's also the optional, procedural River Raids mode for fans who enjoy the Viking aspect of raiding settlements and castles with their crew in search of treasure.
Beyond that, Valhalla is filled to the brim with side activities like timed contracts, fishing, the Orlog mini-game, dozens of collectibles, tomb raiding, mastery challenges, side world events, settlement expansion, and more. Not to mention the several explorable mythological realms like Asgard, Jotunheim, and Svartalfheim — each featuring legendary monsters to slay. While AC Valhalla remains somewhat divisive among fans, its sheer abundance of optional content is unmatched, ensuring that every player can find something to enjoy while ignoring activities that may feel less satisfying.
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