Summary
- Assassin's Creed games span various eras in history, thrilling fans with rich lore and engaging gameplay experiences.
- The franchise's diverse titles cater to different playstyles, from short but intense adventures to lengthy, immersive narratives.
- Assassin's Creed remains a beloved series, offering a mix of traditional stealth action and new RPG elements for players to enjoy.
Often, video game franchises threaten to outlive their popularity, but Assassin's Creed is not one of those projects, despite garnering some criticism over the years. Assassin's Creed is, for the most part, a phenomenal franchise, and fans are always eagerly waiting for the next installment.
Assassin’s Creed: 10 Highest Viewpoints In The Series
Climbing up to access viewpoints is one of the major mechanics in Assasin's Creed. Here's a look at some of the tallest viewpoints in the series.
Focusing on open-world projects, Ubisoft's IP has always been synonymous with relatively long campaigns; however, Assassin's Creed has gone down the route of "more is better" over the last decade or so. Nowadays, a mainline entry will almost certainly keep players busy for a few weeks, if not months. Let's highlight the longest games in the Assassin's Creed franchise.
While completionist runs are certainly valid, this discussion will rank the longest Assassin's Creed games by their main stories. HowLongToBeat has been used as a source for the mentioned times.
Also, DLC and compilations (Ezio Collection and Rebel Collection) will not be included.
Updated on March 24, 2024, by Mark Sammut: Assassin's Creed Shadows has been released, and it is pretty long. However, is it the longest Assassin's Creed game ever? Click below to jump directly to Ubisoft's latest entry in the franchise.
23 Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry
4 Hours
Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry
- Released
- November 17, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft, Ubisoft Quebec
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Action-Adventure
Gamers will be in for a short but very special treat as they join Adéwalé in an escape from captivity. There is perhaps no Assassin more worthy of the Order than this one, who understands, at a painfully personal level, that freedom is not merely a philosophical idea.
Freedom Cry is the shortest game in the series because it was originally scheduled to be DLC for Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, but with a unique protagonist, Ubisoft, and gamers, agreed that, though short, it deserved to be its own game.
Assassin's Creed Freedom Cry: What Made It Unique?
This separate title acts as more of a standalone accompaniment to Black Flag, retaining much of the game’s structure and mechanics. Freedom Cry introduces a new gameplay feature where players can now free African slaves—an act that lets players accumulate resources to upgrade Adewale’s armaments and weapons. Players can also recruit Maroons to help them in combat. As with its accompanying mainline title, Freedom Cry lets players commandeer ships and engage in naval warfare to capture other vessels.
22 Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles
5 Hours
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles
- Released
- February 5, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Gameloft
- Platform(s)
- Android, iOS, Nintendo DS
- Genre(s)
- Stealth, Action-Adventure
Many people haven't tried out Altair's Chronicles, an Assassin's Creed game on the Nintendo DS that was surprisingly engaging in its own right. This game made the most of the hardware it was on, using a 2D sidescrolling format along with the ingenious use of the DS touchscreen to make it a great game for fans to check out.
The game features Altair in a leading role, which is apparent given the game's title. Fans of this protagonist who want to explore another adventure with him should definitely check out Altair's Chronicles, which is still an engaging game to play through, even if it may feel dated at times.
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles: What Made It Unique?
This title isn’t open world, although many of the franchise’s trademark elements remain: stealth assassinations, hack-and-slash combat, and parkour. Combat is made more simplistic, with strong and weak attacks forming the basis of a majority of combos alongside a blocking feature.
21 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India
5.5 Hours
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India
- Released
- January 12, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
The Assassin's Creed series isn't known for experimenting, so the Chronicles trilogy was a pleasant surprise. The shift to 2.5D environments with classic Assassin's Creed gameplay could have been a blast, although the games are generally not the most highly-regarded in the franchise.
It helps that Chronicles tackles various environments around the world that haven't been explored in these games before. This includes Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India, which is a great game in its own right and clocks in at just shy of 6 hours.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India: What Made It Unique?
Chronicles: India retains the 2.5D gameplay style of the other Chronicles games. This time around, it has the Silencer rank that can be obtained when taking down enemies through non-lethal attacks. Protagonist Arbaaz Mir has a sword, an urumi (sword with whip-like blade), a chakram, a katar with a bagh nakh, as well as a slingshot and smoke bombs.
20 Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
6 Hours
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines
- Released
- November 17, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Platform(s)
- PSP
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Stealth
The Assassin's Creed series has experimented with its fair share of portable titles, with Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines easily being their most ambitious title by far in this context. This game serves as a direct sequel to the first title and is a great game to check out for fans of the series who want to experience another adventure with Altair.
Assassin's Creed: Every Protagonist, Ranked By Their Strength
All of the protagonists of the mainline Assassin's Creed entries are impressive, but who proves the strongest of the bunch?
The game may be pretty simple nowadays, given the modern standards of Assassin's Creed titles, but there's no denying that it has its fair share of draws that make it worth checking out for fans of the series. Playing this game can be pretty challenging in modern times, but fans of Assassin's Creed who have the means to check out this underrated title should definitely do so.
Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines: What Made It Unique?
One of the most noticeable aspects of Bloodlnes is the presence of very few civilians, which makes social stealth almost impossible except in select areas. In fact, the PSP’s limited hardware makes stealth extremely limited—scaling is much faster, blending is more simplistic, and profiles (high/low) aren’t as elaborate. One unique feature in the game is how Altair can reclaim his throwing knives, done by walking over them.
19 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
6 Hours
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
- Released
- April 21, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft, Climax Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer, Stealth
The first game in the Assassin's Creed Chronicles series was set in China and is a ton of fun to play through. Players follow Shao Jun and the trials she faces as one of the last members of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins.
As is the case with most of the Assassin's Creed Chronicles games, the 2.5D gameplay of the series is quite fun indeed. It's surprising to see just how well the gameplay of the Assassin's Creed series fits within these restrictions.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China: What Made It Unique?
This 2.5D title is rather straightforward in its gameplay and missions. Players use stealth to hide from enemies or create distractions to avoid getting in their vision cones, lest they run the risk of being overwhelmed by enemy forces. Moreover, players have to fight enemies using light or strong attacks to weaken them enough for assassinations. Protagonist Shao Jun has a jian sword as well as firecrackers, throwing knives, and distracting darts.
18 Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia
6.5 Hours
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia
- Released
- February 9, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Climax Studios
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer, Stealth
The final game in the Assassin's Creed Chronicles series takes place in Russia. The game is set in 1918, which is a setting that's quite a blast to explore.
Players control Nikolai Orelov as he strives to complete one last mission for the Order before fleeing the country with his family. It's a harrowing and brilliant tale, although the gameplay of the series might get pretty stale by this point.
Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia: What Made It Unique?
The gameplay in Chronicles: Russia is similar to the other Chronicles titles, with mission ranking now including Silence should players take down foes using non-lethal attacks. Protagonist Nikolai Orelov has a unique Berdan rifle equipped with a bayonet, allowing from to attack in melee or range at the same time. His grapnel gun can produce electric shocks to kill opponents standing on puddles or short-circuit electronics to create shadowy areas in which he can hide.
17 Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation
8 Hours
Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
- Released
- October 30, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
For a spinoff, it's amazing to see just how much work has been put into Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation. It might not do a lot to innovate upon the gameplay of the series, but it's still fun to play through regardless.
Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is a fun romp, although it might be limited by its identity as a spinoff. This reflects in its runtime too, which isn't really all that impressive either.
Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation: What Made It Unique?
Chain Kills are introduced in this Vita title, allowing Aveline to kill many enemies in quick succession. Aveline’s personas also provide unique fighting styles, such as the socializing Lady, the social-stealthing Slave, and the combat-oriented Assassin. As the game uses the same engine as Assassin’s Creed 3, many of its animations are reused, with the overall gameplay retooled to be compatible with the Vita’s touchpad, gyroscope, and cameras.
16 Assassin's Creed Rogue
10.5 Hours
Assassin's Creed Rogue
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Assassin's Creed Rogue is the second-shortest game in Assassin's Creed mainline history. It was released after Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, and it incorporates ship-based combat like its predecessor. The length is misleading, as the main character Shay Cormac kills some very significant characters in the Assassin's Creed universe.
All 13 Major Assassin's Creed Games, Ranked By Storyline
Though the series has shifted from a stealth game to an RPG-style title, Assassin's Creed games can still tell amazing stories to players.
Although not as highly acclaimed as other installments, completionists will find around 40 hours of engaging content. It's worth noting that an Xbox One and PlayStation 4 remaster of the game are available for purchase.
Assassin's Creed Rogue: What Made It Unique?
Similar to Black Flag, the gameplay in Rogue emphasizes ship-based movement and combat on the open seas, with enemies now able to board the player’s vessel. Players also get access to an air rifle that can take out enemies at a distance. Assassins that players fight in the game possess a similar skillset to that of the player, including air assassinations and social stealth. Shay’s equipment and ship can be upgraded via crafting.
15 Assassin's Creed Nexus VR
12 Hours
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR
- Released
- November 16, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft, Red Storm Entertainment
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
An ambitious attempt to translate Assassin's Creed into an authentic virtual reality adventure, Nexus VR is an impressive achievement by any metric. The game allows players to embody Ezio, Kassandra, and Connor, bringing to life three time periods that are arguably among the most famous in the franchise.
Red Storm focused on distilling the AC experience into a tight package that highlights the core elements associated with the IP, which means great parkour, satisfying stealth, and somewhat frustrating combat. As a Meta Quest exclusive, Nexus VR is available to a fairly small audience compared to other entries in the franchise, but it is among that ecosystem's better AAA efforts.
Assassin's Creed Nexus VR: What Made It Unique?
Self-explanatory in this case. That said, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR's greatest achievement is how little is lost in translation. While some concessions had to be made, like featuring smaller self-contained areas rather than one expansive open-world, the game does a fantastic job of feeling like any other "classic" Assassins' Creed project. It also works as a great spin-off to AC 2, 3, and Odyssey.
14 Assassin’s Creed Revelations
12.5 Hours
Assassin's Creed Revelations
- Released
- November 15, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
The final game in the Ezio Auditore da Firenze trilogy comes to an end in this epic journey. The game focuses on Ezio's adventure as he follows his mentor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
For reference, Altaïr was the protagonist of the first Assassin's Creed game. For those wanting to gain insight into integral characters of the franchise, Assassin's Creed Revelations is a must-play. It will take players, on average, 12.5 hours to complete the main story.
Assassin’s Creed Revelations: What Made It Unique?
Controlling a more aged Ezio is reflected in the adjusted mechanics of Revelations, where the Hidden Blade is now replaced by the Hookblade that can help him climb buildings much faster and traverse Constantinople via ziplines. In combat, the Hookblade can pull enemies to Ezio for attacks. The game now allows players to create a variety of bombs to use in their missions. Territories also make a return in the game, where players can slowly take over Templar territories in Constantinople and even recruit Assassins who they can train and station there. Unlike in other games, leaving an area alone for too long or without expanding territory can see the Templars attempt to reclaim the area, forcing Ezio into a mini-game where he and other Assassins have to defeat Templar forces.