Best Open Worlds In Assassin's Creed Games

People weren't sure where the Assassin's Creed series fit in the gaming world, but it's becoming a lot about exploration. The series started in the stealth genre, slowly becoming more about action role-playing. The mainline series, however, has never veered away from open-world designs.

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By  Jake Fillery

Assassin's Creed's developers are continually pushing the envelope in open-world design. The series spans at least twenty-two games, making it one of the longest franchises in history. Players can't go wrong with Assassin's Creed if they are looking for a breathtaking open-world game.

Updated on November 26, 2024, by Gerardo Molina: It's amazing how much the Assassin's Creed franchise has evolved since the first title came out in 2007. While Altair's story was rich and the game mechanics inside it were innovative and fun, they seem rather basic and limited compared to what the franchise offers today. It's undeniable that, while the Assassin's Creed universe is still going strong, its golden era was somewhere between 2009 and 2016, as players were given The Ezio Trilogy, Assassin's Creed 3, and Black Flag, which are considered by many to be the magnum opus of the series.

Being so focused on exploration and parkour, it only makes sense that an open-world setting befits these games, which is why most of them have free roaming and an almost limitless sense of discovery.

14 Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines

An Open-world Title In A Portable Format

Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines is a massive achievement that deserves its time in the spotlight for a bevy of reasons. The fact that a fully-fledged open-world Assassin's Creed game was somehow playable on a portable console around 15 years ago is a huge technical achievement that deserves due praise.

Of course, trying to work around the limited hardware of a PSP leads to certain aspects of the game being toned back, with the detail and interactivity of the open world being one such casualty. Cyprus is a fascinating environment to explore in its own right but pales in comparison to the worlds present in the mainline entries, and understandably so.

13 Assassin's Creed Rogue

A Title That, While Not Terrible, Felt Too Linear

Of the many offline PC open-world games that simply must be played, nobody is going to consider Assassin's Creed Rogue for such an honor. It's not the worst in terms of gameplay, but the "open world" was way too linear, filled with some of the most frustrating missions in the series.

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Cormac spends all of his time tracking down Assassins and not enough time exploring the world. The game came out on the same day as Assassin's Creed Unity and it was clear which of the two games was given priority in world-building.

12 Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Ezio's Journey Through Constantinople Is Amazing

In a simpler time when players could hold all the Assassin's Creed games in one hand, Assassin's Creed: Revelations was a knockout open-world game. Featuring two of the most prominent figures in the series , Revelations takes place in different timelines.

It's not the most expansive Assassin's Creed open world, but it does win points for the setting. The game takes gamers to places like the 16th-century Assassin's Base in Constantinople and the 12th and 13th centuries in Masyaf. The best way to play this is part of the Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection. Not only does this title offer an amazing closure to the most beloved trilogy in the franchise, but it also answers many questions and unsolved mysteries that were presented in the previous installments.

Moreover, Assassin's Creed: Revelations implemented new game mechanics that built upon those that were already part of Ezio's moveset in previous installments, consecrating him as the ultimate master Assassin.

11 Assassin's Creed Mirage

Baghdad Feels Detailed And Alive

The latest title in the Assassin's Creed series, Mirage, is a mixed bag for many. Sure, reverting to the roots of the Assassin's Creed series is welcome, but doing so at the cost of the world's scale is not something that many fans were fond of.

That being said, Baghdad's small world is packed with detail, and the city itself certainly feels alive. However, Assassin's Creed fans have seen better attempts to recreate smaller and more intimate city environments in other games, which makes this city feel like a step back from the advancements this series has enjoyed.

10 Assassin's Creed 3

Connor's Role In The American Revolution Is Outstanding

Assassin's Creed III

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Released

October 30, 2012

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Montreal

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Stadia

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Action, Open-World

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The fifth major installment in the franchise, and the third in the main series, Assassin's Creed 3, was released after Assassin's Creed: Revelations. As a sequel, the game features an open world ready for exploration. As usual in the early games, players use parkour mechanics and stealth to carry out missions.

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By  Leigh Price

Assassin's Creed 3 takes place in the 18th century when piracy was commonplace. This entry was not quite the blockbuster main series game avid fans were looking for, yet there are times when the open world is impressive. The game's setting, which deeply touches on the American Revolution, has historical figures, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee, which add a layer of realism to the story, even if the title isn't fully historically accurate in many areas. Moreover, Connor's agility makes it very easy to traverse through the American forest areas to deal with his enemies one at a time.

9 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

The Music, The Gameplay, The Story—Everything Is Perfect

Widely considered one of the best Assassin's Creed games, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is set in 16th-century Rome. The city of Rome is in ruins due to corruption within the Borgia papacy. The game still follows the Templars, who try to gain control.

Along with present-day sections featuring Desmond Miles, players slip into Ezio's shoes, an Assassin who advocates free will and peace. The open world encourages exploration rather than having a linear focus. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood also features one of the most complete (if not the most complete) combat systems in the franchise, as it streamlined the process of chaining kills to deal with enemies faster than ever before. Moreover, the ability to recruit other assassins and coordinate attacks with them adds greatly to the experience and makes it much more enjoyable.

8 Assassin's Creed Syndicate

London Is Just The Right Size To Offer A Great Experience

Syndicate modernized Assassin's Creed in a way never seen before. The game takes players into a fluid open world with an astonishing amount of detail. Assassin's Creed Syndicate contains an abundance of side missions in the 1869 London setting.

The Templars return, once again, but this time they must face twin assassins, Jacob and Evie. Players can travel the world on a carriage or parkour their way with the help of a grappling hook. London is exquisitely designed, but not overly large; it's one of the few open-world games that can be beaten in under ten hours. This makes it one of the games in the franchise with the most replayability.

7 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag

Sea Shanties, Warships, And Pirates Make This Title A Masterpiece

The fifth mainline Assassin's Creed game, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, is a sight for sore eyes. The Caribbean map is one of the largest in the Assassin's Creed series, and the world is more massive than it seems.

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At approximately 90.2 square miles, this open world is of epic proportions. Packed with islands, wildlife, and quests to keep players engaged, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag has one of the best maps in the franchise's history.

6 Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Eivor Leads This Viking Story Wonderfully

From the rolling hills of England to the foreign tides of America to the back alleys in France, Assassin's Creed Valhalla executes on the environment on the ground. But perhaps its best contribution to the series was in the sky.

Eivor goes through rain, fog, snow, and sun, and the weather never ceases to amaze. It's got one of the most confusing stories in gaming and drops the ball on its characters, but a debatable plot doesn't stop the agriculture and architecture from shining through.

5 Assassin's Creed (2007)

The One That Started It All

Assassin's Creed

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Stealth

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Released

November 14, 2007

Developer(s)

Ubisoft Montreal

Platform(s)

PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Genre(s)

Open-World, Stealth, Action

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After the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Tim e, a project was in development named Prince of Persia: Assassin. This later evolved into a more ambitious project with a more in-depth story called Assassin's Creed.

Bringing a book to life in a video game isn't easy; readers are particular in how their worlds are detailed. There isn't much to do in Assassin's Creed's twelfth-century Jerusalem, but the city itself is beautiful. The freerunning mechanics were a step forward for exploration, but the game's open world pales compared to more recent Assassin's Creed games.