Assassin’s Creed Canon & Continuity
Are All the Assassin’s Creed Games Connected?
Understand the historical adventures, Animus framing and modern-day threads that connect Assassin’s Creed, even when a game feels standalone.
The short answer
The main Assassin’s Creed games belong to a connected setting, but they do not all continue the same hero’s adventure. Historical stories change protagonists and centuries; the Animus and modern-day narrative connect those journeys to a wider conflict. Some games offer an accessible local story while still assuming background knowledge about the larger series.[1]
Entry-point guidance with premise-level context; avoids major story resolutions. Source pages may contain spoilers.
What are the different layers of connection?
| Layer | What continues | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Historical story | A protagonist’s life, family or local conflict | Is this a direct sequel for that character? |
| Modern-day framing | The reason people are exploring historical memories | Which modern-day thread came before it? |
| Shared setting | Organizations, artifacts and recurring ideas | Does this reference matter to the current story or reward wider knowledge? |
This explains why two players can describe the same game differently. One can follow its historical objective without knowing every reference; another can recognize a major implication in the framing narrative. Accessibility and connection are not opposites.
What does the Animus have to do with the order?
The first game introduces Desmond Miles experiencing Altaïr’s memories through its modern-day setup. Later historical settings therefore do not simply replace the present-day story: they can be another stage of it.[1]
Imagine choosing books by the dates of the documents their narrator reads. That could put the documents in historical order while scrambling the narrator’s own experience. Assassin’s Creed poses a similar navigation problem: the date inside a memory and the sequence in which the series reveals it answer different questions.
Which connections are especially useful to recognize?
The Ezio games form a clear character sequence: Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations. Desmond’s wider thread spans the first game through Assassin’s Creed III. Origins introduces Layla, whose modern-day thread continues through Odyssey and Valhalla.[1]
You do not need a list of every cameo to make a starting decision. Direct character sequences are the first relationships to protect. A reference to a shared organization is usually a different kind of connection from the next chapter of the protagonist you are already following.
Why do the same organizations appear in different centuries?
The series repeatedly explores the conflict associated with Assassins and Templars and their historical precursors. Changes in names, locations and individual characters are part of that long history, rather than evidence that every new setting is a reboot.[1]
The useful habit is to check the era and the faction terminology in that story. Avoid assuming that a familiar symbol means the organization has exactly the same form in every century. The historical setting can stand on its own while revealing part of a much longer conflict.
Can you skip games and still enjoy one?
Yes, if you accept selective context. Choose a game for its local adventure, or choose a connected sequence for its continuing story. Neither approach requires pretending the wider continuity does not exist.
Choose an Assassin’s Creed starting point for your priorities
Compare historical placement and release order in the Assassin’s Creed guide
Inside the chronology
Go straight to the story
Sources & verification
Fact-checked on 28 September 2026 against the sources below. Starting recommendations and optional-context judgments are Story Order editorial guidance, not official mandatory orders.
- Ubisoft: How to play the Assassin’s Creed games in order
Release sequence and historical versus modern-day connections. Published in 2024; not used as a complete 2026 release catalogue.
Primary source · Checked