History is considered by many to be a boring subject, and unless you have a deep inclination to know about the events that shaped the present, it can be a slog to sit through history classes. But what if this history was presented through a virtual, fully explorable world that captured a slice of life of the time period it was set in?
8 Most Iconic Locations across Assassin’s Creed Games
Ubisoft is a masterclass in recreating historic locations in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and these are the most iconic.
Assassin’s Creed gamesare often considered to be the best history teachers, and while the games might not be the most accurate ones, the level of intrigue they incite, even among players who aren’t too interested in history, is unprecedented. These open worlds are set during some of the most happening time periods and locations, and throughout the lengthy franchise, these games are considered by many to have the best worlds.
10Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
The Land of a Thousand Kings
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Sprawling across the harsh beauty of 9th-century England, Valhalla’sopen worldstretches from the snowy peaks of Northumbria to the rolling hills of Wessex. The map divides into distinct regions, each controlled by different Saxon kingdoms with their own political struggles and alliances. Unlike the denser parkour-heavy cities of earlier games, Valhalla’s world focuses on raw landscapes and the slow, methodical pace of Viking exploration. Rivers act as roads for the longship, with raids offering some of the game’s most satisfying moments.
Hidden throughout the vast wilderness are artifacts from Roman occupation, including ruins that tell stories of Britain’s complex history. The world feels alive with season-changing mechanics that transform the landscape, while settlement building adds personal investment to the territory. Though cities like Winchester, London, and Jorvik provide an urban break from the wilderness, Valhalla’s open world shines in its sheer variety thanks to the inclusion of mythological places like Asgard and Jotunheim as separate explorable realms.
9Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
A City That Never Sleeps
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
Few games capture the chaotic sprawl of the Industrial Revolution like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and its version of 1868 London remains one of the series’ most unique open worlds. Unlike the medieval cities of earlier games, this is a world of soot-covered factories, smog-choked streets, and endless rows of brick tenements, all bisected by the River Thames, which is teeming with boats, barges, and criminals waiting to throw anyone who crosses them into the water.
With buildings towering higher than in any previous title, the game introduced a grappling hook, an essential tool given London’s sheer scale. Horse-drawn carriages race through alleyways, gang wars break out in Whitechapel, and iconic landmarks like Big Ben and Buckingham Palace serve as major locations in both the main story and side activities. The day-night cycle brings different activities, with fight clubs emerging at night while child liberation missions become available during working hours, reflecting the harsh realities of Industrial Revolution-era London.
8Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day, but It Can Be Reclaimed in One
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
For the first time in the series, Brotherhood built an open world where an entire game was set within one city: Rome. But rather than limiting exploration, it elevated it. The Eternal City in Brotherhood is a labyrinth of crumbling ruins, Renaissance palaces, and narrow alleyways that let Ezio Auditore seamlessly blend into the crowd.
Rome was riddled with Borgia influence, and as Ezio reclaimed districts by burning down Borgia towers, the city would change: shops would open, Assassins would patrol the streets, and previously inaccessible areas would become free to explore. There was also the underground exploration system that connected various parts of the city through ancient Roman tunnels, each telling stories of the city’s past through collectible artifacts and hidden tombs.
7Assassin’s Creed 3
The Frontier’s Last Stand
Assassin’s Creed III
The American Colonial frontier inAssassin’s Creed 3brings seasonal changes that drastically affect both gameplay and navigation. Summer’s dense forests transform into snow-covered hunting grounds in winter, with deep snow affecting movement speed and leaving footprints that made it difficult to cover up Connor’s tracks.
It’s in the latter parts of the game where theits open world truly shines. For the first time in the series,parkourwasn’t just limited to buildings. Trees, cliffs, and rocky outcroppings provided natural pathways that allowed Connor to move with the agility of an Assassin in an environment that felt untamed and alive.
Boston and New York were also teeming with life, showcasing the contrast between colonial architecture and revolutionary chaos. And it’s in Assassin’s Creed 3 that naval gameplay makes its first meaningful appearance, hinting at the mechanic’s potential for a sequel and setting up the game’s world as being one of the most diverse ones in the franchise.
6Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Where Ancient Meets Modern
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
Set in a condensed but densely packed recreation of 9th-century Baghdad, Mirage’s map returns to the series' roots of urban parkour and social stealth. Mirage trims the fat from the usual formula of the recent Assassin’s Creed games, bringing back the dense cityscapes of the older titles in the series. The Round City’s distinctive circular design creates natural navigation paths along its four main gates and grand bazaar, while the tight alleyways and rooftop routes offer multiple approaches to any objective.
Baghdad is divided into districts, from the grand House of Wisdom, where scholars debate philosophy to the bustling markets filled with merchants and thieves. The world feels alive with dynamic events triggered by the Islamic prayer schedule, changing guard patterns, and merchant activities that reflect the daily life of the Abbasid Caliphate. Hidden bureaus scattered throughout the city provide safe houses and mission hubs, while the investigation system ties side activities to main story assassination targets through a network of informants and evidence gathering.
5Assassin’s Creed 2
A Renaissance Painting Brought To Life
Assassin’s Creed 2
Assassin’s Creed 2’s Florence, Venice, and Tuscany is a love letter to Renaissance Italy, meticulously crafted with vibrant colors, intricate architecture, and sprawling networks of canals and rooftops that are perfect for parkour. Florence’s narrow streets and merchant-dominated squares contrast sharply with Venice’s canal networks and ornate palaces, while the Tuscan countryside connects these urban centers with vineyards and villas hiding ancient Assassin tombs.
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The economic system ties directly into world exploration, with art collecting and villa renovation providing tangible rewards for thorough exploration. Each city changes subtly as the story progresses through decades, with buildings under construction eventually completing and political shifts affecting guard presence, making Assassin’s Creed 2’s world feel like a living, breathing hub of Italian history.
4Assassin’s Creed Unity
The Most Beautiful Architecture in an Assassin’s Creed Game
Assassin’s Creed Unity
The streets of Paris inUnityare still one of the most technically ambitious recreations in the series. The 1:1 scale map captures the French capital during the Revolution with unprecedented detail, and the crowd system allowed for a staggering number of NPCs in the streets to react to ongoing events like public executions.
Each district tells its own story through architecture and population density, from the crowded slums of Cour des Miracles to the opulent halls of Versailles. There’s also the murder mystery side activities that turn Paris into a detective’s playground, with each case requiring thorough investigation of crime scenes and interrogation of witnesses, sending Arno on a goose chase across some of the most historic locations in one of the prettiest and most realistic renditions of any city in an Assassin’s Creed game, ever.
3Assassin’s Creed Origins
The Birthplace of the Brotherhood
Assassin’s Creed Origins
Few settings in the Assassin’s Creed series are as visually striking as Ancient Egypt, andAssassin’s Creed Originsbrings it to life with a staggering level of historical accuracy and scale. Origins' map of Ptolemaic Egypt spans from Alexandria’s Mediterranean coast to the southern deserts of Faiyum, spanning deserts, lush oases, temple cities, and the mighty Nile, creating the series' first truly ancient open world.
While there are huge swathes of empty desert in the game, it would be unfair to say that the world is just large for the sake of being large. Scattered across the map are major cities, such as Alexandria and Memphis, that showcase the diversity of Ancient Egypt, with Greek, Roman, and Egyptian influences blending together in the architecture and culture.
Then there are the desert regions, which feature dynamic sandstorms that can hide both dangers and opportunities, whereas the Nile River serves as a living ecosystem with crocodiles, hippos, and trading vessels. For those who love history lessons, Ubisoft included a Discovery Tour mode that transforms the entire map into an interactive museum, with guided tours covering everything from mummification practices to daily life in ancient Memphis.
2Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
The Caribbean Becomes Your Playground
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag transformed the franchise’s open-world formula in a way no other entry had before. Instead of focusing on a single city or landmass, the game sprawls across the Caribbean, replacing alleyways with open seas and rooftops with towering ship masts. The vast ocean map connects major ports like Havana and Kingston through a network of smaller islands, each hiding its own secrets and opportunities.
There are also underwater exploration sections that add vertical depth to the world, with shipwrecks and undersea caves hiding Mayan artifacts and pirate treasure. Edward Kenway’s ship becomes your home and pride, which you have to regularly upgrade in order to face bigger threats and survive the harshest of weather conditions.
But Black Flag’s world isn’t just about the high seas. Havana, Kingston, and Nassau serve as the game’s major cities, each offering distinct environments. Havana’s Spanish influence is evident in its grand cathedrals and narrow streets, while Kingston is a British stronghold with plantations and military installations. Nassau, on the other hand, is a pirate haven with chaos and lawlessness abounding, embodying the golden age of piracy.
1Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
A Greek Mythology Fan’s Heaven
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
If Black Flag revolutionized the franchise’s approach to open-world design with its naval exploration, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey took that freedom and expanded it across an ancient Greek world that is breathtaking in its sheer scale. The world seamlessly blends historical accuracy with mythological elements, hiding cyclopean ruins and Minotaur lairs among accurate recreations of classical Greek cities. Odyssey makes sure that even the most remote islands hold stories waiting to be discovered.
Naval sections return to the series after a long hiatus, allowing players to customize their ship, the Adrestia, and engage in large-scale sea battles. Unlike Black Flag, however, naval combat is more skill-based, with javelins and arrows replacing cannons, making engagements feel closer to historical naval skirmishes. Player’s actions don’t go unheard, thanks to the mercenary system where, when someone puts a bounty on the player’s head, mercenaries flock in to collect it, creating random encounters while traversing the expansive map.
While many players might consider the world as needlessly large and padded with repetitive side content, it can’t be denied that Odyssey’s world is the most ambitious one in the entire franchise, andUbisoftnailed the execution of what it feels like to roam around in Greece.
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