# Which Assassin's Creed games are connected?

> Every main Assassin's Creed game shares one universe, but the direct story links run through trilogies and the modern-day frame story.

All main Assassin's Creed games take place in one shared universe, tied together by the centuries-long conflict between the Assassins and the Templars, the ancient Isu (First Civilization) and their artifacts, and a modern-day story in which people relive ancestors' memories through the Animus. Beyond that common frame, the closest links are inside smaller groups of games that share a hero or a family.

## The modern-day thread

- **Desmond Miles saga:** Assassin's Creed (2007) through Assassin's Creed III follow Desmond, a modern descendant of several Assassins, as he relives their memories to stop a global catastrophe.
- **After Desmond:** Black Flag, Unity, Syndicate and Rogue use shorter, lighter modern-day segments set around Abstergo, the Templars' corporate front.
- **Layla Hassan arc:** Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla share a new modern-day lead, Layla Hassan, whose story concludes in Valhalla.

## Direct story connections

- **Ezio trilogy:** Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations follow Ezio Auditore from youth to old age; Revelations also closes Altaïr's story from the first game.
- **Kenway saga:** Black Flag (Edward Kenway), Rogue (Shay Cormac) and Assassin's Creed III (Connor, Edward's grandson, and Haytham, Edward's son) form one family story. Rogue also bridges into Unity's opening.
- **Origins and Odyssey:** Origins shows the founding of the Hidden Ones, the forerunners of the Assassin Brotherhood. Odyssey is set centuries earlier, in ancient Greece, and focuses on Isu lore rather than on the Brotherhood.
- **Valhalla and Mirage:** Basim Ibn Ishaq is a major character in Valhalla. Mirage tells his earlier life in Baghdad, so it works as a prequel to his Valhalla role.

## Do you need to play them in order?

No. Each game has a self-contained main story, and most players start with whichever era interests them. Order matters most inside the groups above: the Ezio trilogy and the Kenway saga are best played in sequence, and Valhalla's ending lands harder if you know Odyssey and Origins.

## FAQ

**Are Assassin's Creed III and Black Flag connected?**
Yes. Black Flag's Edward Kenway is the father of Haytham and the grandfather of Connor, the heroes of Assassin's Creed III.

**Are Origins and Odyssey connected?**
They share Layla Hassan's modern-day story and Isu lore, but their historical heroes, Bayek and Kassandra or Alexios, do not meet in the main stories.

**Is Mirage connected to Valhalla?**
Yes. Mirage is the backstory of Basim, who plays a key part in Valhalla's story and ending.

**How are Black Flag and Rogue connected?**
Both belong to the Kenway era. Rogue's hero, Shay Cormac, is an Assassin turned Templar who serves alongside Haytham Kenway.

**Who was the first Assassin?**
In the series' lore, the Brotherhood's roots are traced to Bayek and Aya in Origins, who found the Hidden Ones. Altaïr in the first game is not the first Assassin.

**Were the Assassins real?**
The games are loosely based on the medieval Nizari Ismailis, called the "Hashshashin" by their enemies, but the modern Brotherhood is fiction.

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https://gamevoyages.com/which-parts-of-assassin-s-creed-are-interconnected/ · Game Voyage · Checked 2026-10-30
