Deni Ardiansyah

Game

Throughout its 16-year history, the Assassin’s Creed has explored numerous regions, historical periods, protagonists, mythologies, and even genres. It’s this expansiveness, built on a foundation of highly detailed worlds, engaging stories, and evolving gameplay, that’s led Assassin’s Creed to become Ubisoft’s most successful franchise, and what makes for such a wide variety of AC fans. There’s a lot to enjoy in Assassin’s Creed games, and many of their best attributes can be found in the games we’ve compiled below. As we await the release of Assassin’s Creed Mirage later this year, these are 9 games we recommend for Assassin’s Creed fans, whether you come to the series for its rich open worlds, historical fiction, mythological exploration, or old-school stealth-action gameplay.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat, RPG mechanics, and open-world design. In evolving Assassin’s Creed’s core mechanics from stealth-action to action-RPG, Ubisoft cited Skyrim, Fallout, and The Witcher 3 among its inspirations, though none is more apparent than CD Projekt’s 2015 RPG epic. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Valhalla specifically, the list of design similarities includes a massive open world filled with over 100 hours of content, an emphasis on player agency through narrative decisions and branching dialogue (including a strikingly similar dialogue-selection design), and comparable gear systems. Gameplay-wise, The Witcher 3 features fast-paced, third-person action combat akin to that found in Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, though it adds another wrinkle with signs (i.e., magical abilities). Tastes will differ, but The Witcher 3 arguably does all this better than Assssin’s Creed, leading us to name it the best RPG of the last 15 years and one of the ten best RPGs of all time.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat, traversal, RPG mechanics, and open-world design. Similar to our recommendation for The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West are third-person, open-world action-RPGs that should appeal to fans of the latest Assassin’s Creed games. Both games offer fluid third-person combat with viable options for close-quarters melee and long-range bow-and-arrow attacks, as well as satisfying stealth mechanics and free-climbing systems. On the RPG front, each offers dialogue choices and a gear-based loot system with stat-affecting weapons and armor. Like the recent Assassin's Creed games, Horizon features a massive map teeming with ultimately unimportant points of interest, making it a great recommendation for those who like to explore AC's worlds while splitting their attention between a game and a podcast/audio book.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat, historical fiction, and open-world design. Assassin’s Creed will finally explore the long-requested feudal Japan setting in Codename Red, but in the meantime, Ghost of Tsushima presents an excellent opportunity to explore that history through stealth-action gameplay. (Our Ghost of Tsushima review likened its combat to “a witches’ brew made with bits of the Batman Arkham series, the pre-Origins Assassin’s Creeds, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.”) In addition to its third-person, stealth-melee combat, Assassin’s Creed fans will find a familiar level of open-world exploration couched in historical fiction: Ghost of Tsushima features dozens of side quests and a main narrative set during the real-world, 13th-century invasion of Japan by the Mongol Empire.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat, traversal, and Mercenaries system. WB’s Middle-earth games are another easy recommendation for Assassin’s Creed fans. AC players will feel at home with the games’ shared mechanics: third-person action combat and climbing/parkour systems (including air assassinations). Shadow of Mordor’s combat and air assassinations were so reminiscent of AC that a former Ubisoft developer suggested Monolith used code from Assassin’s Creed 2. (This suggestion highlights the games' similarities, though WB was never formally accused of stealing code.) Shadow of Mordor also introduced the ingenious Nemesis system, a villain generator that turns historically nameless NPCs into recurring rivals. It’s here that Ubisoft took a bite out of Monolith’s design, integrating a similar system in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with Mercenaries.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s combat and exploration of Norse mythology. Fans of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Norse setting and mythology are sure to love what God of War 2018 and God of War Ragnarok offer in those (nine) realms. While AC Valhalla moves between Norse history and mythology, God of War takes place firmly within the region's mythos with visceral third-person combat and a visually striking world to inhabit and explore. Opinions may differ, but God of War’s Norse-set duology features a tighter narrative, better character development, and more rewarding side content — all to say if you enjoyed Valhalla’s exploration of Norse mythology, God of War and Ragnarok are must-play games. You can check out our guide to God of War games in order for more details about the series.

For fans of Assassin’s Creed’s open-world design. Ubisoft’s own Far Cry series will appeal to Assassin’s Creed fans who enjoy traversing open-world maps, bopping from marker to marker completing miscellaneous objectives. Above any other games, Far Cry 3–6 share the types of open-world objectives found in Assassin’s Creed, including towers to climb, outposts to clear, and collectibles to discover. Unlike Assassin’s Creed, however, Far Cry is played from a first-person perspective, and its combat relies largely on firearms. Similar to our recommendation for the Horizon games, Far Cry's bounty of mindless side activities are great for AC fans who enjoy 'checklist' or 'podcast' games. It’s here we’ll give a nod to Watch Dogs as well, another Ubisoft game built on similar open-world design philosophy.