Summary
- Assassin's Creed games vary in stealth emphasis, with some titles focusing more on it than others.
- Titles like Assassin's Creed 2 and Unity improve stealth elements, offering new gameplay mechanics and tools.
- Assassin's Creed Shadows and Mirage bring a strong emphasis on stealth, introducing new tools and mechanics for players.
Throughout video game history, there have been many different genres that players can immerse themselves in. One such genre is stealth games, which offer completely different gameplay. The stealth game genre has definitely seen better days, but it has still shown a strong will to live, especially with games such as Ghost of Tsushima, new entries in the Hitman series, and, of course, the Assassin's Creed series.
Every Assassin's Creed Game, Ranked
From the original to now, every Assassin's Creed game has its highs and lows, but some titles are way better than others.
By this point, there are numerous Assassin's Creed games, some tilting more toward RPG titles, and some toward the more standard stealth experience. However, they almost always allow players to engage in stealth gameplay at some point, and certain titles offer more stealth options than others.
9 Assassin's Creed
The Original Game That Preaches Assassination Gameplay
Assassin's Creed
- Released
- November 14, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Stealth, Action
Stealth in Assassin's Creed has fluctuated over the years, with some games focusing on it more than others. The original Assassin's Creed game focused on being a stealth game, but didn't go into as much depth as some other later titles were able to.
That being said, it laid the groundwork for the stealth gameplay that would be associated with Assassin's Creed; assassinations, parkour for easy enemy kills and quick escapes, Eagle Vision for extra information, and social stealth allowing players to blend in with other NPCs to avoid detection.
8 Assassin's Creed 2
A Game That Improved Upon Its Predecessor's Stealth
Assassin's Creed 2
- Released
- November 7, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- macOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Assassin's Creed 2 is often considered to be the best in the series. With gameplay improving over the original game, the stealth options available to players were also improved.
One of the biggest changes was the ability to swim, allowing players to hide underwater to avoid enemies. Social stealth improved, so players can blend in with any crowd, not just those wearing similar clothing. Additionally, different groups of people could be hired to blend in with them, thereby not alerting any enemies. There is also a range of tools to utilize, such as poison, throwing knives, and smokebombs, among others, that are less stealth-oriented.
7 Assassin's Creed Revelations
Similar Gameplay But With More Tools
Assassin's Creed Revelations
- Released
- November 15, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action, Open-World
The Ezio Trilogy games have fairly similar stealth gameplay to each other. However, underneath, there are stealth options that make each game different from one another.
Assassin's Creed Revelations lets players engage in the usual stealth gameplay, such as quick assassinations of enemies, blending in with the crowd, and using different environmental elements to gain an advantage. There are also tools, as per usual, such as a crossbow, throwing knives, and poison darts. However, the bomb crafting makes for different options compared to previous games, with some bombs applying to stealth situations, be it bombs that distract guards, bombs that blind enemies, or bombs that separate enemies from each other.
6 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag/Assassin's Creed Rogue
Games That Play Almost Identically To Each Other In Stealth
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
- Released
- October 29, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Different Assassin's Creed games take on different approaches to stealth gameplay. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag possesses aspects from other games in the way of stealth options, but is mainly focused on environmental stealth.
There are lots of opportunities in the world for stealth, notably in foliage. There are bushes to lure enemies into, trees to hop between, and of course, the ocean, given it is a pirate game. There are, additionally, the usual aspects of stealth for an Assassin's Creed game, with parkour, different assassinations, and various tools. Notably, Assassin's Creed Rogue shares almost identical stealth gameplay with Black Flag, making both games the same in this regard.
5 Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
A Game That Continues The Stealth Options Seen In Assassin's Creed 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Released
- November 16, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has similar stealth gameplay to the previous game, Assassin's Creed 2, but gives players a bit more options. In Brotherhood, the overall feeling is that of stealth, with missions designed around playing sneakily, notwithstanding the different tools and systems that players can indulge in.
Assassin's Creed: Every Armor Set In The Ezio Trilogy, Ranked by Appearance
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Obviously, the Brotherhood system is an important part of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and can be a huge boon to stealth situations. The game also has numerous tools to help stealth gameplay, such as the parachute, poison darts, smokebombs, and the crossbow.
4 Assassin's Creed Mirage
Bigger Emphasis Placed On Stealth
Assassin's Creed: Mirage
- Released
- October 12, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Bordeaux
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Assassin's Creed moved to RPG entries over the years, with stealth gameplay somewhat taking a backseat in comparison to earlier games. However, Assassin's Creed Mirage was a return to form, with strong emphasis placed on stealth gameplay.
There are various tools, as usual for Assassin's Creed. This time there are throwing knives, a blowdart, smokebombs, traps, and a noisemaker, which provide different utilities. The world itself can play an important role in stealth gameplay, such as different assassinations depending on where the player is hiding, and the inclusion of various environmental traps that can be used to defeat enemies. Skills can be used to further increase the viability of stealth. Assassin's Focus can be used to easily dispatch enemies, and can be used for different situations, simply to attack, to traverse locations, or to get out of a sticky situation. Finally, social stealth is also an aspect of Assassin's Creed Mirage, being an element that can further the viability of stealth.
3 Assassin's Creed Syndicate
Renowned For Having Great Stealth Options
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
- Released
- October 23, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Many consider Assassin's Creed Unity to have the best stealth options in the whole franchise. Of course, as the next game after Unity, many also consider Assassin's Creed Syndicate to be the best game for playing stealthily, and it holds gameplay that made Unity's stealth great.
Like with Unity, some missions were designed with stealth in mind, with various ways to approach the mission similar to the Hitman games. Various tools were available for players to use, with the throwing knives as a fan favorite. Whistling and being able to move bodies allowed for more ease of stealth, and the game introduced some new mechanics, such as kidnapping, making it different from Unity, even if it is quite similar.
2 Assassin's Creed Shadows
With Stealth Options Befitting A Shinobi
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
While Assassin's Creed has always been associated with stealth, Japan and its association with the shinobi only make it natural for Assassin's Creed Shadows to hold great stealth options. Of course, there are two protagonists in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and between the two, Naoe is the one suited for stealthy players.
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Embrace the way of the samurai with these powerful Katana weapons available for Yasuke in AC Shadows.
Eagle Vision makes a return, but a new mechanic is introduced - the Observe mechanic, which allows for additional information about areas to be gained. The other massive new mechanic is the ability to go prone, allowing for even more stealthy navigation. There are additional tools for players to use, such as shurikens, kunai, shinobi bells, and smokebombs, as usual for Assassin's Creed. The area can also give different stealth options, such as in the water, hiding in objects, whistling to distract enemies, and even extinguishing lights.
1 Assassin's Creed Unity
Argued As Having The Best Stealth Gameplay
Assassin's Creed Unity
- Released
- November 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
Starting with a rocky start, Assassin's Creed Unity has since become a fan favorite of the franchise. With improvements over the previous games, one such example is how Unity dealt with stealth.
Unity's manual crouching, along with its fluid and impressive parkour, makes for extreme ease when navigating. The assassinations are smooth, making for quick dispatches of foes via stealth. There are additional tools that allow for further stealth gameplay, such as a smoke bomb and a crossbow. Missions were also changed, allowing for a greater range of stealth gameplay instead of being linear. However, there are still some classic Assassin's Creed stealth elements, such as the ability to blend into crowds.
Every Assassin's Creed Novel, Ranked
Fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise and games should check out these novels.