10 games like Assassin's Creed to take a leap of faith on
Here are 10 of the best games like Assassin's Creed to play right now
When it comes to games like Assassin's Creed, there are plenty of options out there. Whether you're after more experiences that will let you put your stealthy skills to use, you enjoy parkouring, or you're looking to get your fill exploration, we've brought together the best alternatives out there that you can stuck into right now.
The long-running stealth series from Ubisoft has brought us a lot of different adventures set across different periods in history, from the very first games that introduced the hidden blade, to the more recent RPG incarnations, we still have some exciting upcoming Assassin's Creed games to look forward to.
After Assassin's Creed Mirage took us to Baghdad in the 9th century, the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed Shadows impending arrival will bring us Feudal Japan. But while we wait for looks set to be one of the exciting new games on the near-horizon, these games like Assassin's Creed are here to keep you busy.
So get ready to take a leap of faith as we guide you through our pick of the 10 best games like Assassin's Creed you can play right now.
10 Games like Assassin's Creed You Can Play Today
Dishonored 2
Developer: Arkane Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Arkane’s Dishonored series will delight stealth-focused Assassin’s Creed fans who enjoyed the more focused earlier entries in the series – where you couldn’t just whip out dual scimitars and go to town on enemies. One of the finest modern Immersive Sims, Dishonored 2 is still a revolutionary stealth game with toy box levels designed for critical thinkers and tinkerers. Whether you want to set traps, possess foes or use acrobatics to get around a problem, Dishonored 2 offers you that bandwidth alongside some genius level design, creating maps full of clever environmental storytelling - spaces begging to be explored. Sure, it’s a harsh switch to the first-person perspective, but the stealth ethos of Creed is present here, a style you should be familiar with if you’re an old-school stealth game fan. If you find yourself enjoying Assassin’s Creed’s stealth gameplay, Dishonored doubles down on that fun, and offers an engaging story to boot.
Uncharted 4
Developer: Naughty Dog
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, PC
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Assassin’s Creed’s stealth gameplay has always taken first priority over its story, so perhaps you’d be interested in Uncharted 4, which takes inspiration from Creed’s parkour clambering but delivers one of the best modern narratives in video games. A globe-trotting tale following pretend Archaeologist Nathan Drake (who secretly just likes to blow stuff up) as he deals with his most intrepid foe yet - settling down. A moving story that melds emotional lows with adrenaline-pumping highs, Uncharted 4 will suit any Assassin’s Creed fan who is looking for a little bit more oomph in the story department. It also has an incredibly cool rope-swinging mechanic. Think Tarzan but with like… guns and explosives. Do yourself a favor and make sure you play one of the best Uncharted games.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Developer: Nintendo
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
A game that quickly became near and dear to every early adopter’s heart when it dropped alongside the Nintendo Switch in early 2017, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an utter masterpiece, a holistic reinvention of Zelda that pushed the series away from the trappings of the past and into the future. It’d be hard to argue it doesn’t evoke some of Assassin’s Creed greatest qualities in its open-world design and clever climbing mechanics. You can climb anything in Breath of the Wild, much like you can scale most structures in Rome in Assassin’s Creed 2. Where Assassin’s Creed offers chaos and bloodshed, Breath of the Wild is a breath of fresh serenity, and can be incredibly therapeutic and relaxing when you’re not being chased by Cucco’s or aggravating fire dragons. All these years later, it remains one of the best Switch games available; Breath of the Wild is an even sweeter deal for Assassin’s Creed fans, who should feel right at home clambering up the face of cliffs across its 50-hour story.
Hitman 3
Developer: IO Interactive
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
If you're really all about the stealthy murder, Hitman 3 delivers it by the bucketload. The latest installment of the series takes you everywhere from a Knives Out style murder mystery in a mansion to hanging off the side of the tallest building in the world dressed as a waiter. Hitman 3 might not deliver the same open-world exploration, but it does offer you the same wealth of choice when it comes to how you complete your objectives. Whether you're in a Berlin club or at a wine mixer, the game is a big old toybox of death to play with, with assassination methods far more sophisticated than a quick stab with a hidden blade.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Originally released in 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum kicked off a series of modern DC games that are considered among the best Batman games in existence. In 2019 it's available as part of the Return to Arkham collection, remastered for next-gen consoles. Don’t let its age fool you, this is a timeless classic that will delight comic-book fans and gadget-savvy Assassin’s Creed players who enjoy the counter-based combat seen in Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey. With an exciting linear narrative and a host of collectables to pilfer for as you explore the dreaded Arkham Asylum, the world feels deceptively open, despite the game being on rails. Sneaking around atop of gargoyles and swooping down to knockout goons is still as riveting as ever, especially for Assassin’s Creed players who love to systematically wipe out a room with stealth tactics and smoke bombs.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
Developer: Kojima Productions
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Kojima’s final game before moving on to Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is his unfinished masterpiece, a bittersweet sayonara to the series which was his baby, packed with adrenaline and plenty of stories left untold. Despite the unfortunate dramatics surrounding its release, it still holds up as one of the best stealth games, and whilst it’s modern setting doesn’t reflect Assassin’s Creed, it’s toy-box design does. It’s so wonderfully fine tuned and full of minuscule details to do with physics and enemy A.I - you can really toy with your enemies in this game and make their grey matter unravel through mischievous stealth - whilst enjoying an action-packed story playing as Venom Snake. Also, if you enjoyed managing real estate and your wide net of assassin’s in Brotherhood and other later entries in the series, no doubt you will latch on to the meta game of Mother Base, raising troops of your own and expanding your offshore dominion. The Phantom Pain is considered one of the best Metal Gear games for good reason!
Ghost of Tsushima
Developer: Sucker Punch
Platform(s): PS5, PS4, PC
Assassin's Creed is known for taking us across the annals of history, and if you're looking for another period piece to delve into that also features a fantastic stealth system and engaging combat, Ghost of Tsushima is well worth considering. From performing air kills from the tops of tents, to sneaking through tall grass, and taking out foes unawares, you'll be treading a lot of familiar ground in Sucker Punch's adventure as protagonist Jin Sakai. Set in a beautiful open-world, you can expect to engage in sword duels, fight a myriad of enemies, and get swept up in a memorable journey that takes place in the late 13th century. And with the upcoming sequel Ghost of Yotei, there's never been a better time to check it out.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Developer: FromSoftware
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Assassin’s Creed games have recently started to use From Software’s finest features as a muse to invigorate its tried-and-tested model, most notably in the combat department, with Origins and Odyssey offering up similar cat-and-mouse gameplay to Dark Souls. As a result, if you’ve played the most modern Creed games and you’ve enjoyed taking on enemies, you might want to dip into one of the best FromSoftware games – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. With its focus on stealth and high manoeuvrability thanks to the grappling hook, it’s the closest game in the Soulsborne roster to Assassin’s Creed. Of course, it’s a lot more unforgiving than what you might be used to, but with most AC games being a pushover in the difficulty department, the bump in trouble might feel quite rewarding.
Mirror's Edge: Catalyst
Developer: DICE
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
Dropping just one year after the original Assassin’s Creed, Mirrors Edge still stands out as one of the most seminal parkour games that paved the way for many future open world movement mechanics, with some of the most fluid animations and adrenaline-pumping set pieces curating a serious atmosphere in its neon-laden world. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is the sequel that followed suit, and whilst stumbling at a few hurdles, it’s well worth playing if you enjoy parkour games and would like to see the platforming performed from a different perspective from the one seen in Assassin’s Creed, alongside a more involved narrative and tactile melee combat.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Developer: CD Projekt RED
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Easily one of the best open world games ever made, The Witcher 3 is an absolute behemoth of an RPG that absolutely influenced the reinvention of Assassin’s Creed, from the combat to the scaling gear system. Fans of Origins and Odyssey won’t be too far from home when they step into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia, and will most likely delight in its bustling narrative and branching, lore-heavy side quests that enrich its enrapturing medieval world in a fashion that Assassin’s Creed is still trying to capture. With potent character dynamics, a fleshed-out combat system and some moving moments, you couldn’t go wrong embarking on this epic 50-100 hour tale.
If you're still looking for something new to play, check out the most anticipated upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games on the way.
Jordan Oloman has hundreds of bylines across outlets like 12DOVE, PC Gamer, USA Today, The Guardian, The Verge, The Washington Post, and more. Jordan is an experienced freelance writer who can not only dive deep into the biggest video games out there but explore the way they intersect with culture too. Jordan can also be found working behind-the-scenes here at Future Plc, contributing to the organization and execution of the Future Games Show.
- Josh WestEditor-in-Chief, 12DOVE
- Heather WaldSenior staff writer