Since back in the day with the first Assassin’s Creed game, I’ve had an unhealthy obsession with the series. I’ve played enough of each game where I can see elements being taken over to other titles. Assassin’s Creed has three main elements: combat, traversal, and stealth.
Each of the games on this list uses one or all three — and in some cases, does it better. To know what the 10 best games like Assassin’s Creed are, read below.
Dishonored 2
Assassin’s Creed’s stealth is the main way an assassin gets their target. For Dishonored 2, stealth plays a crucial role in combat. While you can fight head-on, sneaking around like Assassin’s Creed will take you farther. Both games share similarities in how you deal with enemies when stabbing them in the back. You can be fairly creative with those kills. Dishonored 2 has the added element of abilities. It takes the formula that Assassin’s Creed has created and makes it even more exciting. The result is a fun stealth game.
Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst
Traversal and parkour (freerunning) is a standout mechanic for Assassin’s Creed. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst makes freerunning its main selling point. Combat is still required, but in this case, treat it as a secondary mechanic. In Assassin’s Creed, running away after getting your target and reaching unattainable places is the name of the game. You’ll be doing exactly that in Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst. But if you choose to fight, make sure you brace for it. Unlike Assassin’s Creed, you’re slightly less powered than many of the enemies. This could make combat an issue rather than a solution.
Watch Dogs 2
Both Watch Dogs 2 and Assassin’s Creed come from the same place, Ubisoft, so it would make sense why they borrow from each other. Watch Dogs 2 takes all three pillars of an Assassin’s Creed game and brings it to the modern day. First, your combat is just as dynamic and can be unconventional like an Assassin’s Creed game. Next is the stealth; while you don’t have to play this way, it helps with the sneaking around, which can be rewarding. Additionally, instead of using Eagle Vision to search for your target, you use cameras that act the same way. Finally, the movement is a lot like an assassin. You’ll be freerunning throughout the streets of San Francisco, and in many cases, it’s more fun than ancient Egypt.
Dying Light 2: Stay Human
This first-person parkour game takes the Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst style of gameplay, the combat and traversal of Assassin’s Creed, and adds zombies. Pretty cool, right? The best part is that in the later Assassin’s Creed games like Unity, the more you play, the better you become. Dying Light 2: Stay Human has a skill system that makes you better as you progress. The freerunning is just as fluid as the more recent Assassin’s Creed games. If you’ve mastered how the movement works in those games, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is a walk in the park.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
So far, the games on this list use at least one aspect of Assassin’s Creed. Middle-earth: Shadow of War uses two. The game is what Assassin’s Creed would be if you set the game in the Lord of the Rings universe. The first mechanic is combat. In Assassin’s Creed games such as Origins, Valhalla, and Odyssey, you can become a walking tank. Shadow of War is just that. If you upgrade in the best way, you can plow through the orcs with ease. The second mechanic is stealth. This part is almost identical to Assassin’s Creed. You can do assassinations from above, behind, or the side like an assassin. The only difference is that you have a sword instead of a hidden blade.
Batman: Arkham Knight
The entire Arkham series is reminiscent of the Assassin’s Creed games. Since Batman relies on stealth, it only makes sense to have this title on the list. Before getting their target, an assassin investigates the situation. This is something the world’s greatest detective does in Batman: Arkham Knight. Then when he finds what he needs, he pounces on his enemies one by one — like an assassin. The only difference between the two characters is that one does not kill, and the other seems to have no problem with taking a non-innocent life.
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Hitman 3
Even though the series is on ice indefinitely, it can help you get your stealthy assassin fix. Both Assassin’s Creed and Hitman 3 use the crowd as a gameplay mechanic. This way, you’re hard to spot, and your target can’t see you coming. In the later Assassin’s Creed games, there’s a black box system that allows players to do the assassination in any way they want to. Either sneak in, distract guards, or fight your way through. Hitman 3 is the same. You can dress up as an NPC or take out cameras to quietly eliminate your target. But what separates the two is the options for your creativity in Hitman 3. You can kill your target or other enemies in some pretty interesting ways.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
As mentioned, traversal is huge in Assassin’s Creed. In the case of Horizon: Zero Dawn, one could say the same. The platforming requires the freerunning to be dead on, much like Assassin’s Creed. As the Assassin’s Creed games have gone on, the combat has become less clunky and smoother. Horizon: Zero Dawn’s fighting style is evidence of that growth. Aloy dips and dodges with ease, and can counter with attacks that can down even the biggest robot animals. Stealth can play a big role in these games if you go that route. When you do, it can start feeling like an Assassin’s Creed game.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Assassin’s Creed has also been about its wide-open world, and what you see, you can go to. In The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, you can feel the same themes. The cool thing about both games is that the Witchers and the Assassins belong to an order. They have rules to abide by. So while not all the gameplay like the other games on this list match, the themes do line up. However, both games share a lot in terms of gameplay. The combat in The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is fluid much like in Assassin’s Creed. In Assassin’s Creed, you have Eagle Vision, whereas in The Witcher, you have Witcher Sense. They both help out with investigation and tracking targets. If you strip everything away, Assassin’s Creed can feel like a grounded version of The Witcher 3.
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Ghost of Tsushima
There’s a reason why this game is number one on the list. Ghost of Tsushima is an Assassin’s Creed game without being an Assassin’s Creed game. It takes everything from its counterparts and makes it ten times better. The combat, the stealth, and the freerunning are almost the same. I just hope the game gets ported on PC because more people need to see how to make the Assassin’s Creed formula near-perfect. Many fans have been asking for an Assassin’s Creed to go to Japan, and it looks like that cry has been answered in Assassin’s Creed: Red. However, it may be tough to reach the bar Ghost of Tsushima has set.
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