We’ve jumped across centuries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise—from ancient Greece to Viking England, Renaissance Italy to Revolutionary France. Now, Ubisoft is sharpening its hidden blades for 16th-century Japan with Assassin’s Creed Shadows. But where exactly does this game fall in the franchise’s sprawling historical timeline?

Let’s break it down.

Time Period: 1579 CE

Setting: Sengoku-era Japan

Protagonists: Naoe (Shinobi Assassin) and Yasuke (Historical Samurai)

Modern-Day Character: Unknown (as of announcement)

Assassin’s Creed Shadows takes place during Japan’s Warring States period, a time of political upheaval, shifting alliances, and full-on battlefield chaos (just an average Tuesday). More specifically, it’s locked in at 1579 CE—right after Revelations and before Black Flag in the series’ historical chronology.

This places it after the events of Ezio and Altair (whose stories wrap in the early 1500s) and before Edward Kenway’s pirate adventures, which kick off around 1715. If you’re playing the series chronologically by historical setting, Assassin’s Creed Shadows becomes the ninth entry in the timeline, just after Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and ahead of Black Flag.

What It Means for the Lore

The timeline placement of Shadows is interesting for a few reasons:

• First Japanese setting in a mainline AC game: Fans have begged for this for over a decade, and it’s finally happening in the late 1500s—when ninja clans, samurai power struggles, and European influence were all on the rise.
  
• Pre-American colonies, post-Renaissance Europe: We’re leaving the cobblestone streets of Europe behind and landing in a fractured Japan grappling with internal war and foreign influence. Historically, this is right around the time the Portuguese introduced firearms to Japan, which could play into the narrative.
  
• New hidden blade dynamics: With both an Assassin and a Samurai protagonist, we may see the Brotherhood evolve in a region not yet explored. Will Naoe’s journey echo Bayek’s hidden origins? Will Yasuke challenge the Templar worldview from the outside?

Where It Falls on the AC Historical Timeline

If you’re replaying the games in chronological order, here’s where Shadows falls in the lineup:

1. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey – 431–422 BCE
   
2. Assassin’s Creed Origins – 49–44 BCE
   
3. Assassin’s Creed Mirage – 861 CE
   
4. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – 872–878 CE
   
5. Assassin’s Creed (Original) – 1191 CE
   
6. Assassin’s Creed II – 1476–1499 CE
   
7. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – 1500–1507 CE
   
8. Assassin’s Creed Revelations – 1511–1512 CE
   
9. Assassin’s Creed Shadows – 1579 CE ←  , that’s our stop
   
10. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – 1715–1722 CE
    
11. Assassin’s Creed Rogue – 1752–1760 CE
    
12. Assassin’s Creed III – 1754–1783 CE
    
13. Assassin’s Creed Unity – 1789–1794 CE
    
14. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – 1868 CE

Final Thoughts

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is carving out its place between fan-favorite eras. It bridges the gap between the Renaissance and the colonial period, offering new insight into how the Assassin-Templar war played out far from Europe’s familiar streets. With dual protagonists and a setting that’s been a longtime fan request, it’s already shaping up to be a major installment in the franchise.

Whether you’re here for the silent strikes of Naoe or the sword-wielding might of Yasuke, one thing’s clear—history just got a whole lot sharper.