4. Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023)

While I (and others at Kotaku) have enjoyed the expansive, open-world Assassin’s Creed entries—like Valhalla—there’s long been this lingering question: Will Ubisoft ever make a smaller, stealth-focused installment? And for a while, it seemed like the answer was no.

But in 2023, Ubisoft released Assassin’s Creed Mirage, which takes all the tech and modern quality-of-life features found in the recent AC games, and applies it all to a smaller game that looks and feels a lot like those older entries. And you know what? It’s really good! And not just because Ubisoft went back to basics with this installment of the franchise. Mirage also boasts an engaging storyline that doesn’t overstay its welcome and feels tight in a way recent AC games just haven’t. It also has some wonderful sidequests to discover while exploring its atmospheric world.

If you’ve grown tired of the vast Assassin’s Creed games and are wanting something more like Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, III, or Brotherhood, you should definitely check out Mirage. It’s one of the best entries in the series.