Honestly, if you’ve been keeping tabs on the Assassin's Creed games latest updates, your head is probably spinning. It’s a lot. Between the release of Assassin's Creed Shadows last year and the constant hum of "Project this" and "Codename that," it feels like Ubisoft is trying to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.
But here’s the thing. 2026 is shaping up to be the year where the franchise finally stops trying to be everything to everyone and starts getting weird again.
The Black Flag Remake is Real (and Soon)
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. For years, rumors of a remake—internally dubbed Resynced—have been floating around like a ghost ship. Well, the word on the street (and via some pretty reliable leaks from Ubisoft Singapore) is that we’re looking at a late March 2026 release.
It’s not just a resolution bump.
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The devs are reportedly stripping out those jarring modern-day segments to keep the focus entirely on Edward Kenway’s life at sea. They're also borrowing the more fluid combat and movement systems from recent RPG titles. It makes sense. Black Flag is arguably the peak of the "fun" era of the series, and bringing it up to 2026 standards is basically printing money.
Why AC Hexe is the One to Watch
If you're bored of the 100-hour map-clearing loops, Assassin's Creed Hexe is your light at the end of the tunnel. Or maybe the dark at the end of the tunnel, considering it's being described as the "darkest" entry yet.
Set in the 16th-century Holy Roman Empire during the height of the witch trials, Hexe is a massive departure.
- It's not an RPG. Say goodbye to gear scores and level gating.
- A Vulnerable Protagonist. You play as Elsa, and you aren't a one-woman army.
- Witchy Mechanics. Instead of just hidden blades, there’s talk of a "fear system" where you use the environment and superstition to terrify enemies.
Ubisoft Montreal recently brought on Christopher Grilli—the guy who wrote Mirage and Origins—as lead scriptwriter. That’s a huge signal. They aren’t making a generic action game; they’re making a psychological stealth-horror experience. It’s currently slated for late 2026, though don't be shocked if it slips into 2027 given how ambitious it sounds.
The "Fall Guys" of Assassins?
Then there’s Invictus. This one is... weird. It’s a standalone multiplayer game, but instead of the cat-and-mouse stealth from the Brotherhood days, it’s being compared to Fall Guys or Smash Bros.
Basically, 16 players compete in rounds that vary from team deathmatch to parkour races. You'll likely see characters from the whole franchise—Ezio, Kassandra, maybe even some villains—battling it out in maps inspired by past games like Baghdad or Renaissance Italy. It sounds chaotic. It might even be free-to-play, which would be a first for the mainline console ecosystem.
What’s Happening with the Others?
You might be wondering about Assassin's Creed Jade. It’s the mobile RPG set in Ancient China. It has been delayed more times than I can count, but the latest word from the official Discord is that it’s still alive. Tencent shifted focus to more "casual" mobile hits for a while, but Jade is still aiming for a 2026 launch. There’s even a persistent rumor that it might get a PC port because the visuals are "too good for a phone." We'll see.
Meanwhile, Assassin's Creed Shadows is entering its "Year 2." If you were hoping for a second massive DLC like Claws of Awaji, I have bad news. Ubisoft seems to be pivoting toward smaller, free updates instead of a second paid expansion. Think legacy outfits (like Shao Jun's gear) and boss rush modes rather than entirely new maps.
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Moving Forward with the Brotherhood
The strategy for Assassin's Creed games latest releases is clearly about variety. You have the nostalgic remake, the experimental horror-stealth, the mobile giant, and the arcade multiplayer.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, here is what you should actually do:
- Keep an eye on March 2026. That's Ubisoft's 40th anniversary. Expect a "Ubisoft Forward" event where they’ll likely drop the first real gameplay trailer for Hexe and officially reveal the Black Flag remake.
- Don't buy the Shadows Season Pass for "future" content. Since the second expansion was scrapped in favor of smaller updates, check the fine print on what you're actually getting for your money right now.
- Check your mobile specs. If Jade actually drops this year, it’s built on Unreal Engine and is going to be a battery killer. You’ll need a relatively modern device to even run it.
The "one size fits all" era of Odyssey and Valhalla is over. For the first time in a decade, it feels like the franchise is allowed to have an identity crisis—and that usually results in the most interesting games.