Assassin’s Creed Origins changed everything. Released in 2017 after a year off for the franchise, Origins abandoned the formula that had run from 2007 through Syndicate in 2015 and rebuilt Assassin’s Creed from the ground up as an open-world action RPG. The result was a game set in Ptolemaic Egypt — one of the most visually stunning open worlds ever created — with a new combat system, a skill tree, a genuine level system, and a story that rerouted the franchise’s narrative back to what fans had always wanted: the actual origin of the Brotherhood. This is a full review covering everything worth knowing about whether Origins holds up in 2026.
If you are deciding between AC Origins and the other modern AC RPGs, see our full guide to the best games like Assassin’s Creed — AC alternatives and where to start in the series — comparing every modern AC entry and the best alternatives.
AC Origins: Fast Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Developer | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Release date | October 27, 2017 |
| Setting | Ptolemaic Egypt, 49-47 BC |
| Platforms | PS4, Xbox One, PC (Ubisoft Connect/Steam) |
| PS5 compatibility | ✅ Backward compatible — PS4 version |
| Metacritic score | 81 (PS4) / 84 (PC) |
| Main story length | ~25-35 hours |
| Full completion | ~70-80 hours |
| DLC | The Hidden Ones + The Curse of the Pharaohs + Discovery Tour |
| Current price | Frequently £5-10 on sale (PS4/Xbox/PC) |
The Open World: Ancient Egypt Is Extraordinary
AC Origins’ greatest achievement is its Egypt. The Ptolemaic period — the last dynasty of pharaohs, the age of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar — provides a setting of extraordinary visual range: the Nile delta and its marshland, the pyramids at Giza, the city of Alexandria with its great library, the desert of Sinai, and the lush Faiyum basin. No game before or since has recreated ancient Egypt at this scale and with this level of detail.
The environmental variety across the map is exceptional. Giza’s pyramids can be climbed completely, revealing the interior chambers and the vast desert plateau below. Alexandria is a proper ancient city with temples, markets, and harbors. The Nile flooding system affects which areas are accessible. Villages, military camps, papyrus puzzles, tombs, and random events fill the open world with density that rewards exploration.
Discovery Tour — added as a free update — turns the entire game world into an interactive museum of ancient Egyptian history, allowing players to walk through the environment and access historically accurate information about every location, object, and person encountered. It is one of the most valuable educational gaming tools ever created and dramatically extends the value of the package.
Bayek: The Best AC Protagonist in Years
Bayek of Siwa is a Medjay — a protector of the Egyptian people — and the protagonist of Origins. He is also one of the best characters in the franchise’s history. Where recent AC protagonists had been either archetypal (Connor, Edward) or somewhat hollow (Jacob/Evie in Syndicate), Bayek is specific, emotionally grounded, and compelling throughout. His grief over his son’s death drives the story and is handled with genuine care rather than as a plot device.
The relationship between Bayek and Aya — his wife, who becomes an equal co-protagonist in the later stages — is the most convincingly written partnership in AC history. Their interactions feel earned, their conflict feels real, and their separate paths by the game’s end carry genuine emotional weight.
Combat: The Overhaul That Divided Fans
Origins completely replaced AC’s counter-heavy combat with a hitbox-based system where weapons have range and speed that physically matter, shields can be used actively or broken, and dodge timing is critical. The new system takes approximately 5 hours to click — early combat feels loose and unsatisfying compared to the crisp feedback of AC Syndicate. Once the skill tree opens up and the combat mechanics are internalized, it becomes genuinely good.
| What Works | What Does Not Work |
| Weapon variety — swords, axes, spears, bows, shields | Level gating — underleveled enemies are trivially easy |
| Bow combat — charged shots, predator bow, hunter bow | Early combat feels imprecise before skills unlock |
| Senu — eagle companion for scouting | Enemy AI is inconsistent at higher difficulties |
| Stealth assassination remains satisfying | Parry timing window less forgiving than earlier AC |
| Boss encounters — Phylakes bounty hunters are excellent | Some ability upgrades feel mandatory rather than optional |
The Story: Origins of the Brotherhood
AC Origins does exactly what its title promises — it tells the story of how the Hidden Ones (the precursor to the Assassin Brotherhood) were founded. The main villain, the Order of the Ancients, is the precursor to the Templar Order. For players who have always wanted to understand where the central conflict of the AC universe began, Origins delivers that with care and genuine dramatic stakes.
The story is not perfect — the middle third loses momentum, and some of the Order members feel underdeveloped as antagonists. But the opening act (Bayek’s revenge quest) and the closing act (the founding of the Brotherhood) are the strongest story bookends in the franchise since Black Flag. The Ptolemaic court politics involving Cleopatra and Caesar are handled with more historical specificity than most AC games achieve.
The DLC: Which Is Worth Playing?
| DLC | Verdict | Notes |
| The Hidden Ones | ✅ Worth playing | 4-5 hours; set in Sinai 4 years later; completes the Hidden Ones founding story |
| The Curse of the Pharaohs | ✅ Worth playing | 8-10 hours; supernatural tone; Thebes and the afterlife; visually distinct |
| Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt | ✅ Free update | Educational mode; no combat; historical commentary throughout the game world |
The Season Pass covering both story DLCs plus the Discovery Tour is frequently discounted and represents good value. The Curse of the Pharaohs in particular is excellent — a supernatural side story set in Thebes that takes the game in a different tonal direction and provides some of the best moments in the whole package.
AC Origins on PS4 — Performance and Technical Notes
AC Origins was released for PS4 and PS4 Pro in 2017. The PS4 version runs at 1080p/30fps. The PS4 Pro version runs at 1800p/30fps with checkerboard rendering. Neither version received a native PS5 upgrade — the PS4 version runs on PS5 via backward compatibility at the PS4 Pro’s 1800p settings with improved load times.
For the best visual experience, the PC version is recommended if you have a capable PC — it supports 4K resolution, ultra-wide displays, and can be unlocked to 60fps (though 60fps requires a powerful GPU to maintain consistently). The PS4 version looks good but the 30fps cap is noticeable compared to PC.
| Platform | Resolution / Frame Rate | Notes |
| PS4 | 1080p / 30fps | Base version |
| PS4 Pro | 1800p (checkerboard) / 30fps | Better visuals, same frame rate |
| PS5 (backward compat) | 1800p / 30fps | PS4 Pro version; faster loads |
| Xbox One | 1080p / 30fps | Similar to PS4 |
| Xbox One X | 4K (checkerboard) / 30fps | Best console visuals |
| PC | Up to 4K / 60fps+ | Best overall; requires capable GPU |
Is AC Origins Worth Playing in 2026?
Yes — AC Origins holds up exceptionally well in 2026. The open world is still one of the best ever made. Bayek is still one of the franchise’s most compelling protagonists. The combat system has been refined in later entries (Odyssey, Valhalla, Shadows) but Origins’ version is still good once it clicks. At current sale prices of £5-10, it is one of the best value games in gaming.
The most relevant question in 2026 is where to start in the modern AC RPG trilogy (Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla). Origins is the right starting point chronologically (it sets up the Brotherhood’s founding), it is the shortest of the three, and it has the most focused narrative. Players who bounced off Odyssey’s scale (150+ hours for full completion) often find Origins more approachable at 25-35 hours for the main story.
AC Origins vs AC Odyssey: Which Should You Play?
- Start with Origins if: you want the story in chronological order, prefer a more focused 25-35 hour experience, or are new to the modern AC RPG format
- Play Odyssey instead if: mythological Greece appeals more than ancient Egypt, you want a larger scale open world, or you prefer branching dialogue and romance options
- Play both if: you want the full modern AC experience — Origins and Odyssey together represent the peak of the RPG-era franchise before Valhalla stretched the formula
For the other modern AC RPGs and where they sit in the franchise, see our complete guide to games like Assassin’s Creed — every major AC entry and the best alternatives.
For the official AC Origins page and current UK pricing, see Ubisoft — Assassin’s Creed Origins UK. For Metacritic reviews and player scores, see the AC Origins Metacritic page.
AC Origins Stealth and Senu: The Eagle Companion
One of Origins’ most distinctive mechanics is Senu — Bayek’s eagle companion, activated by holding L2 (PS4). Senu soars above any location and can tag enemies, mark objectives, and scout entire forts before Bayek approaches on foot. It is the equivalent of Eagle Vision from earlier AC games but externalized into a separate aerial view.
• Tagging enemies through Senu makes subsequent stealth runs significantly easier — you always know where guards are patrolling and when sightlines change.
• Senu can distract enemies briefly by diving at them — useful for creating a window to move between cover positions without being seen.
• Senu upgrades through the skill tree improve enemy detection range and allow longer aerial time. Prioritize Senu upgrades early in the game — scouting before every encounter saves significant time.
• The combination of Senu scouting followed by Bayek’s predator bow (a heavy bow designed for long-range precision shots) replicates the sniper-stealth playstyle that many AC players prefer.
AC Origins vs AC Syndicate: Which Is the Better Game?
AC Origins was the franchise reset that followed AC Syndicate (2015) and Unity (2014). For players wondering whether to play Syndicate or jump straight to Origins:
• Play Syndicate first if you want the classic AC formula at its most refined — counter-heavy combat, parkour traversal without a level system, and the Victorian London setting which is one of the franchise’s best cities.
• Play Origins if you want the RPG era — level-gated areas, skill trees, hitbox combat, and the extraordinary Egypt open world.
• The two games are fundamentally different experiences despite sharing the AC brand. Syndicate is the endpoint of one era; Origins is the beginning of another. Both are worth playing.
AC Origins Hidden Tips Most Players Miss
• The Papyrus Puzzles: 25 Papyrus puzzles scattered across Egypt provide some of the best treasure hunts in the game. The clues are written in poetic descriptions of locations — no waypoint markers, just environmental puzzle-solving. Completing all 25 is one of the most satisfying optional activities in the game.
• Synchronization points are not required: Unlike earlier AC games, synchronization points on tall structures do not need to be activated to reveal the map. The map is fully revealed from the start. Sync points provide fast travel and story context but are not progress gates.
• Level scaling in Nightmare difficulty: Playing on Nightmare difficulty removes the level advantage problem — enemies remain challenging even when Bayek’s level exceeds the area’s recommended range. Recommended for players who found the combat too easy at lower difficulties.
• Hermit locations: 12 hermit locations across Egypt unlock story content about Bayek’s son and his past. These are easy to miss and provide significant character depth — check your map for hermit location markers.
AC Origins in 2026 is not a game you play out of nostalgia — it is a game you play because it delivers a genuinely great experience that holds up on its own merits. The Egypt open world remains remarkable. Bayek remains compelling. The Discovery Tour remains unique. At current sale pricing it is one of the best value games available and the correct starting point for anyone entering the modern Assassin’s Creed RPG era.
For players on PS5 specifically: while the lack of a native PS5 upgrade means no DualSense haptics or Activity Cards, the PS4 Pro version via backward compatibility still looks and plays well enough to be worth playing in 2026 for any AC fan who has not yet experienced Bayek’s story.
For the best AC Black Flag experience on PS4 and PS5, see our dedicated guide to the complete AC Black Flag game guide — controls, Jackdaw upgrades, and trophy tips.
For PC players benchmarking Assassin’s Creed Origins, which is one of the more GPU-demanding entries in the series, use our FPS Calculator — Assassin’s Creed Origins and PC game FPS estimates by GPU.
Bottom Line
| Verdict | Excellent — one of the best open worlds ever made |
| Score equivalent | 8.5/10 — essential for AC fans; great for RPG fans generally |
| Metacritic | 81 (PS4) / 84 (PC) |
| Best version | PC for visuals; PS4 Pro / Xbox One X for best console |
| PS5 available? | Yes — backward compat; no native PS5 upgrade |
| Main story length | 25-35 hours |
| Full completion | 70-80 hours (with DLC) |
| Best DLC | Curse of the Pharaohs — supernatural Thebes, visually distinct |
| Current price | Frequently £5-10 on sale — exceptional value |
| Worth playing in 2026? | Yes — holds up exceptionally well |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Assassin’s Creed Origins worth playing?
Yes — AC Origins is one of the best games in the franchise and holds up well in 2026. The Ancient Egypt open world is extraordinary, Bayek is an excellent protagonist, and the story delivers exactly what the title promises — the origin of the Brotherhood. At current sale prices of £5-10, it is exceptional value. The main story is 25-35 hours, making it more approachable than AC Odyssey or AC Valhalla.
Is AC Origins on PS5?
AC Origins is available on PS5 via backward compatibility — the PS4 version runs on PS5 with the PS4 Pro settings (1800p/30fps) and faster load times. There is no native PS5 remaster or upgrade. For the best visual experience, the PC version supports 4K and higher frame rates.
Is AC Origins or AC Odyssey better?
Origins is more focused (25-35 hour main story vs 50+ hours for Odyssey), has a stronger protagonist and narrative, and is the right starting point for the modern AC RPG trilogy. Odyssey has a larger world, more dialogue branching, and mythology-themed content. Most players recommend Origins first — it sets up the Brotherhood’s founding and establishes the modern AC formula before Odyssey scales it to extreme size.
What is the Discovery Tour in AC Origins?
Discovery Tour is a free update to AC Origins that transforms the game world into an interactive museum of ancient Egyptian history. Combat is disabled, and players can explore the full Egypt map while accessing historically accurate information about locations, characters, daily life, and events. It is genuinely educational and one of the most impressive uses of a game engine for historical education ever created. Available as a standalone purchase.
How long is AC Origins?
The main story is approximately 25-35 hours depending on how much side content you engage with. Full completion including all side quests, locations, and collectibles takes approximately 70-80 hours. The Hidden Ones DLC adds 4-5 hours; The Curse of the Pharaohs adds 8-10 hours. The Discovery Tour has no set length — it is an open exploration mode.
