Assassin's Creed Mirage is a 2023 action-adventure game created by Ubisoft Bordeaux and published by Ubisoft. It is the 13th main game in the Assassin's Creed series and follows Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020). The game is set in 9th-century Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, specifically during the Anarchy at Samarra. The story follows Basim Ibn Ishaq, a street thief who joins the Hidden Ones to fight for peace and freedom against the Order of the Ancients, who seek peace through control. The main story shows Basim's struggle to balance his duties as a Hidden One with his desire to learn about his mysterious past.
The game was first planned as an expansion for Valhalla but was changed into a standalone title to allow for more detailed development. The development team at Ubisoft Bordeaux, which previously worked as a support studio, aimed to return to the series' early style by focusing on stealth, parkour, and assassinations instead of the role-playing features seen in recent games. Because of this, Mirage is smaller in scale than earlier games but includes elements from both older and newer games in the series.
Mirage was released on October 5, 2023, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It was also released on June 6, 2024, for iPhone 15 Pro and iPad models. Critics generally praised the game's world design, its focus on stealth, and its return to the series' earlier style. However, some reviewers noted issues with the characters and the story's reliance on events from previous games. The next game in the series, Assassin's Creed Shadows, set in Japan during the Sengoku period and returning to the role-playing gameplay style of earlier games, was released in March 2025.
Gameplay
Assassin's Creed Mirage is an action-adventure stealth game set in a large, open environment. It was designed to feel similar to older games in the series, with a more straightforward story and fewer role-playing elements compared to recent titles. Key parts of the gameplay include parkour, close combat, and stealth. For assassination missions, the game uses a system called "Black Box," seen in earlier games like Assassin's Creed Unity and Syndicate. This system requires players to explore the environment to find ways to reach and eliminate targets.
The game is mainly set in the city of Baghdad, which is divided into four districts: the Round City, Karkh, Abassiyah (which includes the House of Wisdom), and Harbiyah. It also includes smaller towns like Anbar and Jarjaraya, located outside the city. Alamut, the fortress where the Hidden Ones are based, appears in some missions but cannot be visited outside the story. Baghdad is smaller than the open worlds in recent Assassin's Creed games, similar in size to how Paris and Constantinople were shown in Unity and Revelations.
Mirage features one playable character, Basim Ibn Ishaq, and does not include gender choices, unlike previous games such as Valhalla. Basim has many weapons and tools, including the Assassin Hidden Blade, smoke bombs, throwing knives, and poison darts. These items can be upgraded through a skill tree that allows different effects. Basim can also use Eagle Vision and an avian companion named Enkidu, a type of eastern imperial eagle inspired by Mesopotamian mythology. Enkidu helps scout areas, but enemy marksmen can shoot at it, requiring players to eliminate marksmen before using Enkidu again.
A new ability called "Assassin Focus" lets players kill multiple enemies at once. This ability is recharged by performing stealth assassinations. When activated, time stops, and players can mark up to five enemies, who are then killed quickly by Basim. The game also includes poles in Baghdad that help players cross large gaps. Movement and running animations have been improved for better mobility, with inspiration taken from samurai, ninja, and even Jedi.
Synopsis
Assassin's Creed Mirage takes place in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age, mainly during the Anarchy at Samarra, a time of great confusion and conflict under the Abbasid Caliphate. Set about ten years before the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the game follows Basim Ibn Ishaq (voiced by Lee Majdoub), showing how he changes from a street thief to a Hidden One, a secret group of assassins. His mentor is Roshan bint-La'Ahad (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Like other Assassin's Creed games, Mirage includes characters based on real people from history, such as Ali ibn Muhammad, leader of the Zanj Rebellion against slavery; the Banū Mūsā brothers, inventors and scholars; Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Tahir, the last Tahirid governor of Khurasan and Baghdad; Caliph al-Mu'tazz and his mother Qabiha; and scholars like al-Jahiz, al-Farghani, Hunayn ibn Ishaq, Arib al-Ma'muniyya, and Wasif al-Turki.
After the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Last Chapter, modern-day Assassins use a blood sample from Basim Ibn Ishaq to relive his memories from the time of the Abbasid Caliphate.
In 861 CE, Basim is a young thief living in Anbar with his friend Nehal. He has seen strange visions of a monstrous jinni, and Nehal helps him deal with them. Basim wants to join the Hidden Ones but is refused by Roshan, a senior Hidden One in Anbar. To prove himself, Basim sneaks into the Caliph’s palace to steal a chest that both the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients want. Inside the chest, he finds a disk-shaped object with a message that appears as a picture. He is caught by Caliph al-Mutawakkil, and Nehal kills the Caliph to save Basim. They escape together.
Because the Caliph was killed, the guards in Anbar begin killing thieves, including many of Basim’s friends. Basim blames Nehal and leaves her. Roshan helps Basim escape and takes him to the Hidden Ones’ fortress at Alamut. Over time, Basim trains with Roshan and becomes a Hidden One. When their leader, Rayhan, learns that the Order of the Ancients is growing powerful in Baghdad, he sends Basim and Roshan to investigate.
In Baghdad, Basim learns that five members of the Order have infiltrated the Caliphate and are trying to dig up or rebuild ancient Isu artifacts. He hunts down four of them, killing them and stopping their plans. During this time, Basim reunites with Nehal, who distrusts the Hidden Ones and encourages Basim to look into the artifacts, believing they are connected to him. Basim confronts the Order’s leader, Qabiha, who claims the answers he seeks are in an Isu temple under Alamut. Qabiha tries to convince Basim to go with her, but Roshan kills her and warns Basim not to investigate further.
Ignoring Roshan’s warning, Basim goes to Alamut with Nehal, only to find the fortress under attack by the Order. He saves captured Hidden Ones and fights off the attackers while heading to the temple after convincing Rayhan that the knowledge inside could help defeat the Order. Roshan stops him, revealing she knows Basim’s true nature and fears what might awaken in him. Basim defeats Roshan but spares her life and enters the temple with Nehal. Inside, he finds more disk-shaped artifacts and learns the temple was once a prison for the Isu Loki. Basim realizes Nehal and the jinni were parts of his repressed memories as Loki. He chooses to accept his identity as Loki’s reincarnation and merges with Nehal, regaining Loki’s memories.
After leaving the temple, the Hidden Ones welcome Basim back, while Roshan resigns in protest. Now aware of his past life as Loki, Basim reflects on being reborn in a new world and looks forward to facing those who imprisoned him.
Before confronting Qabiha, Basim learns from his friend Dervis about a painting by Dervis’s estranged father, Is'haq ibn Khalid, which suggests Is'haq is in the ancient city of al-Ula. Basim and Dervis travel to al-Ula to find answers. There, Basim discovers a group of robbers terrorizing locals and is captured by their leader, 'Abis. After escaping and killing 'Abis, Basim finds Is'haq, who was kidnapped by the robbers’ real leader, Nimlot, seeking revenge for Basim killing his father, an Order member. Basim infiltrates Nimlot’s stronghold, kills him, and saves Is'haq, who suffers from dementia and still believes he is in Samarra. Is'haq shares memories of Basim and his late mother, revealing his love for them. Basim leaves without revealing his identity and returns to Dervis, feeling a sense of closure to focus on his future.
Development
Before its official announcement on September 10, 2022, details about the game Mirage were leaked under the name Rift. It was first planned as an expansion for Assassin's Creed Valhalla but later became a separate game.
Mirage is a smaller Assassin's Creed game compared to others in the series. Its main story lasts about 15 to 20 hours, similar to earlier games in the franchise. The game was created to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Assassin's Creed series. Developers used technology from Valhalla to make a game that honors the original Assassin's Creed.
On June 4, 2023, it was announced that Mirage would be the first game in the series to include an Arabic voice recording. Jordanian actor Eyad Nassar provided the voice for the character Basim in this version.
The game includes an educational section about the history of Baghdad. Players unlock articles about 9th-century Abbasid culture as they progress. These articles include photos of objects from the Khalili Collections, the David Collection, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, and the Institut du Monde Arabe. Four experts in Islamic art helped create this section, and it received support from the UK's Economic and Social Research Council and the Barakat Trust.
Mirage is compatible with a special haptic vest made by the company Owo. This vest is a wireless suit that senses movement from the upper body and arms.
A promotional map for Mirage was included in the game Trackmania (2020).
Release
Assassin's Creed Mirage was first planned to release on October 12, 2023, but the release date was moved up to October 5. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. An iOS version for iPhone 15 Pro and iPadOS for iPad models was released on June 6, 2024. The game was available on Day 1 for all players who had a Ubisoft+ subscription.
Soon after the game was announced, it was reported to have received an Adults Only rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board. This rating would have limited where the game could be sold in the United States. The reports came from a listing on the Xbox Store a week before the game's announcement. One reason given was that the game contained "real gambling." Ubisoft later corrected these claims, stating the game had not been rated yet and that "no real gambling or lootboxes will be in the game."
To promote the game, the American band OneRepublic released a song called "Mirage," featuring Mishaal Tamer, on September 22, 2023. A music video was also released the same day, showing the band members and Tamer with promotional clips from the game. Frontman Ryan Tedder said, "After touring widely in the Middle East, I wanted to capture the spirit of that region and reflect the game's location through music as much as possible."
Additional content
Ubisoft announced that players who pre-ordered the game would receive an exclusive mission called The Forty Thieves. The Deluxe Edition of Mirage includes the base game, a Prince of Persia–inspired pack with extra weapons and cosmetic items, the game's soundtrack, and a digital artbook. The Prince of Persia pack can also be bought separately.
In July 2023, game director Stéphane Boudon confirmed that Ubisoft had no plans to release post-launch downloadable content.
In August 2023, Ubisoft confirmed that Mirage would include cosmetic microtransactions in the form of "cosmetic bundles that will be purchasable directly on first-party stores at launch."
On 12 December 2023, a free update was released, adding a New Game Plus mode, a legacy outfit inspired by Bayek’s robes from Assassin’s Creed Origins, and improvements to gameplay and bug fixes, including better parkour mechanics. A second free update, released on 20 February 2024, introduced a permadeath mode called "Full Synchronization," which gives players rewards like new outfits and dyes after completion.
Discovery Tour: Medieval Baghdad, the fourth installment of the Discovery Tour series first introduced with Assassin’s Creed Origins, was released for free on 4 September 2025. Unlike previous Discovery Tours, which were educational modes within their games, this version was released as a separate app for iOS and Android. However, it works similarly to earlier versions, allowing users to learn about the history and culture of 9th-century Baghdad through a short narrative campaign set in the world of Mirage.
On 24 January 2025, French newspaper Les Echos reported that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot attended a diplomatic delegation to Saudi Arabia, and the Public Investment Fund agreed to fund an expansion for Mirage. On 23 August 2025, Ubisoft confirmed new content centered on the ancient city of al-Ula in Saudi Arabia would be added later that year. The DLC, titled Valley of Memory, was officially revealed with a trailer on 6 October 2025 and released for free on 18 November. Set during the events of Mirage, it follows Basim’s journey to al-Ula to uncover a mystery about his father and includes approximately six hours of new content. Alongside the story expansion, Ubisoft released gameplay improvements, such as additional difficulty levels, new weapon upgrades, enhanced parkour mechanics, and the ability to replay completed missions to earn challenges and rewards.
Reception
Assassin's Creed Mirage received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, as reported by Metacritic, a website that collects and summarizes game reviews.
GamesRadar+ praised the detailed portrayal of Baghdad in the game, noting that markets are filled with shoppers and traders speaking many languages, and that people move in groups through the streets. IGN appreciated the focus on stealth, calling it a "back-to-basics approach" that was a good first step in returning to the stealth style of earlier games. However, IGN also said that the main character, Basim, was not very interesting, describing him as "not very exciting" and "too agreeable in his relationships with others." Game Informer highlighted the parkour system, stating that players can enjoy moving across rooftops, sliding down zip lines, and hiding in secret places. GameSpot praised the game's social stealth, world design, and investigation features but noted that the story relied too much on previous games and had uninteresting supporting characters.
According to Famitsu, the PlayStation 5 version of Assassin's Creed Mirage sold about 20,407 physical copies in its first week in Japan, making it the third most popular retail game in the country that week.
Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming reported that the game had 5 million players and earned an estimated $250 million in revenue by January 2024.
In November 2025, Ubisoft announced that the game had reached 10 million players.