When you hear the name Ubisoft, you probably think of the publisher’s most famous series, the historic open-world stealth-esque Assassin’s Creed franchise. The publisher is known for a number of other beloved titles and series, from the Far Cry and Prince of Persia games to the classic Beyond Good and Evil and Rayman titles.
But Ubisoft is about so much more than these names. You might not realize that Ubisoft was one of the original gaming companies, founded back in 1986 as Ubi Soft to represent “ubiquitous software.” And the publisher certainly is ubiquitous now, with hundreds of titles developed and published over the years.
Today, Ubisoft’s most established franchises often take center stage, overshadowing other, lesser-known games. This leads to some of Ubisoft’s best games falling by the wayside and not getting nearly as much recognition as they deserve. These are games that are just as deserving of praise as the more popular Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry titles.
Child of Eden Is A Stunning Space-Shooting Music Game
A Spiritual Successor To Rez
Ubisoft has carved out a niche for itself in the rhythm- and music-based games with Just Dance, and, before that, Rocksmith. But its very first music game was a much more laid-back, indie-feeling experience called Child of Eden. This absolutely stunning title was an exploration of music and art.
Child of Eden was the brainchild of Tetsuya Mizuguchi of Q Entertainment, and a spiritual successor to his previous game, Rez. At its heart, the title is a music-enhanced rail shooter, where you navigate various creatures of light through a flowy, surreal space-scape, reminiscent of a 2000s screensaver.
The soundtrack and visuals elevated this from a game to an interactive artwork. It’s my personal favorite Ubisoft-published game, and one I never hear people mention.
Riders Republic Is An Open-World Sports Exploration Game
Bike, Ride, Surf, Or Glide Your Way Through US National Parks
Sports games are a difficult niche to stand out in, but Riders Republic has gathered a cult following. The 2023 title lets players hop on a bike, skis, a snowboard, a wingsuit, or many other vehicles to explore a vast open world. The game is an MMO, so competitive players and those who want a community will find it in the 50-player free-for-all races.
But it’s also a surprisingly relaxed game that’s bordering on cozy for sports and exploration fans. You can spend hours customizing your ride or driving and gliding through beautiful landscapes, including the US Parks like Yosemite and Zion. As Redditor Mean_Combination_830 puts it, Riders Republic is “my favourite chill out game and I can lose myself for hours just riding through the beautiful world, popping tricks and just having an absolute blast.”
Tom Clancy’s The Division Is One Of The Most Realistic Game Worlds
Melancholy Wintertime New York City
The Tom Clancy games are fairly well-known thanks to hits like Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six Vegas, and Ghost Recon. These more popular titles overshadow one of the most unique of the adventure shooters, The Division.
The game took place in post-pandemic NYC, though it was released four years before its setting nearly became a reality. As a New Yorker myself, I can attest to just how well The Division recreated the city’s streets, to the point that visiting one of the locations for the first time after I played it felt eerily familiar.
The fact that it was set in winter made the game even more atmospheric and melancholy. That and the constant threat of danger around every corner made The Division an experience that hasn’t quite been replicated by any of Ubisoft’s other games.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game Is A New-Age Movie Tie-In Game
Kicking Shovel-Ware To The Curb
Back when games were first getting off the ground, they tended to ride on the coattails of popular movies. Movie tie-ins used to be as frequent as they were horrible, meant to be nothing more than interactive marketing for the movie they were hyping. Ubisoft has had its fair share of movie-based games, including a little-known 2001 Planet of the Apes PS1 game, the 2009 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs game, and plenty of Star Wars games.
The 2010 Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game was a movie tie-in game for a movie based on a comic book… that’s based on a game. The absurdity of that last sentence aside, this game was a perfect example of how far tie-ins have come. No longer mere shovel-ware, the Scott Pilgrim game was a retro beat-’em-up title that worked well as a standalone game.
In the same way that the new Super Mario Bros. movie is part of a new wave of video game movies that aren’t terrible, the Scott Pilgrim game was part of a wave of new movie video games that are actually pretty fun. Sadly, no one really talks about this fun little game anymore.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Is A Great Far Cry Game
Explore A Beautiful World Atop An Ikran
On the topic of movie tie-in games, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is another Ubisoft game that not many talk about anymore. It might be overlooked today due to its Avatar connection, which is a shame because it might just be the best Far Cry game that isn’t actually Far Cry.
The game is known by fans as a Far Cry reskin in the best possible way. It features the same kind of exploration, combat, and feel as a Far Cry game, paired with stunning visuals from the world of Pandora. Soaring around the beautiful world on an Ikran was also a treat. If you can overlook the unpopular stealth sections, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is worth more attention, especially for fans of the Far Cry series.
Child of Light Is A Charming, Indie-Feeling Hit
A Beautiful Journey Through A Hand-Drawn World
It’s easy to forget that Child of Light is an Ubisoft game, because it feels so much like an indie title. The fairy-tale platformer has beautiful hand-drawn locations and a magical atmosphere that’s a far cry from Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed games (pardon the pun). And yet, Child of Light was developed in-house by Ubisoft Montréal and is a great example of what Ubisoft is capable of.
Child of Light was important enough to be mentioned in our list of the best Ubisoft games of all time. And yet, the title is largely overlooked these days in favor of the company’s bigger hits. A 2025 review on the 2014 title on Steam left by Nutlaw points out that “only one company could stumble on to such a wonderfully unique game and then refuse to make any follow ups while Ubisofting their way through Mixed review release after release after release in the same few tired franchises. Yikes.“
Trials Rising and Fusion Are Bike-Racing Challenges
The Poor Reviews Are Misleading
There’s no consensus on whether Trials Rising or Fusion is the better game, but neither one gets enough love. The games are marred by launch and compatibility issues on the PC and Steam Deck, and both received mixed reviews from hardcore fans on launch. These things combine to give the two Trials games the illusion of being bad and disliked games.
In reality, the physics-based side-scrolling biking games are loved by many of those who did give them a try. The games play more like physics challenges than traditional “sports” games, and deserve more recognition for bringing something different to the “sports” and racing game formula.
Valiant Hearts Is A Heart-Wrenching War Story
War, War Never Changes
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is another Ubisoft title (developed by Ubisoft Montpellier) that could easily pass as an indie title. The game has a charming comic-book style that cloaks its dark and difficult subject matter. Valiant Hearts follows four strangers thrown together by war, and unfolds their stories as they make their way through the brutal circumstances they find themselves in.
The story and experience will stay with you long after you’ve finished it, as well-crafted war-themed games often tend to do. That’s why it’s such a shame that it’s not as widely recognized as Ubisoft’s other titles, with under 10,000 reviews on Steam.
Watch Dogs Is A Realistic Cyberpunk Adventure
The Title Was Ahead Of Its Time
Cyberpunk and hacking are popular themes in gaming, maybe because of the cyberpunk-esque nature of gaming in general. But while games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Deus Ex stuck around in the forefront of the gaming industry, Watch Dogs was mostly left in the past.
The game did well for a new IP and gave rise to two sequels (with fans still hoping for a fourth game). It features a more realistic, cyberpunk “lite” than other tech-centric games, with a near-future depiction of a hackable Chicago.
Those who played it tend to love it, considering it ahead of its time and saying it paved the way for bigger games like Cyberpunk 2077. The game was held back by hardware limitations at the time of its release, and would likely do well as a remaster today. Sadly, there’s just not enough buzz around the series to get Ubisoft’s attention.
Immortals Fenyx Rising Is A True Hidden Gem
A Challenger To The Legend Of Zelda
Apart from the Assassin’s Creed series, Immortals Fenyx Rising is one of Ubisoft’s biggest recent successes. The game is an adventure through Greek mythology, and has a respectable Metacritic rating of 81, right up there with most of the Assassin’s Creed games.
From one look at the visual style and controls, you can tell Fenyx Rising is Ubisoft’s answer to Zelda: Breath of the Wild—and the game nails it. Many fans consider this to be a solid challenger to Nintendo’s vast open-world Zelda title, and maybe even (dare I say it) does it better.
Sadly, Immortals Fenyx Rising was buried under bigger games in a December 2022 release, causing many to miss out on this gem. The title is also a new IP, which is always more of a gamble than another entry in an established, multi-year, multi-game series. Which is a shame, because beautiful, unique games from Ubisoft like Fenyx Rising and many of the other titles in this list deserve a lot more love and recognition.
- Date Founded
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March 28, 1986
- CEO
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Yves Guillemot
- Services
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Ubisoft+