The main story of Assassin's Creed Syndicate is set in London in 1868.
The year places the game at the beginning of the Second Industrial Revolution, when London was expanding rapidly through factories, railways, mechanized production, and dense urban neighborhoods. Twin protagonists Jacob and Evie Frye arrive in the city and challenge Templar control over institutions and organized crime. Their campaign includes missions involving gangs, workers, transport, and influential historical figures.
Syndicate is sometimes associated with the Victorian era generally or with 1888 because Jack the Ripper later became the subject of a separate downloadable expansion. The main game itself is set in 1868, not during the Whitechapel murders of 1888. The setting also distinguishes Syndicate from Unity, whose French Revolution storyline is centered in Paris beginning in 1789.