Which Assassin's Creed game was the first to feature a female protagonist as a central playable character?

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation was the first Assassin's Creed game to feature a female protagonist as a central playable character.

Liberation stars Aveline de Grandpré, a mixed-race woman of French and African heritage who becomes an Assassin in eighteenth-century New Orleans. Her missions take place during the period of French and Spanish influence in Louisiana and include locations connected with the city, the bayou, and the nearby Gulf Coast.

The game was originally released in 2012 for PlayStation Vita. It later received console, Windows, and other versions, including an HD edition. Aveline uses disguises as part of the gameplay, allowing her to move through society in different social roles and to approach objectives in distinct ways.

Players sometimes name Syndicate because Evie Frye is a major playable character there, but Syndicate arrived later in 2015. Odyssey also offers playable female options, but it was released in 2018. Liberation holds the earlier central-protagonist milestone.