Which Assassin's Creed game was the first to feature a playable female protagonist in its main campaign?

Assassin's Creed III: Liberation was the first Assassin's Creed game to feature a playable female protagonist in its main campaign.

Released for the PlayStation Vita in 2012, Liberation follows Aveline de Grandpré, an Assassin of French and African heritage operating in eighteenth-century Louisiana. Aveline's story takes place during the same broad historical period as Assassin's Creed III, but it follows its own narrative and protagonist.

Aveline can adopt different disguises, including an Assassin outfit, a lady's outfit, and a slave persona. Each disguise changes her abilities, social access, and the kinds of actions available to her. This disguise system is a defining feature of Liberation's gameplay.

Later games made women central in other ways. Assassin's Creed Syndicate features Evie Frye as one of two playable leads, while Odyssey allows players to choose Kassandra or Alexios. Those later examples should not be confused with Liberation's earlier introduction of a playable female lead in the series.