Which historical era is the main setting of Assassin's Creed Origins?

The main setting of Assassin's Creed Origins is Ancient Egypt. The game follows Bayek of Siwa during the first century BCE, when the Ptolemaic Kingdom is ruled by Cleopatra and contested by rival political forces.

Origins explores cities, deserts, villages, tombs, and landmarks along the Nile. Its story presents the formation of the Hidden Ones, the organization that later becomes the Assassin Brotherhood. Bayek and Aya oppose the Order of the Ancients, whose members influence Egyptian and Roman politics from the shadows.

The game is set before the traditional medieval Assassins seen in earlier entries, making it an origin story for the fictional organization rather than a direct retelling of the historical Assassins. It also introduced a stronger role-playing structure, level-based enemies, loot, crafting, and a large open world. The setting should not be confused with Odyssey's ancient Greece or Valhalla's Viking-era England.