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Play the ten numbered single-player Ultima games in release order for the clearest story sequence: Ultima I through Ultima VI, then Ultima VII: The Black Gate, Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, Ultima VIII: Pagan and Ultima IX: Ascension. The first three follow linked threats to Sosaria; IV–VI establish and develop the Avatar’s story in Britannia; VII–IX continue the Avatar’s conflict with the Guardian. Spin-offs belong to the wider franchise, but not all follow that same main-story continuity. Ultima Online is the clearest alternate branch.
Numbered Ultima games in release order
The years below are the original series-level release years recorded by The Codex of Ultima Wisdom. They are not exact first-release dates for every platform or region; individual versions and editions can differ. Use the list as a year-level sequence for the numbered single-player story, not as a claim about the precise release day of a specific computer version.
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| Order | Game | Original release year | Story connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness | 1981 | The Stranger arrives in Sosaria and defeats Mondain. |
| 2 | Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress | 1982 | Minax seeks revenge for Mondain; the Stranger pursues her through time. |
| 3 | Ultima III: Exodus | 1983 | Exodus, the offspring of Mondain and Minax, becomes the next major threat to Sosaria. |
| 4 | Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | 1985 | The focus shifts to the Eight Virtues and the quest to become the Avatar. |
| 5 | Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | 1988 | The Avatar returns to a corrupted Britannia ruled by Lord Blackthorn and influenced by the Shadowlords. |
| 6 | Ultima VI: The False Prophet | 1990 | The Avatar confronts a conflict between Britannia and the Gargoyles over the Codex. |
| 7 | Ultima VII: The Black Gate | 1992 | The Avatar investigates the Fellowship and the Guardian’s plans. |
| 8 | Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle | 1993 | After the events surrounding The Black Gate, the Avatar pursues Batlin to Serpent Isle. |
| 9 | Ultima VIII: Pagan | 1994 | The Guardian strands the Avatar on Pagan, another world. |
| 10 | Ultima IX: Ascension | 1999 | The Avatar returns to Britannia to confront the Guardian and corrupted Virtues. |
Release order is the practical choice for a first pass through the main story: it follows the sequence in which the conflicts and characters were introduced. The series does not present one unchanging setting or tone, however. It moves from the early Sosaria-centered adventures into Britannia and the Avatar’s ethical quest, then into the Guardian arc. The Codex timeline also allows for long spans of Britannian time between visits: many centuries may pass there for each year on Earth. That means the release sequence is a reader-friendly order, not a promise that the fictional calendar advances in a simple one-game-per-year pattern.
The listed years run from 1981 to 1999, with gaps between some entries. Those gaps do not change the recommended order: the table gives the original series-level years, and each numbered entry follows the previous one in the main single-player sequence. If you are researching a particular edition, port, or regional launch, this table is not detailed enough to settle its exact date. The Codex itself notes that games appeared in differing versions and points to a collector’s guide for exhaustive edition detail.
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How the main story is connected
Ultima I–III: Mondain, Minax and Exodus
The first three games form the most straightforward early trilogy. In Ultima I, the Stranger defeats the wizard Mondain. Ultima II makes Minax, associated with Mondain, the next adversary; her revenge drives the Stranger through time. Ultima III follows with Exodus, their offspring, threatening Sosaria. The sequence is a chain of consequences rather than three unrelated adventures, so playing these entries in order makes the handoff from one threat to the next easiest to follow.
For a reader asking whether the first three games are connected, the answer is a clear yes: the conflict in each entry grows out of the previous one. The link is not just that the titles share a setting or franchise name. The central figures and threats are explicitly carried forward, from Mondain to Minax and then to Exodus. That makes the trilogy a natural starting point if you want the earliest linked arc, while still leaving the later Avatar games as the larger next movement in the numbered series.
Ultima IV–VI: the Avatar and Britannia
Ultima IV changes the series’ central question. Rather than making the defeat of a single villain the whole objective, it asks the player to pursue the Eight Virtues and become the Avatar. The following games build on that identity. In Ultima V, the Avatar returns to find Britannia under a repressive order associated with Lord Blackthorn and the Shadowlords. Ultima VI widens the conflict: the Avatar encounters the Gargoyles, and the Codex is central to the dispute. This installment frames the situation as a conflict that can be understood and potentially resolved, rather than simply another enemy to defeat.
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Ultima VII–IX: the Guardian arc
The final numbered run continues the Avatar’s story while foregrounding the Guardian. The Black Gate begins with the Avatar investigating the Fellowship and its connection to the Guardian’s plans. Serpent Isle follows from the events around that game, with the Avatar pursuing Batlin beyond Britannia. In Pagan, the Guardian strands the Avatar on a different world. Ascension brings the Avatar back to Britannia for a confrontation involving the Guardian and corrupted Virtues. These games share an ongoing protagonist and conflict, even as the setting changes.
This is the part of the numbered order where skipping around most obviously interrupts an ongoing arc: Serpent Isle follows The Black Gate, and Pagan and Ascension carry the Avatar’s conflict with the Guardian forward. The change of world in Pagan does not make it a disconnected spin-off; it is part of the numbered Avatar story. Likewise, Ascension is not simply an unrelated return to Britannia, but the listed concluding confrontation in this sequence.
Are all Ultima games part of that same sequence?
No. The franchise includes prequels, side branches, online and other branded releases, and compilations. Treating every title as a direct numbered sequel would blur meaningful differences in continuity and purpose. The Codex timeline says it includes the canon single-player games, but it also separately classifies titles outside its normal single-player context and identifies an alternate branch. Its categories are a specialist reference guide’s way of organizing the material, not a newly issued policy statement from the publisher.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Akalabeth: World of Doom: The Codex calls this precursor “Ultima 0” and groups it with the Age of Darkness titles. It is relevant background, but it is not one of the ten numbered games in the table. Include it if you want to explore a precursor; it is not required to make sense of the numbered release order.
- Worlds of Ultima and Underworld: The Savage Empire, Martian Dreams and both Ultima Underworld games appear in the Codex’s broad single-player chronology. They are connected franchise stories and side branches, not additional numbered mainline chapters. They can interest players who want more of the franchise, but the Codex’s broad single-player chronology does not establish them as prerequisites for following the Avatar’s numbered arc.
- Ultima Online: The Codex timeline classifies it as an alternate continuity branching after Ultima I. It is not simply the next chapter in the Avatar’s numbered single-player story. If your question is which game follows the numbered storyline, do not insert Ultima Online between the numbered entries.
- Other branded releases: The Codex places Escape from Mt. Drash, Runes of Virtue I and II, Lord of Ultima, Ultima Forever and Shroud of the Avatar outside its normal single-player context. Consider each separately rather than inserting it into the numbered sequence. This classification is useful for answering a story-order question, but does not make a claim about the individual product’s quality or playability.
- Compilations: Ultima Trilogy I–III, Ultima Trilogy IV–VI, The Complete Ultima VII, Underworld Series and Ultima Collection bundle existing games. They are not new story installments, so a compilation title should not be counted as an extra chapter in the release order.
There is a useful distinction between “in the franchise” and “in the same plot sequence.” The publisher’s current catalog groups Ultima titles, including the numbered games, Ultima Online and Underworld. That confirms their place in the wider product family, but a catalog grouping alone does not establish that every title shares the same plot continuity. For story order, use the Codex’s timeline as a reference framework and keep its classifications clear rather than flattening all releases into one uninterrupted list.
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Which order should you choose?
For the clearest account of the main story
Use the numbered release order in the table. It preserves the early trilogy’s sequence, introduces the Avatar’s Virtues before the later Britannian conflicts, and keeps the Guardian arc in order. You do not need to place every spin-off between numbered games to understand that through-line. This is the strongest recommendation if your question is simply “What order should I play the story in?”
The practical steps are straightforward: begin with Ultima I, continue through Ultima III to complete the early arc, then proceed to Ultima IV and follow the Avatar’s story through Ultima IX. Keep The Black Gate before Serpent Isle, since the latter follows the events around the former. Treat the side branches as optional additions, not mandatory gaps to fill. This sequence uses the same release years and story connections shown above without requiring a separate chronological order for individual platforms.
If you are mainly interested in one era
Start with the first title in the era that interests you, while recognizing what that means for context. Ultima I–III give you the early linked trilogy; Ultima IV–VI introduce and develop the Avatar’s Britannian story; Ultima VII–IX follow the later Avatar-and-Guardian arc. Beginning partway through an arc gives you less of its setup, so release order within that group remains the safer choice.
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If you want a side genre or branch
You can approach Underworld or the Worlds of Ultima titles as side branches rather than prerequisites for the numbered plot. Choose Ultima Online with the understanding that its timeline is treated as an alternate branch, not the continuation of the single-player sequence. These distinctions describe story placement only; they do not establish modern compatibility, storefront availability, remake status or comparative quality.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Release dates and edition differences
The years in the table are useful for ordering the series, but they should not be read as a complete platform-by-platform chronology. Exact first-release days across regions and platforms are not established by the cited series-level history. The Codex points readers seeking exhaustive version detail to a collector’s guide; the game-by-game year list does not resolve every edition difference. For a continuity question, the year-level order is sufficient; a claim about the first day a particular version appeared would require edition-specific documentation.
No single precise date should be inferred from the year alone, and the table does not compare editions or tell you which version to buy. This article also makes no claim about present-day price, availability, subscriptions, or compatibility: those details are outside the scope of the story-continuity information in this article. You do not need a reference book or every spin-off to understand the numbered story. Readers who want franchise history beyond the games may look into The Official Book of Ultima, but check the current edition and retailer information before relying on a listing; its availability and price have not been verified here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the stories from Ultima I to VI connected?
Yes, though in two different movements. Ultima I–III form a linked early trilogy: the Stranger defeats Mondain, Minax seeks revenge, and Exodus, their offspring, becomes the next threat. Ultima IV–VI establish and develop the Avatar’s Britannian story, beginning with the Eight Virtues and continuing through the crises in Britannia and the Gargoyle conflict over the Codex.
Do Ultima Underworld and the Worlds of Ultima games follow the same chronology as the main games?
The Codex places The Savage Empire, Martian Dreams and both Ultima Underworld games in its broad single-player chronology. They are connected franchise stories, but side branches rather than numbered mainline chapters. The Codex’s broad single-player chronology does not establish them as required reading or playing before a particular numbered entry.
Is Ultima Online the next game after Ultima I?
No. The Codex timeline describes Ultima Online as an alternate continuity that branches after Ultima I. It is not the next chapter in the Avatar’s numbered single-player storyline.
What is the best order to play the numbered Ultima games?
For the clearest main-story sequence, follow release order: Ultima I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII: The Black Gate, VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, VIII: Pagan and IX: Ascension. In particular, play The Black Gate before Serpent Isle, which follows its events.
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No. They are original series-level release years given by the Codex history, not a platform-by-platform or regional chronology. Exact first release days and all edition differences are not established by the cited series-level history.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Follow the ten numbered games in release order for the clearest main story: I–III connect through Mondain, Minax and Exodus; IV–VI develop the Avatar’s Britannian story; and VII–IX continue the Avatar’s conflict with the Guardian. Treat Akalabeth, Underworld and Worlds of Ultima as side branches, and Ultima Online as an alternate continuity.
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