Ultima Games in Release Order: Which Ones Connect?

The Ultima games are connected chiefly through three numbered story arcs: the original trilogy, the Age of Enlightenment trilogy, and the later Guardian saga. Here is the main release order and how each game relates to the others; most are set in the fantasy world of Britannia, but not every Ultima-branded release belongs to the same continuing plot.

Ultima games in release order

This list covers the main single-player role-playing games, with years referring to their first release. Reissues, ports, expansions, and the online games can have separate dates and are noted afterward.

1. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (1981) — The Stranger travels through time and space to defeat the evil wizard Mondain. It introduces the series’ central hero and the setting later identified with Sosaria.
2. Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress (1982) — The Stranger confronts Minax, Mondain’s apprentice and partner. It continues the first game’s conflict and uses time travel as a major part of its story.
3. Ultima III: Exodus (1983) — The Stranger returns with a party to face Exodus, the creation of Mondain and Minax. It concludes the original trilogy’s central threat.
4. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985) — The player seeks to become the Avatar by practicing eight virtues. The setting is now Britannia, transformed after the earlier conflicts; the game begins a new thematic trilogy.
5. Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988) — The Avatar returns to Britannia under the rule of Lord Blackthorn, whose regime has distorted the virtues. This is a direct sequel to IV.
6. Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990) — The Avatar faces conflict between Britannians and the gargoyles, challenging assumptions formed in the previous game. It completes the Age of Enlightenment trilogy.
7. Ultima VII: The Black Gate (1992) — The Avatar returns to Britannia to investigate the Fellowship and the Guardian’s influence. It launches the Guardian-era story.
8. Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle (1993) — A sequel to The Black Gate, following the Avatar beyond Britannia. The expansion The Silver Seed belongs within this game’s story, not after a separate numbered installment.
9. Ultima VIII: Pagan (1994) — The Avatar is stranded on the Guardian-controlled world of Pagan. It continues the Guardian conflict, though the setting and play style differ notably from earlier Britannia games.
10. Ultima IX: Ascension (1999) — The final main numbered game brings the Avatar back to Britannia for the conclusion of the Guardian storyline.

Which games are directly connected?

The simplest way to understand the connections is by trilogy. The first three games form a linked adventure against Mondain, Minax, and Exodus. Ultima IV, V, and VI follow the Avatar’s relationship with Britannia and the virtues. Ultima VII, its Serpent Isle sequel, VIII, and IX form the later Guardian arc.

• Ultima I–III: connected through recurring villains, the Stranger, and events that reshape the world.
• Ultima IV–VI: a continuous Britannian era centered on the Avatar, the virtues, and the consequences of applying them.
• Ultima VII through IX: connected by the Guardian’s growing threat. Serpent Isle is a direct follow-up to VII, not an unrelated spin-off.

These are useful groupings, not a claim that every transition is a neat, uninterrupted chapter. The series changed its world and mythology over time, and later games sometimes reinterpret or build on earlier details. Still, a player can follow the main plot more easily by keeping each arc together.

How the setting changes across the series

Early Ultima titles use the name Sosaria for the world and mix fantasy with unusual science-fiction elements, including spacecraft and time travel. By Ultima IV, the setting is presented as Britannia, ruled by Lord British. The transformation between these eras reflects the stories’ events rather than a simple change of label: the aftermath of the first trilogy gives way to a society organized around the Avatar’s virtues.

The Avatar is not simply a conventional warrior hero. In IV–VI, the player’s moral choices and conduct are central to the story. The later Guardian games retain the Avatar as protagonist but shift the stakes toward a powerful antagonist who threatens Britannia and other worlds. This change in emphasis is one reason the games can feel different even while sharing a continuity.

What about spin-offs and online games?

Not every release bearing the Ultima name is a numbered chapter in the main plot. Akallabeth: World of Doom (1979), Richard Garriott’s earlier role-playing game, is commonly regarded as a precursor to Ultima, rather than one of the numbered Ultima games. Ultima Online (1997) is a multiplayer online role-playing game set in Britannia, but its ongoing, player-driven world does not function as a straightforward next chapter after Ultima IX.

Other related releases include Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire (1990) and Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams (1991). They are spin-offs featuring the Avatar in distinct settings, not required installments in the main Britannia and Guardian sequence. Ultima Underworld and Ultima Underworld II share the broader setting and series identity, but focus on different protagonists and dungeon-crawling stories; they are not the next numbered entries in the Avatar’s saga.

Where should a new player start?

For the clearest story progression, start at Ultima I and play in release order, while recognizing that the technology and interface reflect their era. If you mainly want the best-known Avatar storyline, Ultima IV is a sensible starting point: it begins a distinct trilogy and explains the virtues that shape the following games. For the Guardian plot, begin with Ultima VII and then play Serpent Isle before VIII and IX.

Skipping earlier games does not make the later ones impossible to understand. Each entry has its own immediate conflict, and the games recap or introduce important ideas in different ways. But playing an arc in order gives more context to returning characters, political changes, and the series’ evolving interpretation of Britannia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to play every Ultima game in order?
No. The arcs have their own starting points. Playing I–III, IV–VI, or VII through IX in order makes the connections clearer, but a newcomer can begin with IV or VII depending on which storyline interests them.

Is Ultima VII Part Two the same as Serpent Isle?
Yes. Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle is the full title of the sequel to The Black Gate. Its expansion, The Silver Seed, is additional content for Serpent Isle.

Is Ultima Online part of the numbered story?
It belongs to the Ultima setting and uses Britannia, but it is an online game rather than Ultima X or a direct numbered sequel. Its persistent multiplayer world makes its narrative relationship different from the single-player saga.

Is Ultima Underworld connected to the main games?
It is part of the wider Ultima universe, but its dungeon-crawling stories and protagonists differ from the Avatar’s main numbered adventures. You do not need to play it to follow the principal trilogies.

What is the best Ultima for a first-time player?
Ultima IV is a strong entry point for the Avatar and virtue storyline; Ultima VII is a common starting point for the Guardian era. The best choice depends on whether you prefer the series’ moral focus or its later, more elaborate narrative and world.

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