BREAKING: The Prince of Persia franchise is OFFICIALLY returning and will be released in 2026! 😱 What can we expect from this legendary game?
A collage featuring the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake The Prince of Persia series has kept fans entertained for nearly forty years at this point, and while there have been some low points along the way, it is still going strong. Since the original game released all the way back in 1989, the Prince of Persia series has been reimagined numerous times, with each iteration bringing something new and exciting to the usual formula.

Of all the shakeups and redesigns that the Prince of Persia franchise has gone through, none have been so widely beloved by fans nor as widely acclaimed by critics as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The fourth entry in the series, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, was a whole new kind of game, one that gave players more control over the Prince than ever before, not to mention near-total control over his (and subsequently their) fates. Now, Ubisoft has promised that the long-awaited remake is still in the works, but what that means for the franchise as a whole might not be so exciting.

Why Fans Want a Remake of The Sands of Time as Much as They Do

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Might Be the Perfect Prince of Persia Game

Prince Of Persia Classic XboxImage via Ubisoft The Prince is fighting enemies in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.Image via Ubisoft The Prince is running across a wall over a pit in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.Image via Ubisoft The Prince is following a woman on a pathway lined with plants in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.Image via Ubisoft An image of Farah speaking with the Prince during the game, Prince of PersiaImage via Ubisoft

When Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was released in 2003, it reinvigorated the franchise with the introduction of a controllable third-person view, fully 3D levels to be explored, and a unique combat system that ties directly into the game’s overarching story. These elements were completely new to the franchise at the time, and gave players greater control over the unnamed Prince than ever before. Coupled with the game’s overtly acrobatic movement system replete with traps to avoid and walls to run across, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was everything that fans hoped the series would eventually become as gaming technology continued to advance.

The most indelible feature to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was the introduction of the Sands themselves as an item and all the incredible abilities they lent the Prince himself access to. Through the power of the Sands of Time, the Prince can freeze enemies, slow the pace at which time moves around him, and even stop time altogether, even if only for a brief moment. More importantly, the Prince can rewind time to avoid a grisly demise or devastating defeat at the hands of the many monsters given life thanks to the malevolent Vizier who plotted to set the Sands loose in the first place.

All of this added up to making Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time the perfect new beginning for the franchise, not to mention a near-perfect game altogether. Upon its release, The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was met with unanimously positive responses from critics, with the lowest of its review scores still standing at a 7/10. As such, it is no surprise that fans have been clamoring for a remake or remastered edition for so long, nor that Ubisoft has spent more than five years trying to deliver one. That being said, the fact that Ubisoft has pointed towards The Rogue Prince of Persia as a temporary replacement while fans continue to wait does not bode well for the wider franchise.

What Prince of Persia’s Future Looks Like Beyond Remakes

The Sands of Time Remake is the Only Thing Prince of Persia Fans Have to Look Forward To

Rogue Prince of Persia Second Act title image of the prince standing and holding a swordImage via Evil Empire The Rogue Prince of Persia.Image via Evil Empire Gameplay from The Rogue Prince of PersiaImage via Evil Empire rogue prince of persia running through the temple biome above enemiesImage via Evil Empire Prince of Persia The Lost Crown the Prince magically leaps across the skyImage via Ubisoft Sargon uses his dual blades to attack enemies while in the air in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown.Imag

Following the overwhelming success of The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the story established in it was expanded with three subsequent games, including 2004’s Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, 2005’s Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, and 2010’s Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, the latter of which was never initially intended to tie into the events of the previous games, but rather the 2010 feature film.

Unfortunately, the lackluster response to the film and game led Ubisoft to shelve future Prince of Persia projects until the release of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown in 2024. While this revamp of the series was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews, Ubisoft decided to shelve a sequel and move its developers to different teams.

As of now, the only new Prince of Persia game that fans can really look forward to is The Rogue Prince of Persia, an upcoming 2D side-scrolling game that features decidedly rogue-like elements to the series. Developed by Evil Empire, The Rogue Prince of Persia certainly looks like an entertaining experience in and of itself, just as the rogue-like aspects of its gameplay seem like intriguing additions to the usual Prince of Persia formula.

At the same time, the fact that Ubisoft has openly told fans that another studio’s efforts are their best option when it comes to Prince of Persia doesn’t exactly instill much confidence on Ubisoft’s part. Assuming the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake is still a priority, maybe its eventual release will open the doors to an entire series of remakes of the original trilogy. Of course, that would also mean that any truly new mainline Prince of Persia games are simply not on the table whatsoever.