Summary
ThePrince of Persiaseries dates back to 1989 and has had several notable releases since. The series is best recognized today for its action-adventure gameplay; however, back in the late 80s and early 90s, it was known for pioneering the cinematic platformer genre.
In 2003, Ubisoft took over the franchise and releasedPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time. They found a way to blend the platforming genre – which was beginning to wither due to a lack of innovation around that time – with the thriving action-adventure genre. Although games likeSands of Timeand the originalPrince of Persiaare classics, not every game in the series has reached such heights.
Updated on July 11, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Ubisoft has released Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and the franchise’s first new console project in more than a decade has garnered critical acclaim. Still, how does it rank among thebest Prince of Persia games?
When gaming began to transition from 2D to 3D, it marked a significant moment in the industry’s history. This era provided a plethora of incredible games, fromThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimetoSuper Mario 64.
As the title suggests,Prince of Persia 3Dwas the franchise’s first attempt at taking the2D side-scrollingseries into the new world of 3D gaming. Unfortunately, as far as franchises making the transition from 2D to 3D goes,Prince of Persia 3Dis closer to theBubsy 3Dend of the spectrum than theSuper Mario 64one.
Making an action-adventure game on the Nintendo DS was always going to be a tough ask. Sadly,Prince of Persia: The Fallen Kingdoesn’t buck the trend. The game scored a lackluster 64 on Metacritic, with criticism predominantly directed toward the game’s poor controls.
The spin-off game sees players controlling both the Prince and Zal as they attempt to find four pieces of a magical seal that will banish the god of darkness, Ahriman.The Fallen Kingis a mediocre side-scroller by most metrics, and the Nintendo DS is not exactly lacking in these types of releases, including plenty of better projects.
From one Nintendo DS game to another, Ubisoft took the handheld console’s limitations into account with 2005’sBattles of Prince of Persia,which had a crack at the turn-based tactics genre. The game is set between the events ofThe Sands of TimeandWarrior Withinand takes players to Persia, India, and a fictional kingdom known as Aresura.
While not highly regarded,Battles of Prince of Persiaat least pushed the franchise into a different direction by incorporating turn-based combat, resulting in an uneven but interesting spin-off. UnlikeThe Fallen King, which just feels like a bad take on a classicPrince of Persiarelease, the 2005 project has a unique identity.
Prince of Persia: Escapeis a mobile game that was published by Ketchapp and developed by Estoty. The title is a single-playerendless-runnerthat features an art style based on the very first game in the long-running series, although players can also unlock outfits from a range of other games in the franchise, such asThe Sands of TimeandWarrior Within.
Prince of Persia: Escapehas a seemingly endless amount of levels, making it a great causal game to switch off to without having to worry about objectives or endgame challenges. The sequel is roughly the same quality, although its environments are more detailed and eye-catching. Gameplay-wise, they are both decent.
Prince of Persia: The ForgottenSandssees this list take a significant jump in quality. Ubisoft opted against continuing the story from the series' 2008 reboot and instead took players back to the narrative of the PlayStation 2trilogy.
Ubisoft made the ambitious decision to offer different storylines and gameplay mechanics throughout some of the game’s releases. The gamble seemingly didn’t pay off, as the IP has fallen out of favor with Ubisoft since. TheSands of Timeremake may be the franchise’s last chance at a rejuvenation.
A remake of the game that started it all,Prince of PersiaClassictook players back to the franchise’s side-scrolling roots with a reimagining of Broderbund’s originalPrince of Persia. The game was developed by Gameloft, who were best known at the time for developing popular games on mobile phones, such asTomClancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Assassin’s Creed 2,andPrince of Persia: Sands of Time.
As it followed Ubisoft’s 2000s trilogy,Prince of Persia Classichad an uphill battle since it wanted to honor an old-school favorite while also catering to an audience that is probably only familiar with the 3D era. Thankfully, the game succeeded in walking this tightrope, offering a campaign that blends the 1989 version’s structure with controls and mechanics reminiscent ofThe Sand of Timetrilogy. It is the best of both worlds, although it is not quite as memorable as some of the franchise’s bigger releases.
In 2008, Ubisoft decided it was time toreinvent itsPrince of Persiaseries with a reboot.Prince of Persiasaw a drastic shift in art style and was a pioneer in the modern trend of removing any form of game over functionality. Despite garnering a respectable critical response, the reboot has a strange and polarizing legacy, being considered by sectors of fans as both a high and low point for the franchise.
Visually, the game looks incredible thanks to a cel-shaded art style that has aged beautifully. OutsideThe Lost Crown,Prince of Persia(2008) is the most graphically appealing in Ubisoft’s series. For the most part, the game nails its platforming and parkour through impeccable controls and clever level design. However, the combat is overly simple, repetitive, and easy; in fact, the latter criticism extends to the entire game.Prince of Persiagoes out of its way to avoid challenging players.
Much likeWarrior Within, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flamehad the pressure of competing with a critically acclaimed predecessor. Although it didn’t quite reach those heights, it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flameis predominantly a platformer, though it does have more combat than its predecessor. Only one enemy would ever confront the player at a time in 1989’sPrince of Persia, whereas, inPrince of Persia 2, foes would often swarm the protagonist if they weren’t careful.
A 2013 remake was released on iOS and Android. While not quite as impressive as the 2007 remake of the 1989 classic, this iteration is a decent option for new players.
Prince of Persia: The Two Thronesended the PlayStation 2’sSands of Timetrilogy in style with the series' most brutal hack-and-slash entry yet. As players would expect in the final entry to a trilogy,The Two Thronesis one of the franchise’s most story-driven titles, as players learn the ramifications of the Prince’s actions inWarrior Within.
The game implements an interesting mechanic based around the Dark Prince, an alter-ego of the Prince. On random occasions, the Prince will transform into this alter-ego. The Dark Prince wields a weapon known as the Daggertail and constantly loses health, which players need to regain with sand to stay alive.The Two Thronesaims for a middle-ground betweenThe Sands of TimeandWarriors Within, resulting in a very good experience that is not quite as unforgettable as either of those two releases.
The one that started it all,Prince of Persiawas certainly a product of its time. Not only is the gameplay the most platforming-centric of the franchise, but it’s alsobrutally difficultand very deliberate. Although it may not seem like anything special today, the game’s graphics, aesthetics, and sound design were incredible for the time.Prince of Persiawas not only an innovative and industry-pushing project, but it was also quite influential, sparking a rise in cinematic platformers that lasted for a couple of years.
The game is a masterpiece and one of the best platform games of all time; however, it is not timeless.Prince of Persiavery much plays like a 1989 release, and its stiff controls and publishing gameplay might struggle to hit home with players only familiar with the franchise’s more modern entries.
