Best Prince Of Persia Games

Highlights

• Prince of Persia 3D was a failed attempt to transition the franchise to 3D gaming, closer to Bubsy 3D than Super Mario 64.
• Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands offers fresh and interesting storylines and gameplay mechanics.
• Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a critically acclaimed game that combines platforming and action-heavy gameplay.

The Prince of Persia series 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 released Prince 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 like Sands of Time and the original Prince of Persia are classics, not every game in the series has reached such heights.

Updated on January 26, 2024, 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 the best Prince of Persia games?

13 Prince of Persia 3D

Metascore: 58 (Arabian Nights Version)

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, from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to Super Mario 64.

As the title suggests, Prince of Persia 3D was the franchise’s first attempt at taking the 2D side-scrolling series into the new world of 3D gaming. Unfortunately, as far as franchises making the transition from 2D to 3D goes, Prince of Persia 3D is closer to the Bubsy 3D end of the spectrum than the Super Mario 64 one.

12 Prince of Persia: The Fallen King

Metascore: 64

Making an action-adventure game on the Nintendo DS was always going to be a tough ask. Sadly, Prince of Persia: The Fallen King doesn’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 King is 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.

11 Battles of Prince of Persia

Metascore: 64

From one Nintendo DS game to another, Ubisoft took the handheld console’s limitations into account with 2005’s Battles of Prince of Persia, which had a crack at the turn-based tactics genre. The game is set between the events of The Sands of Time and Warrior Within and takes players to Persia, India, and a fictional kingdom known as Aresura.

While not highly regarded, Battles of Prince of Persia at least pushed the franchise into a different direction by incorporating turn-based combat, resulting in an uneven but interesting spin-off. Unlike The Fallen King, which just feels like a bad take on a classic Prince of Persia release, the 2005 project has a unique identity.

10 Prince of Persia: Escape 1 & 2

Google Play Store: 4.5/5

Prince of Persia: Escape is a mobile game that was published by Ketchapp and developed by Estoty. The title is a single-player endless-runner that 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 as The Sands of Time and Warrior Within.

Prince of Persia: Escape has 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.

9 Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Metascore: 77

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands sees 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 2 trilogy.

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. The Sands of Time remake may be the franchise’s last chance at a rejuvenation.

8 Prince of Persia Classic

Metascore: 83

A remake of the game that started it all, Prince of Persia Classic took players back to the franchise’s side-scrolling roots with a reimagining of Broderbund’s original Prince of Persia. The game was developed by Gameloft, who were best known at the time for developing popular games on mobile phones, such as Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time.

As it followed Ubisoft’s 2000s trilogy, Prince of Persia Classic had 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 of The Sand of Time trilogy. It is the best of both worlds, although it is not quite as memorable as some of the franchise’s bigger releases.

7 Prince of Persia (2008)

Metascore: 85

In 2008, Ubisoft decided it was time to reinvent its Prince of Persia series with a reboot. Prince of Persia saw 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. Outside The 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 Persia goes out of its way to avoid challenging players.

6 Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame

Fine-Tuning On A Genre-Defining Project

Much like Warrior Within, Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame had 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 Flame is 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’s Prince of Persia, whereas, in Prince 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.

5 Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

Metascore: 85

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones ended the PlayStation 2’s Sands of Time trilogy 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 Thrones is one of the franchise’s most story-driven titles, as players learn the ramifications of the Prince’s actions in Warrior 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 Thrones aims for a middle-ground between The Sands of Time and Warriors Within, resulting in a very good experience that is not quite as unforgettable as either of those two releases.

4 Prince of Persia (1989)

Masterpiece Of Its Era

The one that started it all, Prince of Persia was certainly a product of its time. Not only is the gameplay the most platforming-centric of the franchise, but it’s also brutally difficult and 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 Persia was 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 Persia very 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.

3 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

Metascore: 83

Speaking of Warrior Within, it’s safe to say the sequel to Sands of Time had some fairly lofty expectations on its shoulders before its 2004 release. Warrior Within may not have reached the heights of its predecessor; however, it still provided one of the most memorable action-adventure experiences of the PlayStation 2 generation. In keeping with the times, Warrior Within leaned more towards its hack-and-slash elements by letting players wield an extra weapon. Featuring the best combat system in any 3D Prince of Persia game, Warrior Within is a joy to play through, and its action is complemented by fantastic platforming that compares favorably to any other entry in the series.

Narratively, Warrior Within finds the Prince in the middle of his emo face, including a rock-themed soundtrack that does not particularly fit the setting or gameplay. At the time of its release, the sequel garnered criticism for dropping The Sand of Time‘s timelessness in favor of a trend-chasing presentation; however, in the grand scheme of things, these elements are just a minor blemish in an otherwise great game.

2 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Metascore: 88

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown‘s reveal garnered a fairly negative reception, stemming from frustration that the series’ next project would be a side-scroller rather than the long-awaited The Sand of Time remake. As launch day approached and previews began to be released, the discourse surrounding the game steadily shifted, culminating in a successful debut that blew away most expectations.

The Lost Crown is a fantastic Metroidvania that harbors back to Prince of Persia‘s roots while still very much doing its own thing. Similar to The Sands of Time or the 2008 reboot, the 2024 release represents the start of a new era, one defined by satisfying combat, solid exploration, and fast-paced movement.

1 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Metascore: 92

As alluded to before, Ubisoft’s first Prince of Persia game, Sands of Time, is a wonderfully balanced title. It combines the platforming gameplay that dominated the industry during the 90s with the action-heavy style that began taking over the gaming industry with the release of the PlayStation 2.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the PlayStation 2 generation’s most critically acclaimed games, and its core strengths – precise platforming, awesome parkour, and gorgeous environments – hold up well even after more than 20 years. While the combat is the project’s weak point and worse than any of its console successors, The Sands of Time is otherwise the most complete and, ultimately, best Prince of Persia game.