Prince of Persia games ranked worst to best

The Prince of Persia games have changed a lot over the years, and some of them are less well-regarded than others. Here are the full rankings for all existing Prince of Persia games.

The first Prince of Persia game was released in 1989 and is credited with revolutionizing isometric gameplay. The franchise has reinvented itself many times since then, even making an unsuccessful foray into the movies.

With the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown out now, we thought it might be a good time to revisit the older games to see which should be sat upon a golden throne and which should be forgotten beneath the sands of time.

8. Prince of Persia 3D

Released for Windows PC and SEGA Dreamcast in 1999, Prince of Persia 3D was an attempt to bring the Prince fully into actual 3D for the first time to cash in on the popularity of games like Tomb Raider. Sadly, the attempt did not go well.

Despite an amazing soundtrack and pleasing 3D environments, the game was plagued by tedious puzzles, slow and imprecise combat, and a camera that seemed to actively despise you. To make matters worse, it suffered from the perennial bugbear of late 90s games – tank controls.

7. Prince of Persia (2008)

The Prince of Persia series has often had a rocky start when it comes to its reboots, and the 2008 reboot of Prince of Persia is no exception. While the gameplay was as smooth and intuitive as you could hope for, and it generally looked gorgeous, it was undercut by the complete lack of danger or challenge since the puzzles were simple, and Elika would always save you from death. Some players were also annoyed by the donkey being named Farah, which was seen as a mean jab at Sands of Time players.

6. Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within

The thing everyone remembers about Warrior Within is the bizarre choice of a nu-metal soundtrack. This is fine if you like that kind of music, but generally, it does not fit the game’s aesthetic. The attempt to be dark and gritty just largely ends up being comical, as the over-the-top bloody violence and tasteless attempts at titillation using scantily clad women came across as juvenile. The time travel mechanic is interesting but ultimately winds up being a pure exercise in backtracking.

5. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

The Forgotten Sands is a sequel to the 2008 Prince of Persia reboot, and it improves upon its predecessor in pretty much every way. The sequel brought back many features that were missing in the reboot, most notably the time-rewinding mechanic, which provides a limited number of retries before it runs out, a refreshing change from being unable to fail in the previous game.

Since the game is set in the time gap between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, it provides insight into the Prince’s mindset, which, combined with fresh mechanics like the elemental powers, makes it a more interesting game overall.

4. Prince of Persia (1989)

The one that started it all. Though dated by today’s standards and often brutally hard, with hidden death traps seemingly around every corner, the original Prince of Persia received wide praise and commercial success. This is attributed to its revolutionary character animation, great soundtrack and sound effects, and fluid graphics. It was ported to pretty much any computer system or console that sat still for long enough and is a milestone in gaming development.

3. Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame

Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame took everything that was great about the original Prince of Persia game and made it even better. The graphics received an upgrade, and the puzzles were even more devious and required careful thought and action to resolve. Prince of Persia 2 won several ‘Game of the Year’ awards in 1994 and thoroughly deserves its recognition.

2. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was the 3D leap done right. Smooth and detailed animation, solid platforming, tricky but satisfying puzzles, and some great writing made this an instant classic. The controls feel a little imprecise, and the companion AI has some issues, but it still holds up remarkably well.

1. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones

The Two Thrones embodies a refinement of Sands of Time and Warrior Within in terms of mechanics and gameplay. The camera is a lot more cooperative, giving you a better perspective of what is going on. The controls have received an upgrade in terms of responsiveness, and it overall feels much more fluid to play. Superlative writing and voice acting also elevate the story, giving us a brilliant interplay between the Prince and his Dark counterpart. Plus, the new mechanics added to the gameplay, such as the ability to sneak up on an enemy and silently assassinate them, which helped pave the way for the Assassin’s Creed games.