# Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
**Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown** is a 2.5D side-scrolling [Metroidvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/metroidvania) developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and published by Ubisoft, released in January 2024 as the first new [Prince of Persia](https://www.edgepedia.org/prince-of-persia) game in over a decade. Players control Sargon, youngest member of the [Immortals](https://www.edgepedia.org/immortals), an elite warrior band reimagined as a squad of superhero-like fighters, on a quest to rescue the kidnapped Prince Ghassan in the cursed, time-warped Mount Qaf.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) • [2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/1100-6520287/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre and perspective | 2.5D side-scrolling Metroidvania blending exploration, platforming, and combo-driven combat[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) |
| Release | January 2024; GameSpot lists first release January 15, 2024[3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/reviews/) |
| Developer / publisher | Ubisoft Montpellier (also the studio behind Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends); published by Ubisoft[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) |
| Protagonist | Sargon, youngest of the Immortals, seeking the kidnapped Prince Ghassan of Persia[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) |
| Platforms | PC (Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store, Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\|S, Xbox One, Amazon Luna, plus iOS and Mac listings[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/reviews/) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 86 on PlayStation 5 (84 reviews, 99% positive) and 85 on PC (38 reviews)[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) |
| Awards | Won three Pégases (the French video game awards) in 2025: best game design, best accessibility, and best sound universe[6](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/03/06/prince-of-persia-s-impose-a-la-ceremonie-des-pegases-les-cesars-du-jeu-video_6576851_4408996.html) |
| DLC | *Mask of Darkness* story DLC, 4 to 6 hours, set in the assassin Radjen's Mind Palace[7](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/prince-of-persia/the-lost-crown) |
## Development
After a quiet period following 2010's *Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands*, Ubisoft revived the franchise with two side-scrolling games in 2024: *The Lost Crown* in January and *[The Rogue Prince of Persia](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-rogue-prince-of-persia)* in Steam Early Access in May.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) Senior producer Abdelhak Elguess said the team wanted a new identity for the series, deliberately far from *Assassin's Creed*. Game director Mounir Radi proposed the Metroidvania structure himself; it was not a corporate mandate. The choice let Ubisoft Montpellier apply its side-scrolling platforming expertise, built on *Rayman Origins* and *Rayman Legends*, to exploration, puzzles, and combat ideas that would otherwise need an open-world game.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024)
**Sources and influences.** The team drew on [Persian mythology](https://www.edgepedia.org/persian-mythology) and history, placing the benevolent bird-deity Simurgh and the snake-monster Azhdaha on Mount Qaf, a mountain with a prominent place in myth. The Immortals, historically an elite military unit serving Persia's ancient kings, were reimagined as superhero-like warriors. Anime and fighting games, particularly *Street Fighter*, shaped the pacing of combat and the game's look. Radi described the design philosophy as "musicality": platforming and combat challenges are paced like musical partitions, and small frictions such as Sargon gripping a ledge after a missed jump are intentional signals that the player has fallen out of rhythm.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024)
Series creator Jordan Mechner, the designer of the original 1989 *Prince of Persia*, endorsed the result, saying the team combined the series' DNA from past games and Persian mythology into a very modern Metroidvania in which players of any earlier entry would find "their" Prince of Persia acknowledged.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024)
## Gameplay
The game follows the Metroidvania structure of a large interconnected world opened up progressively by new abilities. Most powers Sargon acquires improve platforming, with light environmental puzzle solving alongside; six time powers, including *Shadow of the Simurgh*, which leaves a shadow copy of Sargon in midair that he can teleport back to, rewrite both traversal and combat.[1](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024) • [8](https://nintendoeverything.com/review-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/) • [9](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/article/2740/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
**Combat.** Combat emphasizes combos, dodging, and parrying. Enemy attacks telegraph their response: attacks preceded by a red flash are unblockable, while those preceded by a yellow flash can be parried for a short cinematic finisher. Sargon wields two scimitars modified by collectible amulets, and air attacks, time powers, and special attacks charged into a power bar layer fights with new combo permutations still appearing late in a roughly 25-hour playthrough.[8](https://nintendoeverything.com/review-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/) • [10](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
**Difficulty and accessibility.** Combat difficulty can be adjusted through standard options and finer sliders covering damage dealt and taken, meter buildup, and parry and dodge timing windows.[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/) The Guardian described the difficulty curve as severe in later platforming sections and boss fights, which demand memorized attack patterns and precise combinations of jumps, dodges, and parries.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/jan/11/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-a-new-gaming-kingdom-awaits) The game's accessibility work was recognized with a Pégases award for best accessibility.[6](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/03/06/prince-of-persia-s-impose-a-la-ceremonie-des-pegases-les-cesars-du-jeu-video_6576851_4408996.html)
## Setting and story
Mount Qaf is a cursed, Persian-inspired world whose time does not obey normal rules, encompassing ancient temples, catacombs, royal libraries, caverns, and a wrecked shipyard frozen in time.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/jan/11/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-a-new-gaming-kingdom-awaits) • [13](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-crowning-achievement/1900-6418167/) The skewed timeline means Sargon faces some of his fellow Immortals while gaining time powers to find the Prince.[9](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/article/2740/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/) Lore tablets and inscriptions scattered across the map reveal stories and prophecies gradually.[14](https://www.gadgets360.com/games/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-metroidvania-platformer-gameplay-story-ubisoft-5059283/amp)
## Reception
Critics received the game strongly. On Metacritic it scored 86 on [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5) from 84 reviews, with 82 positive and one mixed, and 85 on PC from 38 reviews.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/?platform=pc) GameSpot's Steve Watts scored it 9/10, calling it the series' first attempt at a modernized Metroidvania and saying the franchise had "found its new home" in the genre.[2](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/1100-6520287/) • [13](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-crowning-achievement/1900-6418167/) The Guardian placed it alongside *Metroid Dread* and *Hollow Knight* as one of the best games in its newly chosen genre rather than an imitation of them.[12](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/jan/11/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-a-new-gaming-kingdom-awaits)
**Common criticisms.** Reviewers most often reserved judgment for the story and narrative depth. [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) wrote that if the whole game had played like its final few hours and had a more engaging story, it would have had a good shot at being regarded as a surprisingly fantastic Metroidvania.[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/) Gadgets 360 noted that what the game lacks in narrative depth it makes up for in the dynamism of its combat and the variety of its platforming.[14](https://www.gadgets360.com/games/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-metroidvania-platformer-gameplay-story-ubisoft-5059283/amp) New Game Network cited some clumsy world structure among its flaws.[9](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/article/2740/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
**Technical performance.** Ubisoft states the game runs at 60 frames per second on all platforms.[7](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/prince-of-persia/the-lost-crown) Nintendo Life reported very few performance issues on Switch, and TouchArcade called the game excellent on Switch and sublime on [Steam Deck](https://www.edgepedia.org/steam-deck).[15](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
At the 2025 Pégases ceremony, the French video game industry's awards, the game won best game design, best accessibility, and best sound universe, and marked a striking return for the franchise, born in 1989 on the Apple II, after more than a decade of absence.[6](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/03/06/prince-of-persia-s-impose-a-la-ceremonie-des-pegases-les-cesars-du-jeu-video_6576851_4408996.html)
## Mask of Darkness DLC
The *Mask of Darkness* story DLC adds a new chapter in which Radjen, an assassin of the Immortals, traps Sargon in her Mind Palace, a nightmarish dimension created with her dark magic. The quest lasts 4 to 6 hours and adds four surreal biomes, a dozen new traps and platforming elements such as lasers, magical saws, and teleportation portals, plus new enemies, bosses, and amulets. A Complete Edition bundles the base game, the DLC, outfits for Sargon, the Prosperity Bird Amulet, and a digital adventure guide.[7](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/prince-of-persia/the-lost-crown)
## References
1. [How Prince of Persia Made its Double Comeback in 2024, Ubisoft News](https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/50BEgIWDER8qtc0tD3N26h/how-prince-of-persia-made-its-double-comeback-in-2024)
2. [Review Roundup For Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/review-roundup-for-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/1100-6520287/)
3. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/reviews/)
4. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown critic reviews (PS5), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/)
5. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown critic reviews (PC), Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/critic-reviews/?platform=pc)
6. [« Prince of Persia » s'impose à la cérémonie des Pégases, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/03/06/prince-of-persia-s-impose-a-la-ceremonie-des-pegases-les-cesars-du-jeu-video_6576851_4408996.html)
7. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Ubisoft (US)](https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/prince-of-persia/the-lost-crown)
8. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, Nintendo Everything](https://nintendoeverything.com/review-prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown/)
9. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review, New Game Network](https://www.newgamenetwork.com/article/2740/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
10. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, VideoGamer](https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
11. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review/)
12. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2024/jan/11/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-a-new-gaming-kingdom-awaits)
13. [Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown Review – Crowning Achievement, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-crowning-achievement/1900-6418167/)
14. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/games/reviews/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-review-metroidvania-platformer-gameplay-story-ubisoft-5059283/amp)
15. [Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review (Switch), Nintendo Life](https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Action, adventure, and role-playing games › Action-adventure games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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