Ubisoft drops magical hourglass, announces 2026 release for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake

A candle in the trailer for Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake (2026)
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Ubisoft has seemingly dropped its magical, timey-rewindey hourglass because the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake now has a 2026 release window.

Ubisoft first announced it was remaking 2003's beloved action-platformer about a parkour-loving lad back in 2020. At the time, the imaginatively named remake was supposed to have come out six months later but a magical, time-related incident caused a six-year delay. (Joking: the project was all but scrapped and rebooted last year.)

During this year's Ubisoft Forward showcase, the publisher offered up the briefest of glimpses of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The 30-second clip shows an extinguished candle going back in time to when it was a waxier, taller, and more fiery young thing. Then a 2026 flashes up on screen. Take a look.

Prince of Persia The Sands of Time - Teaser Trailer | Ubisoft Forward - YouTube Prince of Persia The Sands of Time - Teaser Trailer | Ubisoft Forward - YouTube
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The remake has long been in development limbo, with numerous delays, a change in developers, and canceled pre-orders all plaguing the project. But Ubisoft has since called in backup from an internal studio to help make up for lost years and get the project out the door. 

The Sands of Time remake's new new release window came in the midst of tonight's Prince of Persia sandstorm. Ubisoft announced that its Metroidvania spin-off is getting even tougher in a free update out today before new story DLC hits in September. Meanwhile, the Dead Cells studio's roguelike spin-off is ballooning exponentially in early access with new biomes, weapons, and more. At least Prince of Persia fans have a lot to look forward to between now and 2026.

For more, check out everything announced at Ubisoft Forward 2024.

Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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