Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time

Seems to be alright with the Steam Deck

It's pretty good for the most part. Feels a bit outdated at times but it's a 20+ year old game so you can't really blame it. Having played Warrior Within, The Two Thrones and Forgotten Sands, I can say that those games have aged a lot better than Sands Of Time. The puzzles in SOT are pretty cool albeit fairly basic. The parkour can sometimes get buggy and force you to restart your checkpoint, but for the most part, it's serviceable.

The story can feel generic at times, but the whole concept of the game is interesting, with the time travel and everything. The story as linear as it gets, and that's not a bad thing. If anything, the ending was pretty satisfying, I thought. The music is also nice. Good themes that can get stuck in your head, and the instrumentation fits the aesthetic of the game well.

My main gripe with the game is the combat. In smaller fights, it's alright but in big fights, it gets unfairly difficult and there's a LOT of enemies you have to take down. Not to mention your ally can easily die and that results in you having to start the battle from the beginning. Towards the end of the game it does get much easier though. But that's only when you unlock the final sword upgrade.

Overall score:
7/10. Mostly enjoyable

PS: fck that elevator fight ._.

this game have the WORST camera I've ever seen in video games. it just change every second in middle of fight

There are games you play and there are games you remember. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time belongs to the second category — a golden relic from the early 2000s that still echoes in the hearts of those who picked up the dagger and took that first leap off a crumbling ledge.

From the haunting narration of an older, wiser Prince ("Wait, that's not how it happened...") to the fluid parkour that made every wall-run feel like poetry in motion, this game wasn’t just ahead of its time — it bent time to its will. The combat may feel dated now, but back then, the acrobatics, the slow-motion flips, and that precious ability to rewind your mistakes felt revolutionary.

And then there’s the atmosphere. The music. The lighting. The voice acting. Farah.

If you grew up with this game, booting it up now is like stepping into your childhood bedroom — slightly faded, maybe a little dusty, but still filled with magic. If you’ve never played it, you’re not just playing a game — you’re stepping into a moment in gaming history.

The sands may have shifted, but the memories remain.

I've had this game in my wishlist for 4 years, so i finally decided to buy it since i played pop 1989 as a kid around over a decade ago and liked it, the issue with this game is that it's a hassle to get it to run properly, you literally have to tweak the .ini files and download softwares if you want the game to run smoother and if you want 1080p.

I like to have all my games on steam but one of the biggest problem for me is that i you're forced to use a keyboard or straight up have to deal with the keyboard prompts (unless there is a mod to fix that) so honestly playing it on console or by sailing the seas on pc might be easier for you

nonetheless i do recommend the game if none of that bothers you

Love this game its just like i remember playing it on the OG Xbox

Dropped this one five years ago because the combat drove me nuts—but I’m glad I gave it another shot. I remembered exactly where I quit the first time, and yeah, that section is still rough. The combat never really gets good, but once you push past that pain point, the game hands you a sword that one-shots enemies and suddenly it clicks. The last 10% absolutely flies—it’s stylish, well-paced, and surprisingly emotional. Everything outside of the combat holds up incredibly well. Really happy I stuck with it this time. A flawed classic, but a great one.

Unplayable. Absolutely horrendous controls and camera movement. you will constantly fight with the camera, whether in combat or platforming, or even just simply walking. Combat is terrible. super repetitive level design. Enemies just come in waves, and the controls are delayed and awful. I wanted to experience this first installment in the trilogy, got super disappointed.

GOATED GAME

I played this game as I was a kid, so replaying it now was a nostalgic experience. I was surprised that the game still holds up quite well. The parkour elements and time manipulation are still fun. However, combat feels a bit tedious due to limited complexity, just a few types of enemies and sheer amount of them appearing in each combat section. Apart from the gameplay, I appreciated interesting plot, dynamics between Farah and the prince, and his funny comments.

had a sand of a time playing this one

Prince of Persia and the annoying dagger

This is either a bad port or it just hasn't aged well. The game doesn't offer native wide screen support which is fine given the age of the game. I went in expecting to have to mod it a bit to get it to run on a modern machine. The wide screen mod was pretty easy to install and configure. Oddly enough, none of the controller bindings worked, I had to manually bind every controller input. I don't know if it's because I'm using an XBox Elite controller which came out well after Prince of Persia or if you have to rebind every controller in game.

That being said, once I got the game to work properly, it just didn't feel very good. First, the movement felt really sluggish. The game looks like it should be about fluid movements and it's just not at all. Second, the camera is probably the worst I've seen since Devil May Cry 2. Literally the third jump in the game changes camera angles right where you press the jump button. It launched me off the wall which honestly was pretty funny the first time but trying again and jumping in the wrong direction due to a camera change went from funny to infuriating immediately. It wasn't the only jump that had a terrible camera change either in my half hour playing.

Lastly, the combat is just very dull. Enemies block attacks and will be open up to an attack when you block their attack. You don't have to be facing them, there's no timing to it at all, you literally just stand there holding block until they attack, then you can attack. That is all the combat I've seen in the first half hour.

I know this was highly regarded 20 years ago when it first came out but by today's standards, it is not a good game. If it was ever remade, I would give it another shot, but I can't be bothered to play this at this point.

great game and gameplay still holds up to this day! camera is funky sometimes but other than that i had a flawless experience!

Classic game, brings back a lot of nostalgia from when it was on the PS2. Also pretty sick game to play when you want to relax

10/10 Great game cant wait for the remake

Best storytelling of the trilogy!

Honestly haven't had so much fun with a old game, it challenging, make you think, fun combat, nice old school game.

kinda good game but aged like bruce jenner. the story and characters are excellent. the controls are very precise but can sometimes be inaccurate however this is nothing compared to the combat which is diabolical and made me want to quit playing the game (elevator fight) i started running past enemies to avoid them. this game deserves a remake!

This game was a blast from the past. I recently saw a video on my feed about it and had to re-buy it on my laptop. Good price and all expectations were met with the game. Game play was the same as I remember it. Looking back, these mechanics were very ahead of its time and set the score for the assassins creed franchise. However, controller compatibility was a bit poor, but this is expected with older games like this. Steam's "Big Picture Mode" completely solved this issue with their custom key binds and controller mapping. I beat the whole game in one sitting and I enjoyed reliving my early childhood. 10/10 would recommend.

Nice fun platforming and pretty visuals, but repetitive combat and bad writing. Maybe worth it for 2 bucks, but overall a very mediocre game at best.

nostalia hits hard while playing this

great game.

nice

Finally got around to finishing this classic. (I played Warrior Within first years ago and loved it)

9/10

An excellent game with a great story, well crafted platforming and puzzle segments as well as serviceable combat. The main issue I have with the latter is that the combat relies heavily on an auto lock-on system, which may work against you in fights with lots of enemies that require different strats to take down. Besides that the game is easily forgiving with the rewind mechanic resulting in the whole adventure being both really well-paced and not too frustrating.

The few complaints I have mainly stem from weird choices or oversights in regards to this port. Voice-over audio can be really quiet and sometimes outright unintelligible and there's no option for subtitles. There is also a lack of controller support by default which doesn't make much sense considering this game was clearly made in mind to be played with a controller. I managed to finish the game on M+K but I wouldn't recommend playing this way, so try to find a way to connect a controller before playing for the best possible experience.

With that said give this one a go! Let's hope Ubisoft doesn't mess up the remake!

great game which stood the test of time. besides the disgusting camera and automatic enemy targeting, the game is enjoyable. puzzles are not that hard, combat is quite enjoyable despite it's repetitiveness. engaging and escalating story, inner dialogs of the main character, all great.

for 2€ it's definitely worth it.

very nice story i love it

Hehe bought this game for 1.99 and pure nostalgia finished it in 4 hours. If your like me and want to replay this gem again then yeah sure go for it. Its worth it.

Game review of Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is a title that, despite the passage of years (released in 2003), still delights and proves that classics can compete with modern productions. The game, combines a unique atmosphere, innovative mechanics and engaging gameplay, which together create a real gem.

Audiovisual setting

The graphics, although not up to modern standards, keep a decent level. The backgrounds are minimalist, but they convey the atmosphere of the Arabian fairy tale well - palace chambers, dungeons and traps create a consistent atmosphere. The color palette is limited, but used effectively, with a clear contrast between character and environment. The sound design is modest, but functional. The music, composed mainly for the intro and key moments, builds an oriental mood with simple but catchy melodies.

Plot and narrative

The story in Sands of Time is not overly complicated, but it doesn't have to be. The tale of the Prince of Persia and his companion Princess Farah, ruler of a conquered kingdom, resembles a classic fairy tale. The narrative is conducted in a way that draws the player into discovering the secrets of the Dagger of Time and its consequences. The dialogues between the characters are witty, often full of biting and petty mischief, which gives them chemistry and authenticity. Interestingly, practically only one additional character appears in the game besides the protagonist and Farah, which makes the story intimate, but does not lose its intensity. The plot also offers a surprising twist, which even when played again (years after childhood) can cause surprise.

Gameplay

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is a challenging game. It does not lead the player by the hand - there are no obvious clues in the “yellow paint” style known from newer titles. The gameplay is based on three pillars: puzzles, combat and arcade elements, which complement each other harmoniously. Puzzles force you to think, platform sections require precision, and clashes with opponents - tactics. The time reversal mechanic, a hallmark of the game, ensures that mistakes are not punished, but actually become part of the fun. This allows you to experiment and learn from your mistakes, which gives the gameplay a unique flow.

Unfortunately, the player's biggest enemy is the camera. The combination of freedom of control and automatic perspective changes can be frustrating - the camera sometimes loses its orientation, which can lead to unnecessary deaths. However, this is one of the few shortcomings of the game.

Is it just nostalgia?

Absolutely not. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is a game that defends itself with quality, not just sentiment. Its fairy-tale atmosphere, innovative time reversal mechanics and balanced combination of intellectual and arcade challenges mean that it could put many modern titles to shame. It is a true classic that is still worth discovering - for veterans and new players alike.

Good ideas and pretty scenery marred by a limitation of hardware... and incompetence.
The camera is the worst part by far, due to its clunky movement coupled with the game constantly switching between third person and fixed camera, thus making navigation unpleasant to say the least.
The combat is rather basic, something similar, albeit more refined, would show up later in early AC titles. The issue here is the enemy encounters: they just spawn in the arena, wave after wave, getting tiresome quickly and persisting a few more waves. Incidentally I strongly recommend capping the FPS to 30, unpleasant as it may be the game misbehaves on higher FPS, including the enemy waves not spawning properly.
The story is so ephemeral it barely warrants a mention, if not for the ending being surprisingly well realised and poignant, again echoing future AC titles: good ideas with shoddy execution.
Music's great, though there's no ambient music, thus most of the game is spent in silence. In the end I don't even know if I'd recommend the damn game, It was a pain to go through, at the end I even used a trainer.
The thing that left the strongest impression on me was the prince himself, along with his movements. The fluidity of his animations, his agility and flexibility, the way he... moves, his clothing becoming more tattered as the game progresses, ending with him revealing his chiselled abs... muscular physique covered in fresh scars.... how could she say no to him!

One of the worst combat systems i've seen. why even have farah in combats if she is borderline useless but has to stay alive as well ?

Very good game specially if you have low specs pc and wants to enter in gaming , because it is where all starts , but if you have a decent pc just limit its fps to 60 otherwhise you will se many glitches

Cool game. Dated as hell, but it was interesting to experience AC`s dad.
I do not believe, that we will see a remastered version, but it would have been amazing. Story is great.

Buen juego, ya había jugado esto de guri en la play 2 hace años pero nunca me lo pase, te entretiene bastante y esta interesante la temática, las únicas cosas que podría llegar a criticarle son:

-Las cámaras y las rotaciones de las mismas son una mrd jkasjkjkasjkas, te cambia de angulo a cada rato y puede hacer que te mandes cagadas en los parkours o en las peleas

-El combate es un poco soso, la secuencia es: pega-derriba-absorbe, los enemigos son lo mismo desde que empezas hasta que terminas el juego

Igual para ser un juego del 2003 esta bien logrado y es lo suficientemente entretenido

Usa la cabeza para los puzzles, te hacen pensar algunos, el que usa la wiki es g4y

personally i love everything about this game, the combat, the puzzles, the parkour, the story, the music. its great, however its the most bare bones experience of the game: no controller support, no widescreen support, no achievements and the dialogues are busted half the time you can't hear them and the game doesn't even have subtitles.

its a good old school game

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is an incredible experience. I used to play this game long time ago on my ps2, and having it again on steam feels like magic, even tho it is a long time from its release, the story, gameplay and environment are still fabulous, 10/10 game 100% recommended

Very buggy, can't even finish the game

A bit dated (ofc it is) - but a classic none the less.

Still a pretty great game, although combat sections can run really long at times. Especially the elevator near the end. What a nightmare that can be. Though it does force you to learn more of how the game mechanics work compared to most of the other battles so I guess that's a positive.

The feeling of the platforming just feels nice, even now. Without it feeling like modern 'traversal' where you snap to tons of things. Even though it does have a few elements of that in it.

The story is great, like the characters, the voice acting is really quiet though. Even with it turned all the way up and other sounds down it's still hard to hear at times. And as far as I could tell it's got no subtitles. Mostly an issue in the ingame dialogs.

Music is amazing. The art design is great, the graphics hold up pretty well considering it's over 20 years old now. And the cloth physics are still fairly impressive. I've played much newer games with worse cloth physics than this game.

Still worth playing, though I did have to edit some things to get the game to work properly. I had the weird fog issue where you can't see anything, but itw as a simple fix with one of the guides on Steam that tells you how to do it. And keep vsync on or you'll find the game unplayable like me. And with Steam Input, and one of the user layouts it plays really well on a controller without needing to fuss with the ingame controller mapping.

WIth the remake still MIA, and the risk of it not even being good, may as well play this one.

a spoiled rich teenager wanted to impress his father. Goes horribly wrong

10/10

idk, i didnt really like it compared to WW or TT

Alhamdulillah this game is based

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A full 5 out of 5 Stars ★ for Prince of Persia®: The Sands of Time

i completed this back in 2004 on PS2. So this is simply Nostalgia again. The graphics used to be the best for its time. The free running mechanism built in this would later inspire the Assassin Creed series for Ubisoft. The narrative is beautiful and It is just great fun jumping obstacles, fighting Sand Monsters and solving fantastic puzzles.

Overall a must play for young people who would like to experience how gaming used to be during the PS2 era

Cheers! Have Fun!

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME — aka THE GAME THAT INVENTED PARKOUR AND THEN NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT IT.
🗡️🏃‍♂️💫 “I could rewind time… but not the 12 hours I lost listening to this man narrate his entire life.”

FIRST OF ALL: THE PRINCE WON’T STOP TALKING.
Every jump?
“I didn’t think that would work.”
Every fight?
“I’m better with a sword than I thought.”
Every time you die?
“Oh wait, no, that didn’t happen.”
BRO. LET ME BREATHE.
You sound like if Nathan Drake was stuck in theater camp. I’m trying to concentrate on wall-running over spikes and you’re giving me your personal memoirs in real-time. This isn't a podcast. Shut up and climb.

THE PLATFORMING IS ACTUALLY 🔥... UNTIL IT’S NOT.
Listen, the wall-running? Majestic. The pole-swinging? Crisp. The slow-mo flips and backflips? Chef's kiss.
BUT THEN THE CAMERA IS LIKE:
“Oh, you want to see where you’re going?”
TOO BAD. HERE’S A FIXED ANGLE FROM NEPAL.
One minute you’re a gymnast, the next you’re yeeting yourself off a ledge because the camera panicked and gave up.

THE COMBAT IS JUST... THERE.
You slash, you roll, you backflip... and then you do that 47 more times against the same sand zombies. They spawn forever. They get back up. They surround you.
Oh, and remember that one guy you didn’t finish with the dagger?
YEP, HE’S BACK. AGAIN.
Fighting in this game is less “epic action” and more “angry janitor clearing out the undead with glitter knives.”

THE DAGGER OF TIME IS THE REAL MVP.
This thing is the only reason you’re alive. Missed a jump? Rewind.
Got stabbed? Rewind.
Forgot how to breathe? Rewind.
Honestly, if I had this dagger in real life I’d never be late again. I’d also use it to undo the decision to fight ten dudes in a tiny hallway for the fiftieth time.

FARAH DESERVES BETTER.
She’s smart. She’s skilled. She’s the only person with common sense.
And how does the Prince treat her??
Like she’s a tutorial with legs.
Their romance goes from “mild hostility” to “bathtub flirting” in 4 seconds and you’re just like, bro… she literally saved your life 8 times today and you still act like you’re the main character in a shampoo commercial.

THE AESTHETIC? LEGENDARY.
Everything’s golden, glowy, ancient, and mysterious. The music? Ethnic banger after banger. The architecture? Pure parkour porn.
You feel like you’re in a cursed Disney palace full of saw blades and tragic memories.
And honestly?? Vibes are immaculate. Until you die. And die again. And again.
“Wait. That’s not how it happened.”
YES IT WAS, BRO. I SAW IT. YOU GOT IMPALED. ACCEPT IT.

IN CONCLUSION: THE SANDS OF TIME IS A MASTERPIECE MADE OF CHARISMA, CURSES, AND CRAPPY CAMERAS.
You love it. You rage at it. You rewind it. And then you play it again because no game since has nailed this exact brand of puzzle-parkour-sand-dagger-chaos.
It’s clunky. It’s whiny. It’s dramatic.
It’s a whole mood.
8/10. Would rewind my rage again.

Memories: beautiful CD box, StarForce DRM, childhood depression.

"A Timeless Classic of Action and Adventure"
Ubisoft’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time isn’t just a great game, it’s one of the finest action-adventure titles ever made.
Released in 2003, this masterpiece revived the classic Prince of Persia series with fluid parkour, exhilarating combat, and a story filled with mystery, romance, and redemption.
Even after all these years, it remains a shining example of how to blend gameplay and storytelling seamlessly.
The game follows the Prince, an arrogant yet likable warrior who inadvertently unleashes the destructive Sands of Time, turning an entire kingdom into sand-covered horrors.
Alongside the clever and resourceful Princess Farah, he must fight to undo his mistake.
The narrative is engaging, thanks in large part to the Prince’s inner monologue and his evolving relationship with Farah, which adds heart to the adventure.
The real star of the show, however, is the gameplay.
The platforming is smooth, acrobatic, and immensely satisfying!
Wall-running, vaulting over obstacles, and performing gravity-defying leaps make every moment feel like a cinematic spectacle.
The combat, while simple compared to modern action games, is still enjoyable, allowing players to take down enemies with stylish swordplay and clever use of time manipulation.
Speaking of which, the ability to rewind time after a mistimed jump or fatal mistake is nothing short of brilliant!
It keeps the flow of the game uninterrupted and encourages experimentation.
Visually, The Sands of Time was stunning for its time, and even today, its dreamy, Arabian Nights-inspired aesthetic still holds up.
The hauntingly beautiful soundtrack complements the atmosphere perfectly, adding to the sense of wonder and adventure.
While the camera can be a little finicky, and the combat may feel repetitive after a while, these minor flaws do little to diminish the overall experience.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a near-perfect blend of storytelling, platforming, and innovation.
It’s a must-play for fans of action-adventure games and remains a true classic that stands the test of time.
Final thoughts: A legendary adventure that still holds its magic!

9/10 - Amazing game, one of my all time favorites. This version is a bit buggy but its not that hard to find the community fixes that will make it a good experience. Widescreen fix for modern resolutions, fog fix and it will mostly work fine. I didn't even use 60 fps lock, just played 99.9% of it on 160 fps, I got stuck one time, put a 60fps lock in rivatuner, unstuck myself, back to 160 right after.

Just replayed this for the first time in ~20 years and wow, it's a masterpiece.
Great story, game play, and music.
They definitely do not make games like this anymore.

Please remaster this game because while the game itself is fantastic, the PC port is broken with controller settings, music, and camera.

I remember that in PS2 was good but this port for PC is a S**t !!!

Not only me but everybody is talking about all Bugs. I needed a lot of patience and that's why I managed to get to 81% of the story... But I got to a part where it's impossible to continue because of another ridiculous bug.
Basically I had to move a box but when I did, the box flew to the top of a ladder, as if the character had super strength and threw it. Improve it!!!