Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag™

just bought this again. i played this game countless times now in different consoles and i will confidently say that this is the best assassin's creed of ALL TIME

excited to get all the achievements since they added it now

Uses Ubisoft's trash Connect app, so prepare to just... not be able to play the game. Crashes on startup regularly.

Great game, but Ubisoft needs to remove the Uplay/Connect/WhateverTrashTheyComeUpWithNext requirements.

The best, well written game in the franchise next to only Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. The immersion into the historical time of the pirate golden age is extremely accurate, and very fun to play through. I would recommend this game to anyone that has a love for history and the implement of fantasy.

one of the classic games that isnt bad when you play it 11 years later if you havent played it yet i highly suggest you do!

good game, bad launcher + multiplayer achievements added 10 years later, multiplayer not only dead but does not work on modern systems

Pretty good game, though im not gonna lie all the tailing missions are awful

I come back to this game once or twice every year, finally decided to buy it.
This game could have a simple Multiplayer Naval Battle mode and would be leagues better than whatever the fuck Ubisoft is trying to do with Skull & Bones.

5/10 - Assassin's Creed Game
10/10 - Pirate Game

Accidentally activated it on a ubisoft account that isnt the one connected to my steam so I can never ever play it. Ubisoft stop trying to innovate you are famously the worst games company ever just allow your games to be launched through steam.

Cant even open the game to play it bc it just crashes on the black flag splash screen

Imagine buying this game and suddenly you are in the same situation of the owners of The Crew... Just imagine that!

I got introduced to the world of Assassin's Creed back in 2016 which was recommended to me by my friend, although I was a little late but eventually played the earlier titles as well in the later years. This is one of the games in which I started to feel for the character Edward Kenway in a way you have never felt before and go through his journey as a privateer and then eventually a full fledged member of the Assassin Brotherhood. I rarely have this feeling towards any character and that is by a long shot ( the other one is Wei Shen from Sleeping Dogs ) I won't give any spoilers but I will say this, this title is by far the best AC game and this is when the franchise had hit it's peak. The newer titles doesn't come anywhere near this, so I would definitely recommend this countless times to whosoever is asking me which is the best AC game or someone who hasn't played any AC game so far

payed for the game just for steam to force me into downloading ubisoft launcher then for ubisoft launcher to load under an unknown account email so now i just got a game with a dead key because thats how ubisoft shows u they care if its a ubisoft game just avoid it on pc entierley until these people can act better towards their playerbase i just wanted to sit down and play ac4 1 last time thats just ashame

Fun game. Bought all the DLCs. Didn't touch it for a few months and then went back. Now all DLCs are gone for some reason, says I need to buy them all again. -1/10 Ubisoft.

I bought this game a few days back and damn it this is the best AC game ever. If this thing is remade today with advanced graphics and all this will be the best seller of all time. This is the best game ever period. The naval gameplay and the land campaigns are incredibly good. I loved every minute of it.

Black flag. A true pirate experience with the Assassin's Creed title slapped on.

I have platinum'd Black flag on on playstation before coming to steam to enjoy the game again. So I believe I'm more than qualified to give a proper review.

Black Flag is a love letter to any Pirate fanatic. Ubisoft did their research and it shows. They expertly crafted Edward's story to fit in with historical events that play throughout the game. Each character was researched extremely well. I won't say too much as I want to avoid giving spoilers. But after reading my fair share of books regarding the history of piracy and the characters who sailed under the black flag many centuries ago. From paper to the screen, I am happy to see their stories and fates line up in such close detail. However, it's still an Assassin's Creed game so some inaccuracies are present, but they have their spots and fit in very well. The 21st century side of the story is still present which in truth is just a filler and takes you out of the main game which is a stunt.

There is a Black flag remake set to release late next year or early 2026. Regarding ubisoft's current track record it does have me worried. It'd be a big shame if they took everything that made black flag an excellent entry and scrapped it for their own ideologies of what the golden age of piracy was like.

The story itself was fun, for as long as I could play it anyway. As soon as i finished the tutorial/intro area I experienced crashing every few minutes. this had also been long enough that my refund request was denied. Constant crashing and a few issues with the Ubisoft launcher.

I have always been a huge fan of AC. This is an outstanding game. A little hard to control on the free running but other than that. amazing game.

Literally one of the best games Ubi has ever produced. If you like explorarion, or ships, or anything tangentially related to pirate or sea themes, you'll enjoy it (quite more than skulls and bones for what I've heard).

The game may be home to some of the goofiest plot points of any AC game but the ambientation and gameplay loop and even the characters entwined to said goofy plot points will make up for it. The fact that if you like Edward more or less is quite subjective for what I've seen but I personally like the guy: he's just... doing his best... most of the time... I think.

The combat and parkour may be sadly some of the lowest lows in all of the saga, but everything tied to exploring and navigating is state of the art for its day and has aged quite well to this day, the game looks good by today's standarts and it's only held back for it's animations and facial expresions. Booting the game for just to walk around and see the world is worthwhile in and out itself, the music sets you perfectly in the setting and, generally speaking, the game makes you feel so good playing it that even searching collectables feels rewarding just for the views and the journey between collectable A and B.

This game is a classic. ity is 10 years old but the reality and immesiveness and detail is amaing. it's not easy by any means but hella fun i highjly reccomend it and from what i have seen it is nort a cash grab

I've owned and beaten every Assassins Creed up to Valhalla and actively playing through Mirage. During the recent Steam Sale I decided to rebuild my collection on Steam.

Although they've held up well with backwards compat on my Series X the 30 FPS limitation left more to be desired. PLUS, I can play this on my Steam Deck.

Although I'm happily apart of the hate Ubisoft team, there is no denying that the Assassin's Creed IP is incredible. They've all held up through time and they offer tons of replayability. Black Flag is in my opinion, the best AC game. Incredibly rich and linear story while also offering some sense of freedom to explore the city at your own time. Unlike say Origins or Odyssey where it's seemingly endless with quests you aren't even entirely sure what the hell you're doing to begin with.

Black Flag, AC 3, Brotherhood.. damn they're incredible.

If you happen to be playing this or older Assassin's Creeds be warnded that at least on a Steam Deck you're going to be prompted to enter your password every. single. time. And unless you have a trivial password, it's unbelievably annoying.

You can fix this by - navigating to home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compactdata/242050/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Local/
Ubisoft Game Launcher

Open the file called "settings.yaml" and scroll down to line 107. It should be "offline: false". Replace that line with "offline: true" then close the file and hit save. That's it.

Quick notes: The .local Folder is hidden by default, so you need to enable their visibility first before you can navigate inside it. Also the folder 242050 is specifically for AC Black Flag (credit to TheKidding from Reddit).

I've had to do this for Black Flag, AC 1, 2 and I'm sure the other AC's will require it but I've yet to open them until I complete what I'm playing.

this game are pretty good actually, but holy f*** Ubisoft, why can't u give the borderless window setting for this games?? Why can't u make the setting just like AC Rogue? i have to use the 3rd parties app just to force it to fit the resolution of my my screen.

If you're looking for an immersive pirate experience featuring swordplay, flintlocks and sailing windjammers, you can't beat this game. It is interactive and addictive, with a storyline of great depth.

Absolutely Love this game. in my opinion the best of assassins creed franchise. love the grind and the story line. Completed the story line many times, but keep coming back to it again and again.

Kimsenin kullanmadığı korsanlık temasını başarılır bir şekilde kullanan gelmiş geçmiş en başarılı korsan oyunudur :)

The game is beautiful. Exploring this rich world is so much fun.
Edward is one of the best.

Edit: Can’t access Kenway’s Fleet! What the hell, Ubisoft?!
A couple of hours later: I fixed it thanks to the internet. No thanks to you, Ubisoft.

it stopped launching but i fixed it by starting it and click on task manager and selecting windows 8 compatability mode im just annoyed that a game that is being sold doesnt work and i had to find a solution to get it to work after i paid for it

The games biggest issue is that it takes waaaaaaaaaay too long to get started. But once youre out in the high seas its unlike anything out there. Really enjoying it so far.

the game alone is good. my one and only problem with this game is the fact that you need to login to ubisoft connect just to play the game. this stupid app dare to keep suspending my account for no fucking reason after it deleted my save. you know what? fuck you ubisoft

The game is essentially unplayable on modern hardware due to stuttering issues. I've tried a few fixes, and they seem to inconsistently help, but always the game reverts back to horrible stuttering, like 15-20 second pauses every 30 seconds or so...

OK, this review is quite separate from the actual game content. But I gotta get this off my chest. This game has that early-/mid-2010s menu aesthetics with the menu panels floating sideways and moving around. I HATE it with passion. Resident Evil 6 had it. The Evil Within had it. Tomb Raider had it. 10 years from then, I still don't understand who thought it was a good idea to have this awful style that makes game menus harder to see and navigate. Maybe it was a mass hysteria in the game industry back then, a kind of desperate obsession to make things look new and different. Never ask if it's actually a good user-friendly design. Thank god the industry has moved on and we don't get these terrible menus in the recent games.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag may have been released in 2013, but it's still a lot of fun today. The open-world Caribbean setting, ship combat, and interactive story make it a great addition to the Assassin's Creed series. However, one of its biggest issues is optimization for lower-end PCs. Even if your system meets the requirements, the game will still have trouble running smoothly. You'll need a powerful PC to enjoy the lag-free experience. However, the depth and excitement of the game make it worth playing for adventure game fans. I know I've played only 2.4 hrs but i wanted to write the review so bad ;-;

The naval gameplay is top-notch—no complaints. Honestly, this is one of the best pirate sims I’ve ever played. That said, the forced ship-boarding can get old fast. If you're halfway through the game and just grinding for 100% sync, it’s more annoying than exciting. They should’ve added an option to skip boarding but still get the full loot.

The stealth mechanics were a big win for me, too. After the mess in AC3, I was so glad to see it return to the smooth, reliable style of earlier games. It’s classic Assassin’s Creed, and it just works. The UI deserves some love as well—modern and sleek, but it still has that nostalgic AC vibe.

Customization is another highlight. Tons of outfits (including DLC), so if you’re into tweaking your look, you’re all set. The story’s solid, though I do miss Desmond Miles. Still, the new Abstergo setup in the modern-day sequences is a nice upgrade—it adds a bit more depth and variety.

Now, for the downside: Kenway's Fleet. This whole “real-time internet tracking” for your ship missions is just plain dumb. Waiting days to collect stuff so you can progress? No thanks. And don’t get me started on the achievements. About 25% of them require multiplayer, which is dead. Good luck finding anyone to play with—I gave up.

Overall, Black Flag nails the AC formula while adding an epic pirate twist. It’s beautiful, ridiculously fun, and packed with unforgettable moments. Easily one of the best in the series.

i was forced to make a new account to be able to play the game, NO, i paid to play this game via steam, no need to spread my information beyond steam!

refund please

GOD I LOVE THIS GAME.
Huge open world, interesting story, gameplay that makes you feel like what you're playing as (a pirate assassin who is always the most dangerous person in any given room), and GGGOD I LOVE THE NAVAL BATTLE SYSTEM. The shanties are also just such a nice addition, they make me actually want to travel across the map to the objective, skirmishing with other ships and looting along the way rather than fast travelling.
Truly a must-play experience.

This game is a great adventure that combines the series' stealth-action gameplay with the thrill of pirate life. Captaining the Jackdaw, battling enemy ships, and exploring the Caribbean world is fun. Beyond the main missions, activities like treasure hunts, naval battles, and underwater explorations keep the game playable. The visuals and immersive sound design make the experience unforgettable. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a pirate, this game delivers.

Pros: ✅

1. Open-World Exploration: Vast and beautifully detailed Caribbean world to explore, from bustling cities to remote islands.
2. Naval Combat: Engaging and well-designed ship battles. Commanding the Jackdaw is thrilling and rewarding.
3. Pirate Theme: Captures the spirit of piracy with treasure hunting, sea shanties, and boarding enemy ships.
4. Engaging Storyline: Edward Kenway’s journey from pirate to Assassin is compelling and full of twists.
5. Dynamic Side Activities: Plenty of side missions, underwater diving, hunting, and fort battles keep the gameplay fresh.
6. Visuals and Soundtrack: Stunning visuals (even today) and an immersive soundtrack with authentic sea shanties

Cons: ❌

1. Repetitive Missions: Some land-based tailing missions can feel repetitive and lack challenge.
2. Stealth Mechanics: Stealth isn't as polished as other games in the series, making certain missions frustrating.
3. Modern-Day Plot: Modern-day sequences can be less engaging and feel disconnected from the main story.

Overall Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)

What a beauty. Simply the best game I have ever experienced playing. The journey of Edward Kenway depicts the struggle that every man comes to face in life, the struggle of wanting to better yourself. Through countless challenges I saw the growth in his character and felt the atmosphere of the world around him begin to change as he does. The NPC's which often only serve as guides or service providers in other games come to life in this magnificent story alongside the general world building process. The people Edward meet create genuine relationships with him, some becoming friends closer than family, and others becoming the reason for his continuous journey to becoming a better man. The expressions and feelings that are expressed through dialogue and visual imagery display a shockingly fantastic realism to the word of Black Flag. When characters within the story get what they deserve I genuinely felt entertained and overjoyed, whilst at the same time when characters that felt like real companions were lost, I felt a sense of sadness for my character. So thank you, Edward Kenway, for this fantasy like experience you have shown, and given me. Thanks to this game, I gained one more sweet memory in my childhood. What an amazing game.

Love the game. Have played it multiple times. The thing i hate though is that the uplay launcher update they just released a few days ago has made this exceptionally irritating to play. I have to launch the game about 20 or more times because it keeps crashing instantly ever since they did this update. Also if anyone sees this the people creating the Black Flag remake that will be out in a few years said it will be for the modern audience so i would be skeptical about it and not pre-order.

Yes very good. Being a pirate that can sail around and destroy other pirates and ships, while also being able to stealthily kill anyone that crosses your path, or just go in weapons out and take out massive groups of enemies with ease> much enjoy

After finishing both the main storyline of black flag, and finishing the included game 'Assassins Creed: Freedom Cry', both were enjoyable and good stories with fun gameplay.

Do not purchase even on sale or for free, the current steam version is unplayable, you will not be able to start or get past the Ubisoft Connect portion of the intro. TLDR: DO NOT PURCHASE, NOT WORKING 11/21/24

While I recommend the game itself, I strongly suggest picking up a console version or a better port if available. Glitches plagued my experience, with my ship spinning uncontrollably and enemies clipping into walls, forcing me to restart missions multiple times. That said, as a fan of pirate lore, I loved the Assassin’s Creed take on iconic figures like Blackbeard, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. The plot takes some unexpected, over-the-top turns, but I found myself enjoying its absurdity with a “Sure, why not?” attitude. The ending, though, was surprisingly bittersweet - Edward and Jennifer's meeting was a touching moment and the budding friendship between Anne and Edward throughout the game and especially in the closing scenes added a really sweet touch.

genuinely amazing EVEN IN 2024 . This game is way better then skull and bones , literally graphics campagin and etc. 100% recommended

Another great addition to the franchise, though quite different compared to previous entries. Ship sailing and open-world activities tied to it are great innovations and it is cool to feel like a plunderer of the seven seas, though to me, it is quite a bit sidestep from the spirit of the Ezio trilogy. One thing that bothered me a lot was that content presented as optional, was, in fact, mandatory for story progress, because without playing hours of it, you are too underpowered to continue the main story. Otherwise, this is an excelent game worth playing.

The true pirate game, with an assassin plot twist and an epic narrative, plus sea combat evolved and improved from ACIII. Not much of an "Assassin" game, however. They kind of pushed the title of Assassin's Creed on this one. 9+/10.

One of the greatest pirate games I have played! 10/10

Loved this game on ps3 so wanted to play it now on pc but FUCK Ubisoft SERVERS MANDATORY CONNECTIONS IS ASS AND NEVER WORKS.

Hotas and Joystick makes this unplayable. Wide Screen 1440 inop goes to 12x24 in screen

Amazing game, probably best game of the series in my opinion

best single player pirate game and the best in the series