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Everything you need to know about Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
A favourite among fans of the franchise, this updated offering comes with state-of-the-art visuals, a host of new content and some major upgrades to the gameplay.
It's time to return to the high seas, as Ubisoft has brought back one of its past classic titles to the modern era. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced takes us back to one of the highest points in the franchise's history with a revamped and remastered version of its swashbuckling, open-world action classic.
Series publisher Ubisoft revealed the full remaster of the classic Xbox 360/PlayStation 3-era title, showcasing just how the remastered version of Black Flag is shaping up – and for veterans and newcomers alike, there's plenty to get excited for.
01
When will Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced be released?
Series publisher Ubisoft has revealed that the remake of Assassin's Creed Black Flag will be released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on July 9, 2026 – meaning you won't have long to wait to take charge of a pirate ship as protagonist Edward Kenway. Thirteen years after its debut, Black Flag Resynced returns for modern consoles, PC and streaming options. See below for the full list of platforms:
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro
Xbox Series X|S
PC
- Ubisoft Store
- Epic Games
- Steam/Steam Deck
Streaming
- Nvidia GeForce Now
- Blacknut
What is Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced?
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a fully-fledged remake of the revered Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Wii U-era 2013 title, complete with modern graphics and fresh mechanics. It's also expected to have an expanded amount of content baked in.
Prepare for a battle on the open seas as naval combat returns
© Ubisoft
Billed as the fourth main instalment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, following on from Assassin's Creed III – and the Ezio trilogy that started with Assassin's Creed II – Black Flag shook up the gameplay and setting of the series. It achieved this by bringing a focus to ship-based exploration of its open-world map, while retaining the series' third-person, parkour-infused exploration, stealth, and combat gameplay.
Back in 2013, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was released to critical acclaim, praised for its open-world gameplay, naval combat, graphics, and narrative – and is still one of the standout titles from the franchise, with more than 34 million players reached in 2023 according to Ubisoft.
The new updated remake is being developed on an updated version of Ubisoft's Anvil engine, last used on 2025's Assassin's Creed Shadows. As a result, you can expect high-resolution flourishes, more realistic graphics and physics, and the high seas to be a visual feast for the eyes. That means raytraced lighting with global illumination and reflections, plus optimised performance with 60 FPS options on consoles.
02
When and where is Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced set?
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced takes place in the West Indies during the Golden Age of Piracy from 1715 to 1722.
You'll be able to explore the grandeur of Havana, the Caribbean city ruled by Templars. Kingston, home to huge amounts of trade, is also a major city to dig into, while Nassau, home to pirates, will feel like your second home.
Each city is filled with plenty of bustling citizens, and each area has been revamped with updated lighting, textures, and detailed environments – along with a new, dynamic weather system.
The original title also included pieces of gameplay set in the modern day – these have been jettisoned in Resynced.
03
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: Who is Edward Kenway?
Combat has been improved since its 2013 debut
© Ubisoft
Welsh pirate Edward Kenway is the protagonist of the game. The grandfather of Assassin's Creed III's main character, Connor, he sails the seas in search of fortune. The game follows his journey from pirate to assassin, and along the way, he joins up with infamous pirates such as Anne Bonny, Charles Vane and Blackbeard in his fight against the Templars.
Born in 1693, he outgrew his farming roots with larger ambitions, leading him to become a privateer and eventually a pirate during the final decades of the Golden Age of Piracy. He played an important role in establishing a short-lived Pirate Republic and became embroiled in the conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order. He is also the father of Haytham Kenway, who would eventually become a high-ranking Templar and the main antagonist of Assassin's Creed III.
04
What's new in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resync?
As revealed during Ubisoft's showcase, the upcoming game will feature a plethora of new content and extra goodies not available in the original. More story content will be added to the game, with additional chapters, stories, quests and further backstory for you to play through. Blackbeard and Stede, for example, have new narrative arcs to play through – meaning that you'll have plenty to explore even if you've completed the original before.
Delve deeper into the world of Assassin's Creed
Underwater exploration has been expanded, too, with deeper areas to explore and nature's foes to face off against.
Combat has been reworked – dual swords, pistols and blades can all be combo'd together, and you can use walls, ledges and breakables to your advantage. It looks more immersive and skill-based than before, so you'll have to time your strikes and parries wisely.
The cities in Assassin's Creed Black Flag are filled to the brim
© Ubisoft
Stealth has also been given a rework, letting you crouch freely to approach targets and enemies before striking. Continuing the trend of movement updates, parkour has also been improved, with boosts to free jumps, back ejects and side ejects, all offering you more reactive moments and control to make your assassinations all the more lethal.
Missions such as tailing and eavesdropping in the original title were fairly laborious and have been tweaked in this new version. Action continues, even if you've been spotted, and instead of being desynchronized and having to start again, the action continues, and your target will respond accordingly.
The Jackdaw returns, now given even more firepower as Edward's ship can face off in naval combat and be upgraded in new ways. Ship battles, boarding parties and fort raids all return, and are still as challenging as in the original. Fans of the original sea shanties will have those to look forward to whilst sailing the high seas, but there will also be 10 additional shanties added as well.
Three new ship officers have been added to the crew – and the game is expanded with each character's own backstory and narrative questline. These characters are:
- Lucy Baldwin
- The Padre
- Deadman Smith
Each also adds extra gameplay bonuses to your ship; for example, completing Deadman Smith's questline will unlock a double shot from broadside weapons. You can also add a trusty pet to your ship, either a furry feline cat or a monkey – the choice is yours.
05
What specs are needed to run Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced on PC?
Check here to see if your PC can run Assassin's Creed Black Flag
© Ubisoft
Ahead of its release in July, Ubisoft has shown just what hardware you'll need to run it on PC. The publisher has stated that you'll need to connect online once to install the game, but you can play the whole game offline. For gamers on all sorts of hardware, the good news is that the Anvil engine scales up and down from less powerful gaming rigs to beefy handhelds with various options for specs of all varieties.
Black Flag Resynced supports upscaling and frame generation tech, and there are also software-based raytracing options available that will let you experience advanced lighting even if your graphics card lacks hardware-accelerated raytracing. Handheld gamers, such as Steam Deck users, will also appreciate dedicated presets for jumping straight into gaming on the go.
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