Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

2004 Ubisoft Action, Adventure

Windows 11With a fix

MacNot sold

LinuxGold

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 834

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 811

How it’s combined

Playability today

2.5

Runs today4/5

Design today1/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

84%

3,530 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Prince of Persia: Warrior Within run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11With a fix

Runs with a fix. See the steps below.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxGold

Through Proton. ProtonDB: Gold, runs perfectly after tweaks.3

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Prince of Persia: Warrior Within lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

How to get Prince of Persia: Warrior Within running today

Cap the frame rate at 59 FPS for pop2.exe (for example with the GPU driver panel) to avoid physics glitches above 60 FPS, as PCGamingWiki describes.
If the cutscene after the first boss crashes, set pop2.exe to Windows XP (Service Pack 2) compatibility mode (PCGamingWiki).
For an XInput controller, use Xidi so both triggers work and sand powers can be used (PCGamingWiki).
For widescreen, controller prompts and other fixes in one step, install the PoP Mod Manager listed on PCGamingWiki.

Synopsis

A third-person action platformer in which the Prince sails to the Island of Time to escape a creature hunting him. Players run along walls, swing between poles and leap across traps, fight groups of enemies with two weapons, and use the Sands of Time to rewind mistakes. The island can be crossed in both the past and the present, which changes its rooms and routes.

Developer: Ubisoft
Released: 2004
Genre: Action, Adventure
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics praised the deeper combat and the fluid acrobatics, and the PC version holds a Metascore of 83. Many disliked its darker tone, heavy metal soundtrack and grim new Prince compared with The Sands of Time. Steam players rate it Very Positive and still enjoy the platforming and fights. Recent reviews warn that the PC port needs tinkering with controllers and frame rate, and some find the repeated trips through the same areas tiresome.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

4/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Needs fan patches to run well on Windows 11
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
It is a single-player game with no online services, and nothing was removed (PCGamingWiki).
No proper support for modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen and field of view need a fan fix (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Controllers are supported with remapping, though XInput pads need a fix for the triggers (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists fixes for the launch failure, the cutscene crash and the high frame rate glitches, with no open issue that blocks progress (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

1/5

Controls feel awkward on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
The game expects a DirectInput pad, so on an Xbox controller the two triggers cannot be held together and diagonal running fails without a fan tool. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text or interface are hard to read on today's screens
The game renders in 4:3 with no native widescreen or field of view setting, and stretched or hacked output is the only way to fill a modern screen. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is harsh: few saves or checkpoints, progress gets lost
The manual says saving happens only at water fountains, so progress between fountains cannot be kept when quitting; after a death, Retry resumes from the latest checkpoint. Source: store.steampowered.com, steamcommunity.com.
Hard to make progress without a guide
The opening tutorial shows blank button prompts on the PC version, and players report getting lost on the island without knowing where to go next. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Pacing drags: grind, filler or forced backtracking
Much of the game sends the Prince back through rooms already cleared, once in the present and once in the past, and players name this backtracking as tedious. Source: steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.
Camera or movement fights the player
The camera follows the Prince with keys for an alternate view, a first-person look and a reset, but players since 2020 report inverted mouse look or a dead right stick that the options menu does not fix. Source: store.steampowered.com, steamcommunity.com, steamcommunity.com.