The pirate fantasy, reborn

Some games are remade; Black Flag has been reborn. Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, launched July 9, 2026, is a full ground-up reconstruction of the 2013 classic on the latest Anvil engine, with reportedly no code carried over from the original. It arrives on PS5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and it is the best-reviewed Assassin's Creed entry since the game it is based on. That is not an accident.

Everything that made the original special, the open Caribbean, the shanties, the thrill of captaining the Jackdaw, returns intact and sharper than ever.

Better in every dimension

The naval combat, always Black Flag's beating heart, has been rebuilt with new secondary weapons, faction-based enemy loadouts, and a physically based ocean with volumetric foam and dynamic water physics. It is, quite simply, spectacular ship-to-ship combat. On land, the remake modernizes traversal and stealth with the fluid parkour and shadow-based visibility of recent entries, and combat gains visceral takedowns and reworked parrying. Ray-traced global illumination, a dynamic weather system, and PS5 Pro enhancements make the world genuinely breathtaking.

Crucially, Resynced also expands the story, adding roughly six hours of new content, expanded Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet arcs, and the return of Edward Kenway's original voice actor for new missions. This is preservation and elevation at once.

What works and what doesn't

Pros: The best ship combat in gaming, a stunning rebuilt Caribbean, and modernized traversal that respects the original.
Pros: Six hours of thoughtful new story content and one of the great gaming soundtracks intact.
Cons: The removal of the original's modern-day story and the intrusive live-service Animus Hub notifications won't please everyone.
Cons: A handful of launch bugs and an always-online check for a single-player game are avoidable blemishes.

Verdict

Black Flag Resynced is a remake so accomplished it somehow improves on one of the finest Assassin's Creed games ever made. The naval combat is peerless, the world is gorgeous, and the added story content gives even veterans a reason to set sail again. The live-service trappings and cut modern-day framing are real missteps, and they keep it a hair short of perfect, but they cannot sink a package this rich. Whether you are a returning captain or a newcomer, this is the definitive way to experience Edward Kenway's adventure, and one of 2026's essential games.