GOG just fixed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time for modern PCs

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is now part of the GOG Preservation Program, bringing native widescreen support and modern compatibility fixes to the 2003 PC release. The update went live yesterday on GOG, replacing the standard version of the game with a modernized build designed to run on current Windows hardware without requiring fan patches. It also includes a real-time in-game overlay.

Native ultrawide and an FPS limiter

The new preservation build adds a custom compatibility wrapper. The biggest additions are native 16:9 widescreen and 21:9 ultrawide monitor support, complete with automatic field-of-view scaling. Older PC ports notoriously stretch the image or break the user interface when forced into modern aspect ratios, so having this handled natively is a welcome fix.

GOG also added an FPS limiter and multi-monitor mouse locking. The framerate cap is highly useful here. Early 2000s game engines often tie physics calculations to the framerate, which leads to broken collision and erratic game speed when running at 144hz or higher on modern displays.

It beats waiting for the remake

Ubisoft originally announced a full remake of The Sands of Time back in 2020. The project spent years in development hell, bouncing between Ubisoft Mumbai, Ubisoft Pune, and Ubisoft Montreal before the publisher officially cancelled it in January 2026. Since we aren't getting the remake, this updated original is the best outcome we could have hoped for. The 2003 release still holds up incredibly well.

Developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with series creator Jordan Mechner, The Sands of Time successfully translated the 1989 Apple II classic into a 3D action platformer. The game has a tone that the sequels completely abandoned. Where Warrior Within pivoted to heavy metal and dark angst, the 2003 game feels like a playable storybook.

The rewind mechanic was a revelation at the time. Instead of dying and reloading a checkpoint when you missed a jump, you just held a button to reverse time and try again. It kept the pacing fast and encouraged experimentation. Those movement systems actually laid the direct groundwork for the first Assassin's Creed game a few years later.

The GOG Preservation Program launched in late 2024 to provide ongoing engineering support for classic PC titles. Games in the program receive custom patches and a commitment from GOG to keep them working on future operating systems.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is available on Humble Bundle for $1.99 (80% off).

Some links in this article are affiliate links. Purchases made through them help support Pants Pants Revolution at no extra cost to you.