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All changes in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

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All the differences in the Black Flag Remake from the original are listed here

In Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, protagonist Edward Kenway sits on a rooftop looking out over Havana
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
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Wondering about changes in the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced remake? We've gone through all the promotional material to find all the differences and alterations to the new version, and will be updating this page further when it's out to add anything new to the game! Ultimately though, this is to help inform your purchase and understand all the differences between the original Black Flag and the 2026 Remake, as we'll lay out below.

What does the Black Flag Resynced remake change?

A closeup of Blackbeard with his rope hair on fire in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

By all accounts the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced remake is largely a modernization of the original game, adding certain elements in keeping with more recent technological advances and sensibilities, although the developers have also chosen to remove certain elements. We've broken them down into three sections for easier navigation, which you can do via the tabs at the side of the page.

Story and quests

Edward Kenway looks at maps with his pirate allies in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • No future sequences. The original AC Black Flag had multiple modern day sequences set at Abstergo Industries, based around an unnamed protagonist. These will be removed in Resynced.
  • Tailing and eavesdropping missions are revamped with "multiple ways to succeed and progress". After tailing missions in the original game were a pointedly unpopular element, the new game includes alternate ways to resolve them, and no longer fails you if you're spotted.
  • Three new crewmember officers. Known as Lucy Baldwin, the Padre, and Deadman Smith, each one has new missions and unlocks new abilities for the Jackdaw.
  • New quests and storylines for Blackbeard and Stede. It's not yet clear if these will be side missions or new additions to the main story, but these two side characters will get greater expansion.
  • New "what if" Rifts. Players can find optional Rifts that allow you to play through various alternate realities and "what if" scenarios for Edward and other characters.

Gameplay and online

Edward Kenway jumps over a market stall in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • Combat reworked. Fighting in Black Flag has been somewhat updated for the modern day, with elements including perfect parries and chained takedowns that allow you to take down enemies with clever timing.
  • Improved parkour. The free running gameplay has been made more versatile and fluid with the inclusion of new mechanics, like free jumps and various wall ejects.
  • More nuanced stealth. A crouch button is now included, and players are given more creative freedom for approaching stealth sequences and assassinations.
  • Dynamic weather system. Weather conditions like storms and rain now appear to be more interactive and impact the world around them more significantly.
  • Underwater exploration is more expansive. Underwater areas have been redesigned and expanded upon, allowing for more freedom when swimming.
  • New pets. Players can obtain pets for the Jackdaw. So far a cat and a monkey have been confirmed (surely there should be a parrot as well?)
  • Alternate fire upgrades for the Jackdaw. All the Jackdaw's weapons and cannons now have secondary fire modes that can be unlocked.
  • Removal of multiplayer. The multiplayer component has been removed from Black Flag, and it is now fully single-player.
  • Integration to the Animus Hub. Black Flag Resynced is tied to the Animus Hub platform, including its live service elements as seen in games like Assassin's Creed Shadows before it.

Graphics, Presentation and Technical changes

Two naval ships engage in combat at sea in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

(Image credit: Ubisoft)
  • Anvil Engine. Black Flag Resynced is run through the Ubisoft Anvil engine. This specific incarnation of Anvil has been previously used for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Mirage and Shadows, as well as Immortals Fenyx Rising and Skull and Bones, though it received an upgrade for Shadows, with both technical and gameplay additions.
  • No more loading screens when entering cities. Docking at cities and settlements is now unbroken gameplay with no loading screens involved.
  • Greater textures, lighting effects and visual detail. A mixture of enhanced graphics, greater technology and some redesigning of locations from the ground up is intended to produce a more immersive and detailed Caribbean map.
  • Environmental destruction. Objects in the world are easier to destroy in the course of combat, though it remains to be seen how much of a gameplay impact this will have.
  • New sea shanties. Previous sea shanties will be in the game, but also new ones "connected to the story". These come as part of a partnership with musician Woodkid, who collaborated on the new shanties.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.

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