Pirates are celebrating! Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced sold 2+ million copies in the first day and set a record on Steam

The 2013 classic returned in a new guise and immediately drowned the charts. Ubisoft reports 2 million copies sold on launch day, and on Steam Black Flag Resynced set an absolute online record for the series. Nostalgia, improved gameplay and a pirate vibe did their job — even despite microtransactions and Denuvo.

Yo-ho-ho, bro! If you thought that the era of pirate adventures in Assassin's Creed ended with the original Black Flag in 2013, then Ubisoft just proved the opposite, states xrust. Remake Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced came out on July 9, 2026 and immediately created a real storm. The publisher officially confirmed: in the first day of sales — more than 2 million copies across all platforms. And on Steam, the game set a record for the entire series in terms of the number of concurrent players — the peak exceeded 99-104 thousand people. This is confidently higher than Assassin's Creed Shadows and other recent parts.

For those who missed the original, Black Flag is the story of Edward Kenway, a daring pirate who is gradually drawn into the Assassin-Templar War against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Piracy in the Caribbean. An open world with naval battles, treasure hunting, recruiting a crew for the Jackdaw and a lot of freedom. Many still consider this part one of the best in the franchise precisely for this “pirate simulator” vibe with a cool plot.

What has changed in Resynced?

This is not a simple remaster, but a full-fledged remake from scratch using the current version of the Anvil engine. Development was led by Ubisoft Singapore. The graphics have reached a new level: ray tracing, dynamic weather, improved water, redesigned character models and environments. Parkour has become smoother and more convenient, a crouch (squat) has appeared, combat has received a parry system and dodges — now fights feel modern and dynamic. Sea battles have also been upgraded: deeper mechanics, new improvements for the ship.

Added content: new story scenes (including moments with Edward's wife), additional quests (about 6 hours of fresh material), three new officers for the team with their own stories, 10 new sea shanti and even more freedom in missions. Removed some of the annoying instant-fail mechanics. Modern day (Animus) was partially reworked, focusing on Edward's internal conflicts.

The game was released on PC with Denuvo (as expected), but the optimization is generally praised. There is support for Steam Deck (Verified), various presets and ray tracing. The minimum requirements allow you to run it even on relatively old hardware at 1080p/30 fps. The price of the basic version is about $60, which many noted as a pleasant moment compared to the industrial $70.

Sales and community reaction

Ubisoft rarely shares such numbers, but here they are clearly proud of the result. Resynced is already outpacing pre-sales and launch sales on Steam Shadows (5+ times at launch, according to some estimates). Analysts note: nostalgia + proven formula + affordable price worked perfectly. The game was trending on Twitch on release day.

On Steam, reviews started mixed due to Denuvo, the abundance of cosmetic DLC (about $85 for extras) and some minor technical issues (such as 30 fps in cut scenes at the start). But critics greeted it warmly: OpenCritic ~88, Metacritic ~84 — one of the best results for the series in recent years. Players praise the gameplay, atmosphere and loyalty to the spirit of the original. Many people write: “Finally, real piracy has returned without unnecessary RPG ballast.”

Of course, there was a fly in the ointment. Part of the community is unhappy with microtransactions in the single-player game (Ubisoft responds that the base version is the “full experience” and the DLC is mainly cosmetics). There was also news about layoffs in the studio after a successful launch — typical Ubisoft drama. But against the backdrop of sales, this did not spoil the holiday much.

Is it worth playing in 2026?

If you are a fan of the original, definitely yes. This is the best way to relive Kenway's adventures with a modern twist. I also recommend it to beginners: one of the friendliest and most fun Assassin's Creed with an excellent open world, where you can just sail the seas, rob convoys and forget about the main quests for hours.

For those who expect more, the game does not revolutionize the genre, but qualitatively polishes the classics. If you love pirates, sea battles and freedom, raise the black flag and go to the Jackdaw!

Ubisoft is already releasing patches (the first Title Update came out quickly), so the technical side will be polished. Plus there's Ubisoft+ if you don't want to buy right away.

System requirements (briefly):

Minimal ones allow you to run comfortably on a mid-range PC. Recommended — 4K/60+ with RT on powerful hardware. Details are easy to find on Steam.

In short, Black Flag Resynced is that rare case when a remake of a classic lives up to expectations and gives the franchise a powerful boost. Pirate life is back in trend! 🏴‍☠️

If you play, share your impressions in the comments: what moment caught your attention the most? Is Jackdaw still Queen of the Seas?

Links: PC Gamer, Eurogamer

Xrust Pirates triumph! Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced sold 2+ million copies in the first day and set a record on Steam