Ubisoft has been slowly rolling out more and more fresh looks at what players can expect from Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the upcoming remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, which launches on July 9, 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
This time around, we’ve been provided a deep dive into Resynced’s naval gameplay, with new footage and breakdowns from the game’s lead Naval Designer, Guilhem Marin, showing off what’s changed, what’s updated and what’s brand new for players hitting the high seas of the Caribbean in a couple months. You can check out all of the new clips of gameplay footage in one video below, and keep reading for our summary of what’s been revealed:
Exploration on the high seas
Ubisoft has added two major new navigation tools for seaward players in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, starting with Pathfinder, which gives you the ability to pin your intended destination on the in-game map and have your route across the water plotted out as a handy reference – an optional but welcome new feature for those of us (ie, me) who get turned around easily.
Taking that idea even further is a full-on autopilot option (here dubbed Follow Sea), which does pretty much exactly what you’d expect, so you can kick back and enjoy the beauty of the ocean while your ship steers itself. Thanks to modern hardware, there’s also no loading between the sailing gameplay and the game’s major cities!
Sea shanties have also been updated, with 10 new shanties added to the existing 35, found through completing various quests and activities, and now with the option to command your crew sings a specific tune of your choosing through a new “shanty wheel,” which is probably the best name for a bit of video game UI that I’ve ever heard.
The Anvil engine also brings with is massive improvements to the waves and weather you’ll face in your sailing, resulting in even more fearsome storm conditions than before, including those frightening waterspouts and lightning strikes that still haunt me from the original.
War on (and off) the water
As before, combat will form a major part of your time piloting the Jackdaw, and so it makes sense that Ubisoft has spent a ton of time making sure the experience feels faithful, but modern.
For starters, your arsenal has had an upgrade with all weapons now featuring a secondary fire mode, which you’ll be able to swap to at any time while aiming. Existing weapons have also been improved or even introduced differently, such as the ability to ram other ships with the bow of your ship – that’s now handed out earlier in order to be more useful during the story and is even more devastating physically and visually than before.
Forts return, offering the chance to engage in large-scale naval battles than end on land with Edward facing down enemy soldiers and, ultimately, the fort’s commander. Doing so reveals the relevant region of the map with new points of interest and new missions for Kenway’s Fleet, a minigame which returns in a reworked form for Resynced.
After successfully boarding and overtaking another vessel out on the seas, Edward will now have a new option alongside the choices to add the ship to his collection, repair the Jackdaw or reduce his wanted level, which is only available for larger ship classes and promises increased riches…
Legendary ships also return, and Ubisoft promises it’s rebuilt them for Resynced to be even stronger and meaner than before. Oh, and they respawn this time…
Getting distracted
There’s plenty more to do out in the Caribbean for Edward Kenway, including exploring under the surface to find hidden chests using his newfound ability to freely dive anywhere, with some of the most ridiculously beautiful-looking underwater visuals I’ve seen in a hot minute. Just mind the sharks.
You’ll also be able to find and recruit unique new Officers to your crew from out in the open world, by completing their individual quests, and each introduces handy new perks for your ship from enhanced Brace to that aforementioned Ram Dash and additional volleys from your broadside weapons.
Find out more about Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, including the available editions and pricing, in our article here and read the full naval gameplay Deep Dive article from Ubisoft here.