Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is officially available today, July 9, on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Built on the latest version of Ubisoft's Anvil engine, the remake introduces ray-traced lighting, a rebuilt ocean simulation, a dynamic weather system, new missions, officers, and numerous quality-of-life improvements.
With the game live across four hardware tiers, here's what players can expect to see and feel depending on where they play.
PS5 Pro Offers the Most Feature-Complete Version
Black Flag Resynced is officially PS5 Pro Enhanced, and Sony's mid-generation console gets the fullest version of the game's new rendering tech. According to Ubisoft's own technical breakdown, Ray-Traced Global Illumination runs across every graphics mode on PS5 Pro, and unlike the base PS5, Ray-Traced Specular Reflections are also active in all three modes rather than being limited to Balanced and Fidelity.
The console also ships with an upgraded implementation of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, reducing the visual gap between the fastest and most detailed presets. Other PS5 Pro-specific upgrades include expanded strand-based hair simulation, with Edward rendered in full strand-based hair across all modes, plus strand simulation for nearby crowd characters in Fidelity mode and for the entire cast during cutscenes.
| PS5 Pro Mode | Resolution | Target Framerate | Ray Tracing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | 2160p upscaled (enhanced PSSR) | 60 FPS | Extended |
| Balanced* | 2160p upscaled (enhanced PSSR) | 40 FPS | Extended |
| Fidelity | 2160p upscaled (enhanced PSSR) | 30 FPS | Extended |
*Balanced mode requires a compatible 120/240Hz display and an HDMI 2.1 cable.
Underneath the mode chart, the bigger shift is Anvil's new micropolygon geometry pipeline, which streams and renders tiny geometric clusters continuously rather than swapping between fixed level-of-detail models. Ubisoft says this is what lets the PS5 Pro's ultra-fast SSD keep distant coastlines and up-close ship rigging equally detailed without the popping older Assassin's Creed games were known for. That sits alongside Anvil's Atmos weather system, which simulates temperature, humidity, wind, and vapor density in real time and pushes those changes into sails, cloth, hair, and the sea itself.
PlayStation 5: Still a Strong Ray-Traced Experience
The base PS5 isn't left behind. Ray-Traced Global Illumination is active across every graphics mode on standard PS5 as well, with Ray-Traced Specular Reflections available in Balanced and Fidelity. The console offers the same three-mode structure as PS5 Pro — Performance, Balanced, and Fidelity — targeting an upscaled 2160p output, just without the enhanced PSSR pass or the expanded hair and crowd ray-tracing coverage reserved for the Pro model.
Xbox Series X|S: A Performance Gap Between the Two Consoles
On Xbox, Ubisoft has effectively mirrored the base PS5 experience on Series X, while Series S gets a single, more conservative preset. Series X offers the same Performance, Balanced, and Fidelity trio as PS5, with Performance hitting 60 FPS on standard ray tracing and Balanced/Fidelity stepping up to extended ray tracing at 40 and 30 FPS respectively, all at an upscaled 4K.
Series S, meanwhile, is locked to a single 30 FPS mode upscaled to 1620p, running the standard tier of ray tracing with no selectable presets. Early hands-on testing from outlets covering the console versions found the Series X holding a stable frame rate across all three of its modes, and the Series S sustaining a consistent 30 FPS in its one available configuration.
| Console | Modes Available | Resolution | Ray Tracing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series X | Performance (60 FPS) / Balanced* (40 FPS) / Fidelity (30 FPS) | Upscaled 4K | Standard (Performance) / Extended (Balanced, Fidelity) |
| Xbox Series S | Single fixed mode (30 FPS) | Upscaled 1620p | Standard |
*Balanced mode requires a compatible 120Hz display.
PC Offers the Broadest Range of Graphics Options
PC is the most flexible version by design. Ubisoft has built Black Flag Resynced with support for modern upscaling and frame generation, and included a software-based ray tracing option so players without RT-capable GPUs can still get global illumination, just without hardware acceleration. Dedicated presets are also available for handhelds, and the game is confirmed Steam Deck verified alongside its Ubisoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store release.
| Target | CPU | GPU | Settings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum (1080p/30) | Core i7-8700K / Ryzen 5 3600 | GTX 1660 6GB / RX 5500 XT 8GB / Arc A580 8GB | Low, Standard RT |
| Recommended (1080p/60) | Core i5-10600K / Ryzen 5 3600 | RTX 3060 12GB / RX 6600 XT 8GB / Arc B580 12GB | Medium, Standard RT |
| Ultra (4K/60) | Core i7-12700K / Ryzen 7 5700X3D | RTX 4090 24GB / RX 7900 XTX 24GB | Ultra, Extended RT |
All tiers list Windows 11 and roughly 65GB of storage. The 4K60 Ultra bracket, unsurprisingly, is where the RTX 4090 becomes the reference card, reflecting how demanding the extended ray-traced reflections and global illumination get once every setting is maxed out.
What's the Same Everywhere
Regardless of platform, every version of Black Flag Resynced runs on the rebuilt Anvil engine and includes the same new content: additional Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet story material, three recruitable officers, new sea shanties, ship pets, a photo mode, and a reworked Kenway's Fleet system. The game requires a one-time internet connection to download, after which the full campaign is playable offline, and it does not include a multiplayer mode.
The Bottom Line
PS5 Pro owners get the most complete package at launch, with extended ray tracing across every mode and the deepest hair and crowd rendering upgrades. Base PS5 and Xbox Series X land in the same tier just below that, while Series S trades flexibility for a stable single mode. High-end PC hardware remains the most capable way to experience the game, while Ubisoft's software-based ray tracing ensures modern mid-range systems can still benefit from the new lighting technology.
As we continue exploring the game, we'll be expanding our Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced coverage with a dedicated Guide, including Jackdaw upgrade recommendations, walkthroughs, collectible locations, combat tips, and everything players need to get the most out of their adventure.
