Prince of Persia (1989) is the original cinematic platformer designed by Jordan Mechner and published by Broderbund, and unlike most games on this site, it has no official modern digital storefront listing — it isn’t sold on Steam or GOG as a standalone purchase. This guide explains why, what legal options actually exist, and what to expect if you want to experience the game that started it all.
What Was the Original Prince of Persia?
Released in 1989 for the Apple II before being ported to numerous other platforms over the following years, Prince of Persia cast players as an unnamed hero racing against a strict sixty-minute time limit to rescue a princess from the clutches of the villainous Grand Vizier Jaffar. Designed and programmed largely by Jordan Mechner, the game used rotoscoped animation, tracing over footage of a real person performing acrobatic movements, to achieve remarkably fluid, lifelike character motion that was groundbreaking for its era.
Its combination of precise platforming, environmental traps, sword combat, and a hard time limit created a tense, methodical pace unlike most action games of its day, and it’s widely credited as one of the earliest and most influential “cinematic platformers,” a subgenre defined by realistic movement and atmospheric presentation over more abstract, arcade-style action. Its influence can be traced directly through later Mechner projects and countless platformers that followed.
Why There’s No Standard Modern Download
- The original 1989 Apple II version, and the various early ports that followed, were never consolidated into an official modern re-release the way many other classic games have been.
- GOG’s own listing for the game explicitly states it is “NOT yet in the catalogue,” despite years of fan requests.
- Jordan Mechner released the original source code for the Apple II version publicly, which enabled the community to build free, open-source reimplementations.
- Projects like SDLPoP rebuild the original game faithfully using that released source code and run natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Because these tools are built from officially released source code rather than pirated copies, they occupy a different legal standing than typical “abandonware” downloads, though they remain unofficial, community-maintained projects rather than something Ubisoft or Broderbund directly sells or supports.
Rotoscoped Animation, Traps, and the Time Limit
What set the original Prince of Persia apart mechanically was its unforgiving sixty-minute in-game clock, forcing players to move with real purpose rather than exploring at leisure, alongside a wide variety of environmental hazards — spike pits, guillotine gates, collapsing floor tiles, and more — that demanded precise timing to survive. Combat against palace guards used a comparatively simple but tense sword-dueling system, rewarding careful positioning and patience over button-mashing.
The rotoscoped animation technique, achieved by filming Mechner’s brother performing various acrobatic movements and tracing over the footage frame by frame, gave the character an unusually fluid, believable sense of weight and momentum that most contemporaries couldn’t match. This technique, along with the game’s methodical pacing, directly influenced Mechner’s later cinematic platformer Another World-adjacent projects and countless subsequent games in the genre.
Key Facts
- Prince of Persia (1989) has no official modern digital storefront listing on Steam or GOG.
- Jordan Mechner publicly released the original Apple II source code, enabling legal fan reimplementations.
- SDLPoP is a well-known, actively maintained open-source project rebuilding the original game.
- The game is widely credited as one of the earliest influential “cinematic platformers.”
- Its rotoscoped animation technique was groundbreaking for realistic character movement in 1989.
- Later franchise entries, like The Sands of Time, are separate, officially sold games.
Your Realistic Options Today
- Community source ports: Projects like SDLPoP, built from officially released source code, are free and actively maintained.
- Play a later official entry instead: The Sands of Time and other franchise titles are fully available for purchase on major storefronts.
- Check GOG periodically: Fan requests for an official re-release remain active on GOG’s community wishlist pages.
What Running the Original Game Requires
| Component | Typical Requirement |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows, macOS, or Linux |
| CPU | Any modern processor (the original game is extremely lightweight) |
| RAM | Negligible by modern standards |
| GPU | Any integrated graphics |
| Storage | Well under 100 MB |
What Made the Original Worth Remembering
✅ What It Got Right
- Groundbreaking rotoscoped animation for its era
- Tense, methodical pacing built around a strict time limit
- Influential level design built around traps and precise platforming
- Massive influence on the entire cinematic platformer subgenre
❌ Why It’s Hard to Buy Today
- No official Steam or GOG listing for the standalone original
- Only unofficial, community-built source ports are readily available
- Fragmented history across many different early platform ports
- Overshadowed commercially by the franchise’s later, officially re-released entries
Availability by Platform
🖥️ PC (Windows, Mac, Linux)
No official storefront listing exists; community source ports like SDLPoP are the primary way to play natively today.
🎮 Historical Platforms
Originally released on Apple II, with numerous later ports to DOS, Amiga, NES, and other systems during the early 1990s.
🕹️ Related Titles
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and later franchise entries are separate, officially sold modern games.
Community Reception and Legacy
The original Prince of Persia is frequently cited by historians and developers alike as one of the most influential platformers ever made, with its rotoscoped animation and methodical pacing referenced as a direct forerunner to later cinematic platformers and even elements of modern stealth and action design. Its absence from major digital storefronts is often lamented by longtime fans, many of whom have voiced support on GOG’s own community pages for an eventual official re-release.
In the meantime, the community-driven preservation effort around projects like SDLPoP has kept the original game accessible and playable on modern systems, built entirely on the foundation of source code Mechner chose to share publicly.
Comparing the Original to The Sands of Time
The 1989 original is a slower, trap-and-timer-driven 2D platformer with rotoscoped animation, while The Sands of Time reimagines the franchise as a fully 3D action-adventure built around time-rewind mechanics rather than a hard countdown clock. They share thematic DNA — acrobatic movement, palace settings, time as a core concept — but play very differently, and most newcomers today are better served starting with the officially available Sands of Time.
Final Thoughts
The original Prince of Persia remains a landmark in gaming history, but anyone hoping to buy it through a standard modern storefront should know that option doesn’t currently exist — community source ports or the franchise’s later official entries are the realistic paths forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy the original Prince of Persia (1989) on Steam or GOG?
No, neither storefront currently sells the standalone 1989 original as an official listing.
Is it legal to use community source ports like SDLPoP?
These are built from source code Jordan Mechner released publicly, giving them a different standing than typical pirated downloads, though they remain unofficial, fan-maintained projects.
Is it safe to download from random “abandonware” sites?
This guide can’t recommend unofficial sites outside the source-code-based community projects, since safety and legitimacy can vary significantly.
Will GOG ever officially release the original game?
There’s no confirmed timeline, though fan requests remain active on GOG’s community wishlist pages.
What should I play if I want an official Prince of Persia experience?
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is readily available on Steam and GOG and is the most commonly recommended modern entry point.
How large is the original game?
Extremely small by modern standards — community ports typically run well under 100 MB.
This page is written for informational purposes to explain the official, confirmed status of Prince of Persia (1989). It highlights only community projects built from officially released source code and does not link to or endorse unofficial “abandonware” download sources.
