Updated Oct 13, 2026 · 1 more we checked and added
PrinceJS rebuilds the 1989 MS-DOS Prince of Persia in HTML5 and JavaScript, so the whole game runs in a browser tab with nothing to install. It loads in about 2 MB.
It keeps what made the original famous: fluid animation, deadly traps, sword fights and one hour of real time to reach the princess.
PrinceJS (Prince of Persia)
Status
Plays instantlyLink up on Oct 13, 2026
Mode
Single-player platformer with the 60-minute timer
Host
princejs.com
Download
~2 MB (measured Oct 13, 2026)
Phone
Phone: limited
An HTML5 and JavaScript reimplementation of the 1989 MS-DOS Prince of Persia. It loads in about 2 MB to a Press to Start screen and recreates the original levels and the one-hour limit to rescue the princess. We could not confirm touch controls on a phone.
Opens a third-party site. Skip anything that asks you to install a launcher or extension.
How Prince of Persia in browser works
Prince of Persia in browser is possible thanks to PrinceJS, a reimplementation of the MS-DOS version written in HTML5 and JavaScript. It is not an emulator running the original program; the game was rebuilt for the web, which is why it loads in about 2 MB.
Open the page and you reach a Press to Start screen. From there it aims to recreate the original dungeon levels and the one-hour limit.
About the 1989 original
Jordan Mechner created Prince of Persia, first released on the Apple II in 1989 and soon after on MS-DOS and many other computers. Its animation was rotoscoped, traced from video of real movement, which made the prince run, jump and climb with a weight that few games of the time had.
The setup is simple. The princess has been imprisoned by the vizier Jaffar, and you have 60 minutes of real time to escape the dungeons, climb the palace and save her. That time limit, running whether you are winning or not, is a large part of why the game is still remembered.
Tips for the 60-minute run
Move carefully near edges. A running jump and a careful step are different moves, and falling too far is fatal.
Watch for loose floor tiles. Some floors crumble and fall when you step on them, sometimes taking you with them.
Plan to play in one sitting. With a hard 60-minute limit, a full run fits into an evening, but only if you leave time for retries.
Look out for spikes and gates. Many deaths come from rushing into a room before reading it.
Draw your sword when a guard appears. Sword fights are about timing: block, then strike.
Remember the clock keeps running while you play. Speed matters, but so does not dying.
Prince of Persia in browser: why a reimplementation matters
Most old DOS games reach the browser through an emulator that runs the original program. PrinceJS takes a different route: it rebuilds the game in JavaScript and draws it with HTML5. That is why the download is only about 2 MB and why it starts quickly.
The trade-off is that a reimplementation is a new program. It aims to recreate the original levels and the one-hour limit, and in our test it reached the Press to Start screen without problems, but tiny details may differ from the original MS-DOS release.
Prince of Persia went on to become a long-running series. Ubisoft relaunched the series in 2003 with Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, but the 1989 original is still where the precise, unforgiving platforming began.
Keyboard and phones
Plan on playing with a keyboard on a desktop or laptop, as the original was designed for the keyboard. We did not test the in-game controls beyond the Press to Start screen.
In our test on a phone-sized screen the page stayed black and did not respond, so we could not confirm touch controls. If you want to try on a tablet, a connected keyboard is the safer bet.
