The ninth generation of consoles has been relatively quiet. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles have seen some major releases – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Halo Infinite – but the current generation has largely been marked by the glaring absence of exclusive titles. Bigger games are certainly on the way; Sony has announced Ghost of Yotei for 2025, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will launch on Xbox and PC next month. In the meantime, a series of remakes, remasters and excellent third-party titles are keeping gamers busy.
But many older games remain in limbo of unrealized potential, waiting to harness the power of current-gen consoles. When the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X launched in 2020, many previous generation games received free updates that increased their performance on the new machines to 60fps – the expected standard on consoles . These fixes have breathed new life into games previously locked to 30fps, giving new and returning players a smoother gaming experience.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate 60 FPS console patch
But in the fourth year of the current console generation, these updates to older titles have dwindled, leading to many excellent games stuck in 30fps hell on modern consoles. On Tuesday, Ubisoft rolled out a free 60fps update for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, nine years after the game’s launch. I booted up the updated version of the game on PS5 and the patch had a transformative effect.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, the last AC title before the series lost its original identity and adopted an RPG-style approach, now runs at 60fps on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. And on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X, the game achieves the highest framerate at full 4K resolution. I installed the game on the PS5 after the patch deployed Tuesday evening and I immersed myself back into the game’s Victorian London setting. At 4K, 60fps, Syndicate looks fresh, even if its core gameplay loop hasn’t exactly stood the test of time. It was repetitive back then; It’s repetitive now. But with the improved performance on consoles, it’s worth revisiting the setting, characters, and story of AC Syndicate.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate is worth revisiting
While it remains a flawed game that still divides opinion among fans of the series, Assassin’s Creed Syndicate got a few things right. The game’s recreation of London is an immersive open world packed with period details. Victorian architecture, wide cobblestone streets, and familiar landmarks make London a distinct game world to explore. The city especially comes alive at night, when the gray and dark color palette takes over. Syndicate also gives players more options for navigating the world, with horse-drawn carriages and the much-maligned grappling hook. Not every design choice fits, but the game has an unmistakable personality that later Assassin’s Creed titles failed to capture.
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s London is full of period details
Photo credit: Ubisoft/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
The performance boost, however, highlights the game’s excellent parkour system – a core Assassin’s Creed feature that was diluted in later games in the franchise. Climbing and jumping across rooftops now feels smoother than ever on consoles, and the nifty descent mechanic, borrowed from Assassin’s Creed Unity, feels smooth.
The game’s singular urban setting means its environments aren’t as rich or diverse as more recent games in the series, but it also brings a concentration of detail to the locations you explore. The visuals also hold up quite well, especially the character models and facial animations, considering the game is almost a decade old.
London comes alive at night
Photo credit: Ubisoft/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate was the first – and still only – game in the series to feature two playable protagonists, a feature that is expected to return in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. You play as twin assassins, Jacob and Evie Frye, who set foot in London in 1868. The two protagonists are distinguished by their personality and their style of play: Jacob is impetuous and prefers to attack the mission head on; Evie, on the other hand, is reserved and takes a more stealthy and calculated approach. Despite their contrasting temperaments, they work well together as assassins. Syndicate excels in establishing their playful and competitive chemistry.
Together, the twins gradually destroy the city’s oppressive structures, liberating London’s neighborhoods from Templar control and establishing an assassin stronghold with the help of their own gang. Throughout the story, you will also meet historical figures like Charles Dickens, Florence Nightingale and Karl Marx. Syndicate also sees the return of Assassin’s Creed Unity’s open “Black Box” style assassinations. These large-scale missions, which offer multiple paths to your goal, challenge players to make creative decisions and remain a highlight to this day.
The game features two playable protagonists, twins Jacob and Evie Frye.
Photo credit: Ubisoft/ Screenshot – Manas Mitul
With the latest 60fps patch, Syndicate has found new life on consoles. This is perhaps the best time to look back at a game that, despite its many flaws, remains a reminder of the merits of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, serving just the right balance between history and fantasy. Following the update, performance is almost perfect and I’m getting consistent frame rates in my new game. The patch, however, does not fix the bugs and visual issues that remain in the game. But the 60fps increase is a welcome upgrade; this is something that many other previous generation games can benefit from. Ubisoft has rolled out similar updates for other Assassin’s Creed titles like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Origins. And with Assassin’s Creed Syndicate now receiving the patch, one can hope that previous games in the series will be updated as well.
Alongside the patch, Ubisoft also announced that all editions of Assassin’s Creed Syndicate will be 75% off until December 3 as part of its Black Friday sale. The game is available on PS5, PS5 Pro, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC (via Ubisoft Connect, Epic Games Store and Steam) and Amazon Luna. On PlayStation, AC Syndicate is available as part of the games catalog with the PS Plus Extra and Deluxe/Premium subscription.
