Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is the second installment in the Sands of Time trilogy and is a direct sequel to Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Developed and published by Ubisoft, it was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.

Compared to its predecessor, Warrior Within is darker, more violent, and more mature in tone, both in terms of story and gameplay. It introduces a more aggressive combat system, a gothic visual style, and a heavy metal soundtrack, distinguishing it from the more poetic tone of the first game.

After the events of The Sands of Time, the Prince is being relentlessly hunted by a monstrous creature known as the Dahaka — a guardian of the timeline. Because the Prince used the Sands of Time to alter his fate in the previous game, he is now considered an abomination who must be erased from existence.

To escape his doomed destiny, the Prince embarks on a desperate journey to the Island of Time, where he hopes to prevent the Sands of Time from ever being created in the first place — thus undoing the timeline that led to his cursed fate.

As he explores the island, he becomes entangled with powerful forces, including the mysterious and deadly Empress of Time, who controls the flow of fate.

The story deals with themes of fate, defiance, mortality, and transformation, portraying the Prince as a more brooding and battle-hardened character than in his previous outing.