The Best Open-World Pirate Games

Pirates are a bit like dinosaurs and cowboys in that they never stop being cool. They’re the ultimate bad boys, and, in a romanticized view of them, they represent freedom, rebellion, and the ability to do whatever one wants. They’re pretty much ever-present in modern pop culture. There are books, TV shows, comics, and movies based on pirates, but surprisingly few games. It’s a strange phenomenon because open-world games are all about exploring and the player’s freedom to go where they want, making them a perfect fit for the pirate genre. Yet, astonishingly few of the best open-world games have anything to do with pirates.

Thankfully, there are a few. These range from decent if players really love anything pirate-related to genuinely good, and the games chosen for this have been ranked according to their general quality, review scores, and how good their open-worlds are. It’s slim pickings out there when it comes to open-world pirate games, and the first few entries will only appeal to the truly devoted pirate lovers.

Updated on March 3, 2025 by Robbie Mitchell: There’s been a drought for the last few years, but it looks like 2025 could be a bumper year for fans of pirate games. Rumors are swirling that we could be playing a Black Flag remake by the end of the year and both Seadogs Of Nassau and Pirates Republic are slated for 2025 releases. If that wasn’t enough, February gave us the equally excellent and weird Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. With all this in mind now seems like the perfect time to update our list with a couple of new entries to keep pirate fans entertained while they wait.

9

Skull And Bones

Sank Straight To Davy Jones’s Locker

Skull and Bones makes this list out of blind hope more than anything else. Billed as the first-ever AAAA game, Ubisoft had high hopes for Skull And Bones before it was released and had some gamers thinking it might end up being one of the best Ubisoft games ever. It’s not – the game was universally panned by both critics and gamers.

While its ship combat is enjoyable enough (if overly simple), everything else about the game is a slog. Players can’t directly board enemy ships like in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, and most of the open-world locations are little more than glorified fast-travel points. Worst of all, its progression systems adopted all the worst elements of live service games. Most reviews summed the game up as boring, hence its poor scores and ranking here. All this being said, this is an age of gaming comebacks. Under all the live service bloat, the very bare bones of Skull and Bones could make for a decent open-world pirate game. If Ubisoft could save Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, perhaps someday they can redeem Skull and Bones. Until then, it belongs in Davy Jones’ locker and last place.

8

Caribbean Legend

An Enjoyable But Janky Pirate Life Simulator

• Released: 2024
• Developer: Blackmark Studio
• Platform: PC

Caribbean Legend is a strange game. Developed by a small team, it’s kind of a remake of Sea Dogs: To Each His Own, a largely forgotten open-world pirate game from 2012. Blackmark Studio bought the rights to the game and has done its best to fix what was wrong with the original while adding some bits and pieces of its own. They’ve had mixed results.

Caribbean Legend feels and looks dated. The graphics are barely a step up from the original, and there’s a lot of jank to look past. The name is also a little misleading – Sea Dogs 2 was turned into a Pirates of the Caribbean game after a deal with Disney, and it appears that Blackmark Studio has tried to cash in on that ancient connection when renaming this remake. These facts aside, Caribbean Legend is a good sandbox open-world pirate RPG that offers the player a lot of freedom. There are a lot of quests to undertake and locations to explore- both on foot and by ship. While not exactly the most immersive open-world game, it is possible to get lost in its realistic-feeling simulation of pirate life if one tries hard enough. However, its many flaws and niche appeal hold it back from receiving a higher ranking.

7

Risen 2: Dark Waters

A Decent Pirate-Themed Action RPG But Nothing Special

• Released: 2012
• Developers: Pirahna Bytes
• Platforms: PC, PS3 Xbox 360

Risen 2 is perhaps the first game mentioned in this article that’s a pretty good game rather than just being a pretty good game if players want to play as a pirate. It was a fairly big departure from the first Risen, which was fantasy-themed and combined fantasy elements with a compelling pirate-themed story. Playing as the Nameless Hero, the player can explore a lush, pirate-themed world and island hop to their heart’s content. Eventually. That world starts fairly closed, but as the story progresses, more islands unlock, which the player is free to explore.

The gameplay is fairly standard for an action RPG but is given some added flavor with pirate-themed weaponry. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews, thanks largely to high levels of jank and the fact that, even back in 2012, it was a long way from being the best-looking open-world game. However, if one can overlook the bugs and less-than-stellar combat, Risen 2 offered a surprisingly fun pirate roleplaying experience with some fantasy spice thrown in. Its sequel, Risen 3, improved upon the formula in nearly every way but massively downplayed the pirate elements, limiting them to one optional faction. For pirate fans looking for an action RPG with a decent story, Risen 2 is still about as good as it gets.

6

Sid Meier’s Pirates!

A Fun Blend Of RTS And RPG With a Pirate Twist

• Released: 2004
• Developer: Firaxis Games
• Platforms: PC, MAC, IOS, Wii, PSP, Xbox 360, PS3

There are a handful of great pirate strategy games, but they’re not open-world games. Sid Meier’s Pirates!, however, is an RTS/ RPG mash-up where players take direct control of a new pirate captain and help him build his pirate empire across a large open-world map. Unlike most strategy games, players control the pirate directly, steering his ship and even controlling him in minigames like duels.

The gameplay was simple but open-ended and included many pirate-themed activities, including naval combat, ship customization, trading, partying, and treasure hunting. The player could take on optional quests or just focus on plundering ships and living that sweet pirate life. While the game’s graphics show their age, everything else about it is as fun as it was twenty years ago. The gameplay will appeal to both RTS and RPG fans and it remains one of the best Firaxis games. With a handful of modern quality-of-life features added to it and a fresh coat of paint, it would likely rank higher.

5

Rebel Galaxy

Playing As A Space Pirate Never Gets Old

• Released: 2015
• Developer: Double Damage Games
• Platforms: Mac, PC, PS4, Xbox One

Technically speaking, Rebel Galaxy isn’t strictly a pirate game. Instead, it’s a space trading/ combat simulation game that offers lots of different playstyles. However, one of the most fun playstyles is being a space pirate. The game takes place in a randomly generated, kind of open-world universe where players control massive capital ships. They can “sail” around this universe engaging in naval-style combat, trading, bounty hunting, and taking on story missions.

Or, they could be a pirate. Players are free to smuggle, harass the space police, and even enslave captured enemy pilots. Playing as a pirate comes with some perks but also limits some of the player’s options (not everyone takes kindly to space pirates it seems). The game has a banging soundtrack, fun combat, in-depth ship customization, and offers a ton of player freedom for a game made by such a small team. Unfortunately, its story isn’t all that engaging, but then again, it’s not meant to be the main attraction. Rebel Galaxy takes some getting used to, but it’s a great choice for anyone with dreams of becoming a space scoundrel.

4

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The Best Pirate Game For Isometric RPG Fans

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire isn’t just an awesome pirate game; it’s one of the best isometric RPGs ever made. A direct sequel to the original game, Deadfire follows the Watcher of Caed Nua as they try to track down and stop the newly awakened Eothas from destroying the world. Set in the Deadfire archipelago, the player does that by sailing around a massive open-world map.

The game offers a ton of freedom. They’re free to be a goody-goody who helps anyone and everyone, or they can become the ultimate pirate, attacking every ship in sight. The tactical party-based combat is excellent, with each recruitable party member adding something to the mix. When it comes to fighting at sea, the player can either board other ships and engage in turn-based combat using their crew or choose ship-to-ship combat, which can take some getting used to. The game also features light ship management mechanics, as the player must keep their crew happy and well-fed, recruit new shipmates, and upgrade their ships. The only real negatives are that the story can be a little lore-heavy, and with so much exploration on offer, the pacing can feel a little off.

3

Sea of Thieves

Take To The Seven Seas With Friends And Live The Pirate Life Online

Sea of Thieves didn’t have the best of launches, but it’s come a long, long way since 2018. Rare refused to give up on their multiplayer-pirate vision, and it’s a good thing they didn’t. Sea of Thieves is arguably the most fun pirate game ever released, at least if players have friends to enjoy it with.

Most open-world pirate games tend to skip over the complexities of sailing a ship, but in Sea of Thieves, players need to team up to work the sails, man the cannons, steer the ship, and fend off any enemy players trying to board the ship. Its PVP combat is chaotic fun, while its PVE elements have been greatly improved over the years. Upon launch, the game was criticized for not having enough to do, but that problem has largely been fixed. It’s about as far as a hard-core pirate sim as one can get, but it’s easy to sink countless hours into Sea of Thieves with friends, even if its progression systems still aren’t that deep.

2

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza

A Delightfully Weird Franchise Spin-Off That Doesn’t Disappoint

Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza is a strange game, even by Yakuza franchise standards. Rather than Ichiban, the game centers around a fan-favorite character, Goro Majima, who wakes up in Hawaii with amnesia. Yet this isn’t quite the same setting as 2024’s Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, because in this modern-day Hawaiian setting, people walk, talk, and dress like pirates and sail around in old-fashioned pirate ships. It only gets weirder from there.

This is a recent release so we’re going to avoid story spoilers (but it’s good) and focus on the gameplay. Land combat sees a return to the franchise’s real-time action combat roots, with Majima able to utilize both his traditional Mad Dog fighting style alongside the new Sea Dog style. The battles themselves, however, are often on a much larger scale than fans might expect from a Yakuza game. The real star, though, is the naval combat, which brings back fond memories of our next entry. Players directly control Majima’s ship, the Goromaru, and can take part in epic sea battles and even board enemy ships. Of course, the ship itself can be upgraded and personalized to our hearts’ content. Alongside the combat, there are other pirate-themed side activities like treasure hunts and bounty missions, but not quite as much extra content as from a main entry Yakuza game. Pirate Yakuza is both an excellent addition to the Yakuza franchise and one of the best pirate games we’ve seen in recent years, especially if you like your pirate tales on the wackier side.

1

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

Still Dominates Any Conversation About Pirate Games Over A Decade After Release

All these years later, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remains the pinnacle of open-world pirate games. It’s also arguably still one of the best Assassin’s Creed games. Black Flag stepped away from the franchise’s traditional urban environments and gave fans an entire ocean to explore. That ocean was full of enemy ships to attack and board, enemy forts to destroy, treasures to find, and settlements to visit.

One of the game’s major strong points was how good it felt to captain Edward’s ship. In combat, the player had to bark orders at their crew while strategically positioning their ship and aiming the cannons. The ship itself was massive and more than a little unwieldy, as hundreds of tons of wood and metal should be.

Climbing the ships’ masts and diving into the ocean never got old and boarding enemy ships always gave the same adrenaline rush. Its open world was big, but not so big that sailing from point A to B became a chore and was full of distractions that never felt superfluous.