What makes for the ultimate pirate adventure on PC? If you’re yearning for a life of swashbuckling escapades, the thrill of sword fights, the ocean breeze in your hair, and a tankard of grog in hand, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve donned our tricorn hats and set sail to unearth the finest pirate games available for your PC.
Forget that other kind of piracy – these are games you’ll want to proudly own to support their brilliant creators. While most are premium titles offering deep, immersive experiences, we’ve even included a few fantastic free PC games where you can plunder without spending a doubloon. So, whether you dream of commanding mighty ships, battling fearsome krakens, or simply living a life of high-seas adventure, grab your grog and brace yourself for the best PC pirate games this year!
Here are the best pirate games on PC in 2025:
- Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
- Misty Continent
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
- Skull and Bones
- One Piece Odyssey
- Return to Monkey Island
- Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire
- Sea of Thieves
- Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked
- Rebel Galaxy
- Risen 3: Titan Lords
- Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag
- Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
- Sid Meier s Pirates
- Tropico 2 – Pirates Cove
- Sea Dogs
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
The Yakuza series consistently delivers, and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has outdone themselves by masterfully blending pirates, yakuza, and the vibrant setting of Hawaii into one of the most unexpected and thrilling pirate games we’ve encountered. This title thrusts you into a solo adventure as the legendary Goro Majima, now a buccaneer who has mysteriously lost his memories.
As fate would have it, the only remedy for amnesia is, naturally, glittering treasure. Majima sets sail on a quest to uncover the elusive Esperanza, but his journey is far from smooth. He must contend with fierce local pirate crews and confront former yakuza members from his past, making for a truly unique and engaging high-seas saga.
Misty Continent
Cursed islands are a common peril on the high seas, and Misty Continent offers a fantastic free-to-play adventure for every aspiring pirate. This online real-time strategy game challenges you to establish a settlement on dangerous shores and construct a formidable stronghold to produce vital resources for survival.
As your domain expands, you can venture inland with your forces to combat spectral beings, rival pirates, and even mystical mermaids, all while accumulating vast amounts of plunder. However, be vigilant against other players who will inevitably seek to claim your hard-earned treasures and resources. Fortunately, forging alliances allows you to support each other in epic siege battles, ensuring you can continue to fight, explore, and build another day.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War
Have you ever dreamt of leading your own formidable pirate army? Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War brings that fantasy to life. In this free-to-play game, you’ll establish your stronghold on the high seas, then diligently build and expand your pirate fleet to launch attacks on rival bases.
Victories in battle yield valuable resources, enabling you to enhance your ships and continuously grow in power. It’s a compelling cycle of conquest and expansion that will keep you engaged as you dominate the seas.
Skull and Bones
Embark on a high-seas journey as a fledgling pirate, striving to become the most renowned captain in all the oceans. Whether you prefer to brave the dangers alone or gather a crew of trusted mates, you’ll navigate perilous waters and undertake hazardous quests. Leverage your accumulated experience to craft formidable ships, equipping yourself with the necessary tools to confront world events, face off against rival crews, and challenge legendary sea monsters.
Skull and Bones experienced a challenging development cycle, and upon its 2024 launch, it was clear more time was needed. However, the past year has seen a steady stream of updates, gradually improving the game and realizing its true potential. Ubisoft generously offers a six-hour trial, providing ample opportunity to discover if Skull and Bones is the piratical adventure you’ve been seeking.
One Piece Odyssey
No list of pirate games would be complete without the inclusion of 2023’s major release featuring the most iconic anime pirate crew ever. Join Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates on an unforgettable journey in One Piece Odyssey, a brand-new narrative crafted with direct input from manga creator Eiichiro Oda.
Odyssey caters to both seasoned One Piece enthusiasts and newcomers, offering a captivating blend of immersive JRPG and top-tier turn-based strategy elements. What truly sets One Piece Odyssey apart, distinguishing it from other titles on this list, is its innovative Dramatic Scene system. This system flawlessly translates the dynamic nature of the One Piece manga and anime into engaging, interactive RPG gameplay.
The Dramatic Scene system ensures that each playthrough of Odyssey is entirely unique, challenging you to adapt your combat strategies to unexpected and randomized situations, much like a true role-playing adventure. During battles, a Dramatic Scene might spontaneously trigger, indicated by an on-screen prompt. These can introduce various modifiers: a Straw Hat pirate might suffer a status effect like intimidation, temporarily removing them from the fight, an enemy could gain boosted health, or you might be tasked with delivering the final blow using Luffy himself. While these battles are optional and you can retreat if overwhelmed, they infuse this pirate game with a special flair, and the rewards for conquering them are well worth the effort.
Return to Monkey Island
The 2022 triumphant return of the Monkey Island series garnered widespread critical acclaim. Both long-time fans of these classic pirate games and newcomers alike can easily dive into this fresh story, which picks up many years after the crew’s last grand swashbuckling adventure. This delightful point-and-click game masterfully blends accessible gameplay, a captivating narrative, and cunning puzzles spread across both iconic and entirely new locations, including Melee Island and Terror Island.
Return to Monkey Island wasn’t just celebrated as one of the best pirate games of 2022; it was widely hailed as one of the definitive PC games of that year. Even if you’ve never ventured into the whimsical world of Monkey Island before, this installment is likely to enchant you. For those eager to fully embrace the piratical spirit, consider exploring all six games in the series; The Secret of Monkey Island and its sequel, LeChuck’s Revenge, stand out as particular highlights.
Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
The original Pillars of Eternity successfully captured the essence of beloved classic fantasy RPGs. For its sequel, developer Obsidian Entertainment boldly veered into a swashbuckling direction, crafting one of the standout games of 2018. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire delivers a rich fantasy RPG experience reminiscent of early BioWare titles, yet it also shines as an exceptional pirate game with a unique fantastical twist.
The narrative begins five years after the first game, with you, the Watcher, resurrected to pursue the fallen god Eothas across the vast Deadfire Archipelago. The story is utterly compelling and never loses its grip. The world itself is a joy to explore, feeling vibrant and populated by genuine characters who will challenge your ethics and courage. At its core, Deadfire is a truly authentic pirate game. You’ll command your reliable vessel through unexplored seas, engage in strategic ship-to-ship combat, chase bounties, and immerse yourself in an epic high-seas adventure.
Sea of Thieves
Excluding its Kinect offerings, the online pirate adventure Sea of Thieves marked Rare’s significant return to game development after a decade, and the team certainly made every moment count. While its single-player experience might feel a bit sparse, this game truly transforms into one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences when you gather a small crew on a single ship. It stands out as perhaps the most quintessentially piratical title on this list, focusing entirely on a band of pirates engaging in every classic pirate activity imaginable.
The core joy of Sea of Thieves lies in uniting with friends, each contributing to sail across vast oceans in pursuit of treasure to plunder. You’ll dive into thrilling and often comical sea battles against other players, skeletal crews, colossal sharks, and even the legendary Kraken. For moments on solid ground, raid outposts guarded by the undead and claim their treasure chests. Alternatively, follow compelling story missions on your quest to achieve Pirate Legend status, a title that will make you a target for every other buccaneer on the Sea of Thieves.
With consistent monthly content updates and seasonal rotations, Sea of Thieves continuously supplies new loot and adventures for its devoted community of buccaneers, ensuring there’s always something fresh to discover, including new tools, weapons, and ways to traverse the world.
Don’t Starve: Shipwrecked
While not a standalone title, this pirate-themed expansion for the acclaimed survival game Don’t Starve is too good to ignore – though you’ll need the base game to play it. Don’t Starve is renowned as one of the best survival games on PC, and its Shipwrecked expansion offers a wealth of new content, essentially creating an entirely distinct survival experience.
As with the original, you embody Wilson, striving against all odds to survive. In Shipwrecked, however, your struggle takes you to the high seas. You’ll navigate vast oceans, plunder forgotten riches, scavenge for sustenance and essential tools, and encounter a fascinating array of new characters and creatures, from fellow pirates and fishermen to mischievous monkeys and terrifying monstrous sea beasts.
Rebel Galaxy
Who said piracy was confined to the Caribbean of the 16th century? Rebel Galaxy blasts the swashbuckling spirit into the farthest reaches of space! You’ll still command a ship on grand adventures, plundering other vessels after thrilling battles, but now your arena is the vast, star-studded cosmos instead of the seven seas.
Rebel Galaxy could be likened to a sci-fi take on Sea Dogs, offering you the freedom to pursue the main quest or carve your own path through the galaxy. You might choose the honorable life of a trader or miner, but it’s more aptly, a true space pirate. One thing is certain: you’ll engage in numerous space battles, and thankfully, they are incredibly enjoyable. Employ deflectors to evade missiles, strategically target weak points, and manage your range—these battles demand considerable tactical thought.
Beyond combat, this sector of space is teeming with opportunities for exploration. Investigate outposts, respond to distress calls, and decipher mysterious readings. Or, simply recline and observe the breathtaking galaxy unfold in one of the premier space games on PC. Rebel Galaxy grants you immense freedom, just try not to get into too much interstellar trouble!
Risen 3: Titan Lords
The journey of the Risen series is quite intriguing. Following the loss of rights to the Gothic series, developer Piranha Bytes crafted Risen as a spiritual successor—a straightforward fantasy action RPG. While it was a solid and reasonably well-received title, Risen 2 took a bold thematic leap into a pirate-infused world. Swords, ships, and exotic jungles made for an exciting concept, though the execution of the second installment left something to be desired.
However, with Risen 3: Titan Lords, the team finally struck the perfect balance. The concluding Risen game proved to be significantly more enjoyable and, crucially, a far superior pirate experience. It rectified a major oversight from Risen 2 by allowing players to truly sail and captain their own pirate ship. The combat, which was often frustrating in Dark Waters, received substantial improvements, transforming into a genuinely fun and engaging system.
Adding to its pirate bona fides, you acquire a parrot—an automatic qualifier for any best pirate games list! Furthermore, you’ll encounter a terrifying Ghost Pirate, a capable British female companion, a wise voodoo priestess, and even recruit a monkey to your crew. This isn’t just a pirate game; it’s practically a Monkey Island-inspired RPG. Grab some grog and celebrate this fantastic adventure!
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
Masterfully blending a phenomenal pirate experience with an outstanding entry in the Assassin’s Creed saga, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag delivers everything fans of both genres could possibly desire, establishing itself as one of the premier open-world games. Its true appeal lies in Edward Kenway, a deeply charismatic protagonist who easily ranks among history’s coolest assassins. While the narrative of his fight against the Templars’ quest for the Sage is undeniably engaging for series enthusiasts, the broader story of Kenway and other captains striving to forge a pirate utopia holds universal allure.
You’ll command your own ship and a loyal crew, navigating the vast Caribbean as you hunt for vessels to raid, treasures to plunder, and countless adventures to embark upon. The ship-to-ship combat is a definite highlight – exhilarating and intense in the heat of the moment, yet wonderfully accessible, far from a daunting naval simulator. And let’s not overlook the absolutely fantastic sea shanties. Who needs an elaborate orchestral soundtrack when you can sail the waves to the rousing choruses of ‘The Coast of High Barbary’, ‘Lowlands Away’, or the timeless classic ‘Drunken Sailor’?
Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
While the Pirates of the Caribbean film series achieved massive success, its video game adaptations have often faced a rather unfortunate curse – ranging from outright poor quality to compatibility issues on modern PCs, or even outright cancellations. Thankfully, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean breaks this trend, offering a delightful and accessible rendition of the beloved franchise.
Developed by the masterful TT Games, this title humorously and faithfully re-imagines the events of the first four movies. Players can relive iconic moments, from Elizabeth Swann’s first glimpse of the Black Pearl to the dramatic destruction of the Fountain of Youth. Notably, this stands as the last Lego game to forego voice acting, a decision that, far from being a drawback, enhances its charm. The expertly mimed jokes transcend language barriers and are a core strength of the Lego game experience.
Ultimately, the biggest draw is how these games tap into a fundamental desire for completion. Few things are as gratifying as achieving 100% completion in a Lego video game, and this pirate adventure is no exception.
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
The legendary creator of Civilization, Sid Meier, and the team at Firaxis who would later craft XCOM, once turned their talents to a pirate strategy game. Unsurprisingly, it remains one of the greatest pirate games ever made and deserves its place in history. This 2004 title is a superb remake of Meier’s 1987 original, boasting stylish art and intelligent, accessible gameplay that makes it just as enjoyable today as it was nearly two decades ago.
Sid Meier’s Pirates! is an open-world strategy adventure that rivals the addictiveness of Civilization or XCOM, yet presents a significantly more lighthearted tone. You’ll begin as an insignificant captain aboard a humble vessel, gradually ascending through the ranks to become the most feared pirate on the high seas. Your activities range from ransacking towns and raiding ships to engaging rivals in thrilling duels, and even partaking in elegant ballroom dancing.
Your influence extends beyond personal exploits; you can dramatically shape the political landscape of the Caribbean. Imagine intercepting a peace treaty between England and Spain, potentially igniting a conflict that leaves you free to plunder without interference. This is arguably the most captivating and endlessly replayable game on this entire list – though, what else would you expect from the mind behind Civilization?
Tropico 2 – Pirates Cove
Let’s shift gears from embodying a pirate to, instead, managing an entire pirate operation – specifically, a thriving pirate island! While other games in the Tropico series delve into modern dictatorial regimes, Tropico 2 challenges you to forge a pirate utopia during the golden age of seafaring. Imagine overseeing your very own Nassau or Tortuga.
Your primary objective is to ensure the happiness of every buccaneer on your plundering paradise, all while dispatching ships to “collect” gold and diligently safeguarding your island’s secrecy from the watchful eyes of surrounding empires. Tropico 2’s brilliance lies in its escalating difficulty. You begin by catering to simple pirates who merely require grog and attention, but soon, more demanding, high-profile buccaneers will arrive. Before long, unruly pirates become the least of your worries as diplomatic relations with powerful local superpowers grow increasingly strained.
This title stands out as one of the more humorous and witty management games available, almost akin to a Monkey Island-themed strategy experience. Even better, purchasing Tropico 2 today often includes the original Tropico and all its expansions at no extra cost.
Sea Dogs
Shifting from pure action-adventure, Sea Dogs offers a robust pirate RPG experience where becoming a pirate isn’t even a mandatory choice! After a daring escape with fellow prisoners, you acquire a small sloop, and from that moment, the world is your oyster. You can pursue diverse story paths, accept missions from various nations, transport valuable cargo, or even carve out a respectable living as a trading merchant.
Alternatively, embrace the call of the black flag: undertake missions from pirate factions and ascend to become the most formidable privateer on the seven seas. While the graphics and voice acting may show their age, Sea Dogs remains a strong contender for top RPGs on PC. There’s also an equally compelling sequel, Sea Dogs 2, which was famously repurposed by Disney into the official Pirates of the Caribbean game alongside the first movie. Regrettably, due to IP constraints, it’s not currently available on PC, but many argue the original game offers a superior experience anyway – and both of its excellent expansions are readily available.
And there you have it, mateys – the finest collection of pirate games to grace the PC seas! We trust you’ve enjoyed plundering this bountiful list of treasures. For those moments when the thrill of battle and the chaos of storms become too much, perhaps a change of pace is in order. Consider exploring some truly relaxing games to unwind, or gather your crew for an exciting cooperative game session.
While not quite the same as swashbuckling on the open ocean, if the allure of a life at sea still calls to you, be sure to delve into our comprehensive roundup of the best submarine games on PC. Fair winds and following seas!