Ed McGlone
Guns of Icarus
So let’s start with what is arguably the game most like Sea of Thieves, and that is Guns of Icarus for PC (and soon to be PS4 as well). In Guns of Icarus, you’re up in the clouds instead of the open sea, but the focus is still on ship-to-ship PvP combat. Guns of Icarus is a game you can “graduate” to after getting tired of Sea of Thieves as it is way more complex and complicated. Not surprising since that is all Guns of Icarus is about: ship-to-ship combat. Players can choose from many different kinds of ships, all with different sets of weapons, and will have a crew of human-controlled players that each have specializations, such as a Gunner, Engineer, or Pilot. Again, if you really enjoyed Sea of Thieves’ ship-to-ship combat (or only have a PS4, again it’s coming soon!) and want a step up in complexity, Guns of Icarus is a solid choice.
World of Warships
Games Like Sea of Thieves
Another game that features PvP ship-to-ship combat, and is also another level up in terms of complexity and difficulty, is World of Warships. World of Warships, like Guns of Icarus, is all about tactical ship-to-ship combat. You’ll need to carefully measure long-distance shots, navigate your own ship away from enemy attacks, and work in conjunction with other human teammates to take down an enemy team that’s just as determined to take you down. If you’re into 20th-century history, the game features plenty of actual battleships used throughout both World War I and World War II, from both sides of each conflict. World of Warships is currently only available on PC, however. So if you’re on consoles you’re out of luck, sadly. However, on the bright side, it is free to get started. So you can get a sense of whether the game is for you with very little risk before deciding if you want to invest money into it.
Pirate101
If all you care about is being a pirate, and want more games where you get to be a pirate and do pirate-y stuff, then Pirate101 is certainly an option for you. Full disclaimer though: Gameplay-wise, Pirate101 plays nothing like Sea of Thieves. It is an MMORPG through and through. Quests, combat, and classes all follow a blueprint typical to that genre. What it lacks in Sea of Thieves-like gameplay, it makes up for in being able to RP as a pirate. You’ll have access to everything you would expect a pirate game to have. You’ll be able to duke it out with and against others on your ship, and on land with weapons, and dress yourself up like the human/animal pirate that you imagine yourself to be. And of course, since it’s an MMO, there are hubs that you can just relax in and be your pirate self. ARRR!
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Games Like Sea of Thieves
If you like being a pirate in Sea of Thieves but wish you had a deeper narrative and more varied objectives to take on, then AC IV: Black Flag is an excellent choice. Considered by many to be one of the high points of the Assassin’s Creed series, players control Edward Kenway on his journey from pirate to a member of an ancient order of assassins. Along the way, you’ll tangle with real-life legend pirates, such as Blackbeard and Calico Jack. In Black Flag, you’ll be able to command a ship, engage in naval combat, and of course, since it’s an Assassin’s Creed game, mix it up in some sword-to-sword pirate combat. At the end of the day though, this is an Assassin’s Creed game, so if you don’t like them, then the pirate aesthetic might not be enough to sway you. However, if you’re open to it, you might find that your itch for more pirate games is scratched by Black Flag.
Valheim
Games Like Sea of Thieves
Valheim might not initially jump off the page as a pirate-like experience, but while Vikingdom certainly has a different aesthetic to the Caribbean pirates in Sea of Thieves, they’re still technically pirates nonetheless! Truth be told, that technicality isn’t really why we’ve included Valheim here. It’s instead because Valheim’s superb sandbox gameplay and the emergent gameplay its incredibly authentic world supports are very similar to Sea of Thieves. With full multiplayer support, if you choose a populated seed (game world) and play with friends then you’ll find yourself engaged in some of those same epic adventures — the ones in which often the best stories don’t necessarily come from what you find on a quest but what you encountered on the journey there. If you’re more into the sea combat side of things, don’t be fooled into thinking Valheim is a landlocked affair. There are actually huge expanses of water, and you can build all manner of different Viking-style ships to sail about in with friends.
Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
Oh, here’s another Viking-themed game! Ever since Black Flag, Assassin’s Creed games have incorporated ship combat in some form or another, such was the popularity of that particular aspect of its design. Valhalla is the latest in the series to do so, and it does a pretty darn good job of recreating the excitement and violence of plundering English castles and monasteries. Throughout Valhalla, you’ll be able to sail across the English countryside using the many rivers and tributaries, but there’s also open-sea sailing in other areas of the game. This isn’t a pirate-sim exactly, but there are some elements you’ll find really enjoyable if you love Sea of Thieves.
Star Citizen
Star Citizen, though still in development, looks to emulate a lot of the free-form, make-your-own adventure gameplay featured in Sea of Thieves, but on a much more ambitious and grandiose scale. Similar to games like Elite Dangerous, you’ll be dropped into our Milky Way galaxy set in the 30th century, and you’re free to set out on your own path either as a trader, an explorer, or a fighter. Star Citizen, when it’s all said and done, is scheduled to have first-person shooter elements alongside the cooperative and competitive ship-to-ship battles. These battles can play across a massive scale with hundreds of players being allowed to drop in and out of major battles. You can avoid that altogether and try to just be a humble/peaceful trader, or try to profit from exploring the galaxy and charting new paths for people to move into. The emphasis on allowing players to choose how they want to play makes this a game that Sea of Thieves fans might want to look into. Although it’s in alpha still, you can buy your way into early access. If you would rather not play an unfinished product, give Elite Dangerous, a game with similar vibes, a look instead.
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
If all you want is a great game that embraces exploring the open seas with some RPG elements thrown in, then look no further than the classic GameCube title, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. Dive into the world of Toon Link (then controversial, now beloved, partly in thanks to Smash) as he does what Link is one to do: solve dungeon puzzles and save the princess. Distinct to Wind Waker though is the focus on sailing the high seas. You’ll need to work with the wind in order to properly explore The Great Sea, and everything it has to offer, as most of the game’s locales, secrets, and treasures are spread out across various islands in The Great Sea. Again, like a lot of the games on this list, Wind Waker isn’t a spitting image of Sea of Thieves. This is most evident in its colorful cartoon style, which is quite different from Sea of Thieves’ very distinct cartoon-realistic hybrid look. But it’s still an all-time great game, that has an appreciation of the sea. And that for some, might be enough.
The Division’s Dark Zone
Here’s a surprise entry for you. When you landed here you probably weren’t expecting to find The Division in a list of games like Sea of Thieves, right? Well, you’re not entirely wrong. A third-person shooter that takes place in a post-pandemic version of New York City where everyone is out to kill you certainly is nothing like a first-person pirate game where you go around digging up buried treasure and chopping up skeletons. However, there’s one part of The Division that is actually very similar to Sea of Thieves: the Dark Zone. If you love the open-ended, open-world, PvP nature of Sea of Thieves, the Dark Zone in The Division has a lot of that same intensity. Like in Sea of Thieves, it’s up to you to determine who is a friend, and who is a foe while out in the Dark Zone. You could form an alliance with someone to get some new loot, but that person could also decide to turn on you at any given moment for no reason at all if they want, and vice versa. You could be the one that goes rogue, and forge a reputation of someone worthy of being feared. While we certainly wouldn’t suggest someone looking for more pirate-like games to go play The Division, if you just want that wild-west, who can you trust, open-ended PvP experience, The Division delivers that.
King of Seas
If you’re specifically after a Caribbean-themed pirate game with ship-to-ship combat then King of Seas is going to be right up your alley. It’s an ARPG played from an isometric perspective that sees you navigate a pretty nautical open world, take on quests, customize your ship, and trade plundered goods to level up toward the ultimate goal of becoming a legendary pirate. Don’t expect the same ultra-budget design as seen in Sea of Thieves, but if you’re a fan of pirates then this is a really fun one to enjoy.
