Sea of Thieves is famous for giving players the opportunity to live the pirate dream through gameplay filled with loot chasing, PvP, and sailing. Although it seems like one-of-a-kind, as there are no other games exactly like it, there are still some great alternatives that bear similarities.
From MMORPGs that feature great sailing mechanics, like Black Desert Online, to great single-player games that involve sailing and exploring the sea and nearby islands, like Raft, there is a solid game for everyone who likes Sea Of Thieves.
Black Desert Online
While Black Desert Online is an MMORPG that seems to bear little to no similarities with Sea Of Thieves, it also is the MMO that offers the best sailing mechanics and sea exploration out of all MMOs, and one of the best games of its style to play in 2021.
It includes multiple types of ships, a vast sea and oceans to explore, naval battles with PvE and other players, and great sea graphics. Although the sea exploration is only a part of Black Desert Online, it is a part that greatly resembles Sea Of Thieves.
Raft
Raft is a story and exploration-focused survival game that resembles Sea Of Thieves since the whole game focuses on the player sailing alone or with others on an upgradable raft while exploring the vast sea and the nearby islands.
The main difference with Sea Of Thieves is the lack of PvP as the players are meant to work together in order to progress the game and solve the riddles included in the story.
Skull And Bones
Skull And Bones is the game that seems to resemble Sea Of Thieves the most. However, this is hard to tell for sure, as the game hasn't been released yet and its launch has been pushed back to 2022, at best.
In its features, it mentions a vast open-world full of pirate conflict, looting, and naval combats. On top of that, it will feature one of Sea of Thieves' most requested features: ship progression and upgrades. Skull and Bones will offer a great PvPvE experience, and many fans of the genre are hyped about it.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag
Black Flag is one of the biggest open-world games and resembles Sea Of Thieves in the way that a great part of its content is focused on naval exploration.
With multiple unique sea shanties as well as different ships to be found throughout the world, Black Flag offers great naval content. And with Sea of Thieves' latest additions to the storyline, both games include interesting and immersive stories.
Blackwake
Blackwake is a game similar to Sea of Thieves that focuses more on PvP than on exploration. It's more of a 3v3 deathmatch with large-crew ships than a storytelling naval exploration.
For players who want to get straight into the action, Blackwake is a fun game to try, especially with friends.
Subnautica
Subnautica is considered, by most, as one of the best exploration games with an aquatic setting. It is a single-player underwater game with amazing scenery, unique and threatening monsters, great building mechanics, and an interesting story.
All these features, combined with a vast and unique underwater world and underwater vehicles that can be used to traverse around the map faster, make Subnautica a great option for those who like Sea of Thieves.
Stranded Deep
Stranded Deep is an open-world survival game where the player is stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere.
While there are no large ships, as seen in Sea of Thieves, the game offers great sea exploration mechanics where the player can discover shipwrecks and abandoned shelters while also trying to deal with local sea monsters. It also offers co-op features for great multiplayer experiences.
Atlas
Altas is an MMO based on sea exploration and pirate life. The game offers an interesting and unique concept that can be fun, at times, with the right mods and adjustments on private servers with friends.
However, without mods or any experience, the game can become extremely frustrating due to still being in early access and having more than a few bugs. For people who want an MMO that resembles Sea of Thieves and have the patience to deal with all the bugs, though, Atlas is a solid choice.
Breakwaters
Breakwaters is a forthcoming sea survival game that will be released in Q3 of 2021. It will include an extremely vast ocean world to explore, with small islands in between where the player will be able to settle down and build bases.
Further to that, there will be multiple ways to traverse the ocean, like ships and even gliders, as well as strong enemies and bosses to fight against.
Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue is an ocean exploration game where the player discovers the depths and the unique features of the Earth's ocean. The game offers a great narrative and amazing scenery that allows the player to explore the ocean in a unique way.
From learning about all the numerous creatures that inhabit it and their habits to exploring the vast and amazingly distinct biomes that are located around the sea, the game offers a unique aquatic experience.