Summary

• Pirate games can extend beyond traditional settings, like sky and space, allowing for broad creative exploration.
• Sea of Thieves is the definitive pirate video game according to ratings and popularity, offering a variety of gameplay styles.
• Some of the best pirate-themed games include Sid Meier's Pirates! and The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

Pirates are one of the staples of beloved themes in fiction, including popular video game franchises such as The Legend of Zelda and Assassin's Creed. Pirate games can allow players to explore different sides of the idea by getting to sail the seas and fighting other ruffians along the way, or simply enjoying a hunt for buried treasure. The human yearning for adventure and freedom can be perfectly conveyed in the theme, and many developers over the years have explored the idea through the creation of some incredible games.

While the classic thought of pirates brings to mind sailing the ocean through tropical weather or vicious storms in a large pirate ship, some games have explored going beyond the norm. Games such as Skies of Arcadia and Rogue Galaxy have placed a familiar pirate theme in less traditional settings of skies or even outer space. These prove that pirates can come in all types, and even evolve to cross over into other genres on occasion, while still holding fast to the theme.

Many pirate-themed games have been released over the years. This list looks at overall ratings, Metacritic scores, and popularity to choose the best of all time.

10 Sea Of Thieves (2018) Is A Definitive Pirate Game

Xbox Series X/S, PC, And Coming Soon To PS5

Although the game has a relatively low Metacritic score of 69, Sea of Thieves has had numerous updates and expansions over the years which have helped make it the definitive pirate video game. It is likely the first game to come to mind for many players when pirates are brought up and offers a chance for everyone to truly be pirates by playing however they would like to play. Whether someone chooses to focus on solo play or multiplayer, they can enjoy battling monsters, attacking other players, or seeking out treasure.

9 Blackwake (2017) Has PvP & Up To 54 Players

Only Available On PC

Playing as a pirate online in Blackwake, players can work together to sail and maintain a ship. This portion of the game feels similar to Sea of Thieves, but it quickly becomes more akin to a Call of Duty game with pirates. Blackwake offers three PvP modes for players to enjoy in Team Deathmatch, Capture The Booty, and Fortress Siege, with lobbies supporting 54 players for sufficiently large-scale showdowns. Although the release of Sea of Thieves not long after stole some of Blackwake's thunder, players interested in PvP first and foremost can look here for a great experience.

Blackwake does not have a Metacritic score but has an 82% positive review score on Steam.

8 Rogue Galaxy (2005) Follows Pirates In Space

Available On PS2 & Digitally On PS4

Rogue Galaxy is a pirate game on a galactic scale. This RPG adventure trades oceans for space and islands for planets while still holding solidly to the pirate feeling. It has earned itself a Metacritic score of 83 for its unique space pirate story with a deep narrative, real-time combat, and over 100 hours of game content. Rogue Galaxy was originally released on the PlayStation 2 but is currently available digitally for the PS4 console as well.

7 Skies of Arcadia (2000) Is A Classic RPG

Available On Nintendo GameCube & Sega Dreamcast

Air pirates are pirates too, as is proven in the Dreamcast game Skies of Arcadia. This JRPG follows the story of a young air pirate and his friends who must stop an evil Valuan Empire from bringing back ancient weapons that would destroy the world. Players fly airships around six floating continents, charting a map while they explore, and fight in turn-based battles. Although an older game, it is still a fun one to experience and offers a solid story with a Metacritic score of 84.

6 Return To Monkey Island (2022) Is The Comeback Of A Classic

Available On PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mobile

When it comes to pirate video games, it is hard to beat the Monkey Island series for their clever adventures. From LucasArts and the same team behind Grim Fandango, the Monkey Island series is one of the definitive point-and-click adventure titles.

The most recent entry for the franchise is Return To Monkey Island, continuing the idea of the Golden Age of Piracy that the previous games revolved around, yet is designed so people can enjoyably play the game without having experienced the first five entries. Pirate Guybrush Threepwood's silly and puzzling adventure back on Monkey Island is full of pirate escapades, backstabbing, and maps to treasures with a Metacritic score of 87.

5 Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004) Remake Improves An Already Great Game

On PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii, PC, & Mobile

Most might recognize Sid Meier's name from the Civilization games, but another classic title that bears his signature is Sid Meier's Pirates! Originally released as a Commodore 64 game, the 2004 remake took the original game and polished it almost perfectly for the time. The new remake has a favorable Metacritic score of 88.

The goal of Sid Meier's Pirates! is to become the world's greatest pirate, much like becoming the greatest nation in Civilization. This involves real-time strategy and swashbuckling action as the player plunders the seas, fights other pirates, and gathers as many riches as possible. Sid Meier's Pirates! features a more robust approach to trading than many other pirate games, making this great abandoned RPG series hold its own even today.

4 Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire (2018) Is An Isometric RPG

Available On PS4, Xbox One, PC

In a refreshing change-up from the usual third-person gameplay, Pillars Of Eternity 2: Deadfire brings pirates into an isometric RPG similar to the Diablo or Baldur's Gate franchises. Though naval action is a little rough around the edges, the open world and combat make up for it.

Like the first Pillars of Eternity, Deadifre provides a robust roleplaying experience and story. The extensive character creator lets players shape the seafarer of their dreams, and the fantasy setting showcases a reality where a world akin to Middle-earth or Tamriel has advanced to its equivalent of the 17th century. Pillars Of Eternity 2 was developed by Obsidian, the studio behind other genre-bending RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds, and has a Metacritic score of 88.

3 The Secret Of Monkey Island Special Edition (2009) Is Excellent

Available On PS3, Xbox 360, and PC

Monkey Island games are known for mixing cartoon comedy and antics with puzzle-solving elements. Although there are now many entries in the series, it all began with the original The Secret of Monkey Island game back in 1990 for MS-DOS and Atari platforms.

In 2009, a remake was made of the game as The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition with updated graphics, new voiceovers, and several improvements to basic game mechanics to make it suitable for more modern systems. This classic remake has a Metacritic score of 88 and allows players to experience the beginnings of Guybrush Threepwood's pirate adventure.

2 Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (2013)

PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo Switch, PC

In the vast array of Assassin's Creed games, Black Flag is often listed as one of the best and has a Metacritic score of 88 for good reason. The story of rogue pirate Edward Kenway evolving into a hero of the seven seas became a fan favorite for not only putting more focus on the events of the past but having a very different assassin, and many fans are still disappointed that an Edward Kenway Assassin's Creed trilogy never happened.

While it features the classic Assassin's Creed formula to please fans of the series, Black Flag also manages to make the player feel like a pirate. The player can meet famous figures such as Blackbeard and Mary Read, sail across the Caribbean, listen to shanties, find treasure, raid ships, and everything else someone might want to do as a pirate.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002)

Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo WiiU

The Zelda franchise may not be known for pirates, and The Wind Waker may not have a pirate protagonist, but this particular adventure of Link still hits on several genre staples. It is a vast ocean with a plethora of memorable Wind Waker islands to check out, pirates and sailors to talk to, treasure to search for, and even sea kaiju such as Big Octos to fight.

From the music to the visuals to sailing around on Link's living boat, the atmosphere of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker gives a feeling of adventure. It helps the player feel immersed in this world of pirates and magic akin to Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with Peter Pan. With an incredible Metacritic score of 96, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker manages to be both one of the best Zelda titles and the best pirate video game around.

Sources: Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), Blackwake/Steam