Sid Meier's Pirates!
Sid Meier's Pirates! is a 1987 action-adventure and strategy game developed by MicroProse. Set in the 17th-century Caribbean, it casts the player as a privateer who sails between historically named ports, engages in real-time naval battles, duels rival captains in sword fights, hunts for buried treasure using map fragments, and builds a reputation across the Spanish Main by serving one of four competing nations.
Its blend of open-ended exploration, timing-based swordfighting, wind-aware ship-to-ship combat, and trade made it a landmark of the sandbox genre long before the term existed. Players can even court a governor's daughter through a dance mini-game, and the freedom to shape your own pirate career, then retire into a ranked ending, gave it enormous replay value and critical acclaim.
The game was famously remade in 2004 with updated visuals while retaining its beloved gameplay, and both the original and that remake remain enjoyable ways to experience this genre-defining classic.
Play it today
Modern alternatives to Sid Meier's Pirates!, with the devices they run on and their price. Ordered editorially by how well each one stands in for the original, with community votes weighted in as they accumulate.
Prices, platform availability and Steam Deck compatibility can change at any time. Always check the store page before buying.
Sail Forth Indie
€ 19,99A cosy indie open-sea sailing adventure of exploration and trade.
Sail Forth runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
King of Seas Indie
€ 26,99An action RPG of ship duels, trade routes and procedural Caribbean maps.
King of Seas runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Sea of Thieves
€ 39,99 + in-app purchasesA shared-world pirate adventure with sailing and treasure hunts.
Sea of Thieves runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Skull and Bones
€ 29,99Ubisoft's open-world pirate game, with ship combat, smuggling and a shared Indian Ocean.
Skull and Bones runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox. Not available on Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android phone, Android tablet, Switch. It is Steam Deck Verified.
Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004)
€ 8,99The acclaimed modern remake, on PC and mobile.
Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004) runs on PC, iPhone, iPad. Not available on Mac, Linux, Android phone, Android tablet, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch. It is Steam Deck Untested.
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