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Pirate video games are romanticized versions of a bloody bygone era. Sailing the high seas, exploring for treasures, and hunting down competitors by taking command of the mothership offer a different kind of thrill altogether that demands the players to show bravado in the field of play.
While plenty of alien-space invasions, medieval RPG adventures, and futuristic shooter titles have charted the video gaming landscape over the years, there seems to be a shortage of options when it comes to Pirate video games. This feature looks deep into the abyss and attempts to pull out some of the finest pirate video games ever created:
These pirate video games allow players to rule the high seas
1) The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt
- Developer: Home Net Games
- Available on: Android, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Linux, Classic Mac OS
Released in 2016, The Pirate: the Caribbean is a free strategy game on Steam. This pirate video game takes players into a bygone era where pirates dominate the seas where they get to captain a ship in the vast expanses of the Caribbean Sea.
Players must explore for treasures and move from island to island to further customize their ships. The campaign mode features hundreds of islands and over a dozen ports to visit, has 20 different classes of ships to master, and the game poses no limit to players on how much they can expand their fleet of ships. It’s a fun title to pick, and although the grind is real, the game offers shortcuts through in-app purchases.
2) Blackwake
- Developer: Mastfire Studios Pty Ltd
- Available on: Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems
Most pirate video games explore the overarching facets of being a pirate. Blackwake deviates from the standard formula and offers gamers a more sophisticated seafaring experience.
Released in 2017, Blackwake is an indie pirate-themed online adventure where micromanagement is key, and pretty much every aspect of seafaring, ranging from lighting up and adjusting the angle of the cannons attached to the ship to adjusting the sails of the ship, needs to be performed.
This particular first-person multiplayer title throws players into a galleon ship alongside several other online crewmates tasked with sailing the open seas to find fortunes and eliminate any other opposing pirate ships that come their way.
Like most online multiplayer games, Blackwake has also been doing well over the past five years thanks to its loyal online community, and it’s a great pirate video game to meet like-minded looters.
3) Sea of Thieves
- Developer: Rare
- Available on: Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X, and Series S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Android
Released in 2018, Sea of Thieves is an incredibly well-optimized pirate-themed action-adventure title set in a dazzling open-world environment. This particular pirate video game offers an open-ended environment where players are free to explore anywhere they wish, whether solo or playing with friends to uncover hidden treasures.
Upon its release, Sea of Thieves received mixed reactions. While everyone praised the game’s open-ended gameplay feature, the developers were criticized for not including a diverse set of in-game content.
Since then, the developers have gone on to release a ton of exciting new content for the game with subsequent updates and have now transformed it into one of the most content-rich pirate adventures out there.
This is one of the best exploration games available to sail with a bunch of friends and set forth on a treasure hunt, take part in a raid against other players, or voyage across the vast ocean to defeat one of the many sea monsters.
4) LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean
- Developer: Traveller's Tales, TT Fusion
- Available on: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360.
LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean follows the events of the first four Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Players start in the Port, which acts as the player’s home base, and from there on in, players can re-play each film event as individual chapters that unfold in the typical humoristic style of the LEGO universe.
Right from the iconic battle against supervillain Hector Barbossa to taking down Davy Jones, LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean replicates the events that unfolded in the original movie series into a 3D sandbox environment, ideally. For a pirate video game released in 2011, LEGO: Pirates of the Caribbean still manages to hold off to this date as a swashbuckling adventure.
5) Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Available on: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii U, Google Stadia
Ubisoft has achieved a fantastic feat by delivering a sheer diversity of titles through their Assassin’s Creed franchise. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is yet another well-refined title that often goes under the radar.
In Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, players take on the role of a rogue pirate named Edward Kenway on a quest to dominate the Seven Seas. This particular Assassin’s Creed title retains all of its stealth-based and action-based combat systems while simultaneously delivering an authentic and immersive pirate experience to the players.
It’s a different Assassin’s Creed title, where players get to rule over the seven seas, explore mysterious treasures, raid ships, and do anything that a typical pirate does besides conducting assassinations. No wonder Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is considered one of the best Assassin’s Creed titles ever made.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
