May 2019 Update: We’ve added new games to this growing list of titles.
The Golden Age of Pirates has inspired many a story, song, and film, and video games are no exception to its inspirational qualities. It was an age where piracy upon the sea was rife, and where traveling from point A to point B was a peril-filled adventure. The world was a pretty unsafe place back in the day, and to top it off, it was filled with real-world characters like Black Beard.
Needless to say, the Golden Age of Pirates has become something of an anchor for video games, competing as a strong genre among the likes of zombies, aliens, and robots.
In this list, we take a look at some of the best and most well-received (by the public, and by yours truly) pirate-themed games of all time. Please note that these games are not listed in any particular order.
Not all pirate games need to consist of running through scallywags and tearing through their ships with cannons. Puzzle Pirates is a rather unique game even apart from its theme of piracy, seeing as it is an MMO that primarily consists of puzzle mini-games. Everything from naval combat to blacksmithing consists of different puzzle games.
#15 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Developers: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: PC, PS4, XBO
Okay yes, we know, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is not a pirate focused game but the title does provide gamers with plenty of adventure and treasures to seek out. Not to mention, you can sail the open sea and partake in naval battles to even hunting down merchant ships to steal their goods. At the time of writing this, you may find this to be one of the better pirate like games to enjoy today.
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The video game is set in 431 BCE where players will have the choice of being a mercenary that fights for Athens and the Delian League or the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Either way, players will be a descendant of Spartan King Leonidas I during the Peloponnesian War.
#14 One Piece Pirate Warriors 3
- Developer: Omega Force
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Platforms: PS3, PS4, PSV, PC, NS
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 is the third game in the Koei Tecmo’s series of action games inspired by the pirate-themed anime series. You’ll experience the story of One Piece with its trademark hack & slash beat ’em up gameplay.
Be sure to use a controller if you’re playing it on PC!
#13 Atlas
- Developer: Grapeshot Games, Instinct Games
- Publisher: Grapeshot Games
- Platforms: PC
- Release: December 22, 2018
Atlas is the latest MMO based on being a pirate. Players will join together in a massive world that is supposed to allow over 40,000 players to actively dwell within it. Now the game is currently in Early Access which means that we can expect certain aspects of the title to not work as intended. Overall, the game will allow players to create crews and grow a civilization all while exploring the open seas.
#12 Risen 2: Dark Waters
- Developer: Piranha Bytes, Wizarbox
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
Though the original Risen was a medieval fantasy game, Risen 2 is a swashbuckling-themed game that transfer classic Caribbean pirate themes into a fantasy world where ancient gods, voodoo magic and titans coexist. As an RPG, players take control of a main character to explore the world.
#11 Assassin’s Creed Pirates
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: Mobile
A spin-off of the Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag game, Pirates is developed for smartphones and follows the pirate Alonzo Batilia in search of the treasure of the French pirate La Buse. The game focuses on naval combat and shares some strong similarities to Black Flag in terms of combat and gameplay.
#10 Age of Booty
- Developer: Certain Affinity
- Publisher: Capcom
- Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
Taking place in the swashbuckling era, Age of Booty is a real-time multiplayer strategy game that allows players to helm their very own pirate ship with the goal of sinking enemy opponents and sending them to the depths of the ocean.
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Players team up with other online players or AI-controlled pirate ships to raid, pillage, and destroy their way to dominance on the high seas.
#9 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – The Legend of Dead Kel
- Developer: 38 Studios, Big Huge Games
- Publisher: 38 Studios, Electronic Arts
- Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
The Legend of Dead Kel is an expansion pack for the ill-fated, but nevertheless great RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. It adds a rather significant expansion onto the base game, providing a raft of new content in an island called Gallows End.
It’s full of undead pirates and even includes a new player housing called Gravehal Keep, featuring an estate with quest givers and perks.
#8 Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
- Developer: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, X360, XBO
Taking place during the Golden Age of Pirates, Black Flag puts players in the role of one Edward Kenway, a buccaneer and pirate who finds himself embroiled in an ages-old conspiracy—a war between Templars and Assassins that’s raging on even to this day. Players fly the Jolly Roger upon their mast and undertake missions on both sea and land.
#7 Windward
- Developer: Tasharen Entertainment
- Publisher: Tasharen Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, Mobile
If you enjoyed Sid Meier’s Pirates but hated all of the turn-based strategy, dancing, and swordfighting aspects, then Windward is the game for you. Windward is essentially a streamlined version of Sid Meier’s Pirates designed as a cooperative multiplayer sandbox with only the fun parts: sailing your ship and blowing up other ships.
It’s a fully procedural co-op game, meaning that every time you play the game, you enter into an all new world that’s unique to that playthrough. You sail about, find resources, upgrade your ship, and conquer territory.
#6 Sid Meier’s Pirates!
- Developer: MicroProse
- Publisher: MicroProse, Ultra Games
- Platforms: Amiga, PC, NES, Genesis, DS
Sid Meier’s Pirates! is a game containing almost every aspect of pirate life. There’s real-time sea battles, turn-based land battles, dance offs, and tactical sword-fighting.
Originally developed in 1987 (sans ballroom dancing), the game was remade in 2004 with much of its features intact.