Ever since Flag Capture and Pirate Adventure in the 1970s, video games have been trying to capture the fantasy of adventure on the high seas as a scurvy-ridden pirate. Of the games released in the 40+ years since those early attempts, some have certainly been better than others. As the release of Skull and Bones proves, even something as seemingly foolproof as a pirate adventure can still be incredibly underwhelming. So why not take a look at some of the best games that let players bring terror to the seven seas? For this list, we will be ranking games not only on their quality but also on how well they embody the pirate fantasy. A couple of rules; only one game per franchise and while the game does not have to take place in the real world, pirates and piracy must be the primary theme of each game. Without any further ado let’s jump right in.
Best video games where you play as a pirate
9. Pirates of the Caribbean
Many people sadly overlooked this title, likely believing it to be yet another of the hundreds of poorly made licensed games that infested game store shelves in 2003. Pirates of the Caribbean started off its life as a sequel to the 2000 Action RPG Sea Dogs and had the Disney license attached to it late in development. In truth, the game barely ties into the movies with the only content relating to them being a short opening narration by Kiera Knightley and an in-game mission to sink the Black Pearl. This game is admittedly somewhat rough around the edges and lacks many of the quality-of-life features that we take for granted today. Nonetheless, this is a solid sandbox RPG that can provide dozens of hours of swashbuckling fun. Even better is the fact that the game has a passionate modding scene that is continuing to produce new quality content to this day.
8. Tropico 2: Pirate Cove
When it comes to piracy, something just as important as the ships that used to sail the seas are the ports where they could rest, offload captives and booty, and hide from the navies of whatever country they managed to piss off that week. Tropico 2: Pirate Cove fully leans into this aspect of pirate life by casting the player as the leader of a pirate town. Players are tasked with a wide range of tasks including building and maintaining infrastructure as well as providing goods and services such as brothels, taverns, and gambling dens to keep buccaneers entertained and keeping the grog flowing, lest the pirates grow dissatisfied with your leadership and decide to stage a mutiny. How do you pay for all of this? Simple, just send out pirates to raid and pillage and use whatever captives they bring back as free labor. Tropico 2 is an incredibly fun if somewhat darkly comedic city builder that is well worth experiencing for any fans of the genre.
7. The Secret of Monkey Island
A landmark title in the point-and-click adventure genre, The Secret of Monkey Island follows the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood on his quest to become a “mighty pirate”. Monkey Island is by far the funniest Pirate game ever made with fantastic writing and incredibly witty dialog. Especially memorable in this respect are the game’s sword fights which the player wins by coming up with cleverest insults in a manner reminiscent of a rap battle. The game further sets itself apart from other adventure games with its excellent, yet still comically absurd puzzles that manage to be challenging without being unfair. Monkey Island never resorts to the kind of cheap design that plagued other adventure games of its time (and to a lesser extent still exists today) and is all the better for it. Combine this with an iconic soundtrack (including a main theme that has been stuck in our heads for the last 15 years) and you have an absolute classic.
6. Sea of Thieves
Piracy is often a team effort, with many different people on board a ship needing to work together and utilize their unique skills to be successful. There is no game that better embodies the spirit of plundering the high seas together with friends like Sea of Thieves. Despite getting off to a rocky start during its initial release in 2018, after years of updates and additions like Pirates of the Caribbean and Monkey Island DLC, the game has finally managed to realize its potential and has now become the premier multiplayer piracy experience.
In Sea of Thieves, players must work together as they sail the wide seas, find buried treasure, fight monsters, and occasionally engage in PVP with other groups of players. The game provides a compelling core gameplay loop that facilitates fun player-driven emergent gameplay. Sea of Thieves is often at its best when things don’t go according to plan and players are forced to improvise to get out of sticky situations. It also sports a lighthearted and cartoony art style and tone that perfectly compliments the playful spirit of adventure that this game embodies. For those who have never experienced it or those who fell off after being burned at release, there has never been a better time to experience Sea of Thieves.
5. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
For those who want some high fantasy in their pirate game Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire delivers. A loving homage to late 90s Infinity Engine RPGs, Pillars of Eternity has players assemble a crew and explore the eponymous Deadfire archipelago in search of a means to stop a god who is ravaging the land. Made by Obsidian Entertainment, this game continues the company’s well-earned reputation for excellence in the RPG genre. Deadfire achieves this through its fantastic writing and rich worldbuilding that thoroughly immerses players into its world while also exploring complex spiritual and philosophical themes. This is further enhanced by extremely deep gameplay that allows for an enormous amount of choice and customization as well as refined real-time with pause combat. While not as good as the original Pillars of Eternity, Deadfire is still a fantastic game that is well worth it for those who like a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean with their Baldur’s Gate.
4. Uncharted Waters: New Horizons
A largely overlooked gem of the 16-bit era, Uncharted: New Horizons had players take part in 6 different storylines set during the golden age of piracy. Each of the game’s 6 campaigns explores the lives of different people from that time, such as a Dutch Cartographer seeking to explore and map every part of the world, a Turkish merchant trying to make his fortune, an English naval officer turned privateer who is trying to shift the political balance of Europe and more. Supporting these eclectic stories is extremely solid core gameplay that combines exploration, trading, and resource management with the highly strategic combat that Koei was known for in the 90s. A great game overall that builds on the formula of its predecessors in almost every way while also creating its own identity that makes it worth playing today.
3. Skies of Arcadia
What could be cooler than a pirate of the sea? How about a pirate of the skies? Skies of Arcadia was easily one of the finest games released for the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, an epic RPG adventure set in the skies of a vast fantasy world. Players take control of Vyse and his merry band of sky pirates as they set out to save their world from the tyrannical Valuan Empire. The game is lauded for its emphasis on exploration combined with a mixture of traditional JRPG gameplay with in-depth ship-to-ship battles. This on top of a lovable cast of characters, a fun story, and a refreshingly optimistic worldview made Skies of Arcadia a classic pirate game. The game even managed to make inventive use of the Dreamcast VMU; letting players search for additional treasures that could be transferred into the main game while on the go.
2. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
And the award for most predictable entry on a top 10 list goes to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. In all seriousness, this game is a no-brainer for this list for a reason. Whether it’s exploring the open ocean, diving for shipwrecks, firing broadsides, or boarding enemy ships Black Flag nails every aspect of the Pirate experience. The game also features an admirable commitment to historical authenticity (aside from the whole assassins vs templars thing), allowing players to experience the most detailed version of the early 18th-century Caribbean ever created and rub shoulders with some of the most notorious buccaneers of the era such as Black Beard and Benjamin Honigold. All of this is complimented perfectly by the series’ patented acrobatic gameplay and a stellar presentation.
1. Sid Meier’s Pirates! (2004)
A fantastic remake of the OG pirate simulator, this game absolutely lived up to its tagline “live the life.” What is brilliant about this game is how it makes the players think like a pirate; needing to weave through the complex web of international politics while also finding ways to maximize profits through raids and plunder and minimizing risk. Being a successful pirate isn’t just about fighting but also how about exploiting the rivalries of the various European powers and leveraging Caribbean economics to your advantage. More so than any other entry on this list Sid Meier’s Pirates is able to fully encompass the pirate experience, featuring; exploration, swashbuckling, ship combat, trading, diplomacy, and more, granting the player nearly unparalleled freedom in how they climb the rungs of their career in high-seas piracy. An absolute classic that is sure to bring a smile to any salty sea dog’s face.