Sea of Thieves keeps landing in Steam’s free-to-play weekend slot, which is the fastest way to bring a crew of four back together for a session. The trouble is what to play once the weekend ends. Sea of Thieves has a particular shape, four players crewing a ship, arguing about who mans the wheel, shouting when a kraken shows up. Not every “pirate game” hits that shape. We tested seven Sea of Thieves alternatives for PC in 2026 and ranked them by how well the whole crew stays engaged.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Crew size | Price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skull and Bones | Combat-heavy naval PvP and PvE | Solo, 3-player squads | Full price | Serious ship combat and Indian Ocean setting |
| Blackwake | Cannon-loading first-person crews | Up to 27 per ship | Small one-time price | The most crew coordination on the list |
| Man O’ War: Corsair | Age of Sail single-player exploration | Solo | Small one-time price | Warhammer Fantasy pirate setting |
| Atlas | Persistent-world pirate MMO | 1 to 100 per company | Full price | Massive persistent world |
| Windward | Top-down naval trading and combat | 1 to 4 | Small one-time price | The cozy one on this list |
| Salt 2: Shores of Gold | Solo or small-crew exploration sandbox | 1 to 4 | Full price | Procedural islands and quiet pace |
| Raft | Ocean survival with crafting | 1 to 8 | Full price | Different genre, same “us on the water” energy |
Why people are looking past Sea of Thieves
The complaints on the Steam forums and the Sea of Thieves subreddit sound similar. The PvE loop repeats faster than most players expect. Session content is fantastic when the crew is four; solo or duo it grinds. Sword combat has been shaky since the last balance pass. Cosmetic focus in the Emporium annoys players who wanted more voyages instead. Nothing here is a dealbreaker, but every one of them nudges someone to check what else is out there.
The alternatives
Skull and Bones, best for serious naval combat
Skull and Bones grew up. The launch was rough; the ship in 2026 is a different game. Combat is heavier, cargo runs are meaningful, and the Indian Ocean setting is a change from every other Caribbean pirate game. Solo play works. Squads of three fit its shape better than a Sea of Thieves crew of four.
Where it falls short: the first-person deck life of Sea of Thieves is not here. You are commanding a ship, not walking it.
Pricing:
- Base: full-price release with regular sales
- Live-service model with seasons
- vs Sea of Thieves: better combat, worse crew-on-deck social play
Buy: Steam · Epic Games Store
Bottom line: pick Skull and Bones when the ship combat is what your crew cared about.
Blackwake, best for pure crew coordination
Blackwake puts up to 27 players on a single ship and asks them to load cannons, patch hull damage, and yell at each other about the sails. It is the closest a game has come to Master and Commander mechanics on PC. Small dev team, small servers, but the sessions are the most crew-coordinated on this list.
Where it falls short: population is small. You may need to schedule sessions with friends rather than expect a full server at 3am.
Pricing:
- Base: small one-time price
- vs Sea of Thieves: much deeper coordination, much shallower content
Buy: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the actual point of Sea of Thieves was the shouting.
Man O' War: Corsair, best for solo Age of Sail exploration
Man O’ War: Corsair is a single-player pirate game set in Warhammer Fantasy’s Old World. Ship battles, boarding, exploration, and a light career mode. It is what Sea of Thieves would look like if it were designed as a solo Age of Sail simulator.
Where it falls short: single-player only. The Warhammer Fantasy setting will be a plus or a minus depending on your crew.
Pricing:
- Base: small one-time price, deep discounts often
- vs Sea of Thieves: no crew, better solo career
Bottom line: the pick when your Sea of Thieves session is one person and a Friday night.
Atlas, best for persistent-world pirate life
Atlas is what happens when the makers of Ark decide to make pirates. Persistent world, giant companies of players, base-building on islands, taming, and huge naval battles between crews. It is not for a two-hour session; it is for a group that treats a game like a hobby.
Where it falls short: it demands time. Solo play is punishing. Servers have wipe cycles.
Pricing:
- Base: full-price release with sales
- vs Sea of Thieves: much bigger scope, much bigger commitment
Buy: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when your crew wants to be a pirate crew as a lifestyle.
Windward, best for a cozy top-down naval game
Windward is a top-down naval trading and combat game with co-op for up to four. Procedurally generated maps, faction storylines, and short sessions that go somewhere. It is the cozy pick on this list, closer to Faster Than Light on a boat than to Sea of Thieves.
Where it falls short: it is small in scope. Not a first-person game.
Pricing:
- Base: small one-time price
- vs Sea of Thieves: cozy and short, works for tired evenings
Buy: Steam
Bottom line: the pick for two-player evenings when a Sea of Thieves session feels like too much.
Salt 2: Shores of Gold, best for slow exploration sandbox
Salt 2: Shores of Gold is a first-person pirate sandbox with procedural islands, quests, and light survival mechanics. Solo or small crew works. The pace is deliberately slower than Sea of Thieves, more Windwaker than Warhammer.
Where it falls short: small development team, so features arrive in bursts. Not a competitive game.
Pricing:
- Base: full-price release, sales are frequent
- vs Sea of Thieves: quieter, first-person, less content
Buy: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when you want the pirate feeling without the constant PvP threat.
Raft, best for the "us on the ocean" energy in a different genre
Raft is not a pirate game. It is ocean survival with crafting, sharks, and a story about lost cities. It hits the same “we are together on the water” beat with a friendlier group dynamic. Up to eight players, sessions that scale from an evening to weeks.
Where it falls short: no combat depth, no pirate fantasy. If the sword and cannons were the point, Raft will disappoint.
Pricing:
- Base: full-price release with sales
- vs Sea of Thieves: different genre, similar social energy
Buy: Steam
Bottom line: the pick when the crew is what mattered and the pirate part was flavor.
How to choose
Pick Skull and Bones when your crew wanted better ship combat. Pick Blackwake when the whole point was coordinated cannon crews. Pick Man O’ War: Corsair for solo Age of Sail nights. Pick Atlas when the crew wants a persistent-world hobby. Pick Windward for cozy top-down evenings. Pick Salt 2 for slow first-person exploration. Pick Raft when the group cares more about being together on the water than about being pirates. Stay on Sea of Thieves when the four-player crew loop is still the best thing you play with these people.
FAQ
Is Sea of Thieves still worth playing in 2026? Yes for a four-player crew. Solo and duo play show the cracks the community has complained about for years.
Which Sea of Thieves alternative is fully free? None on this list are free-to-play, though Sea of Thieves itself keeps returning to Steam’s free-to-play weekend slot. Windward and Blackwake are the cheapest one-time purchases.
What is the best naval combat game on PC? Skull and Bones has the most polished naval combat as of 2026. Blackwake wins for crew-coordinated combat.
Are any of these good for solo players? Man O’ War: Corsair and Salt 2: Shores of Gold are the strongest solo picks. Skull and Bones works solo but is designed for squads.
Can any of them run on Steam Deck? Sea of Thieves runs on Steam Deck. Skull and Bones and Windward run well. Blackwake and Atlas need tuning.
