10. Those Water Physics
That sunset glow
It may seem a strange starting point to rave about this game, but those waves are what first catch your eye. When your ship bobs through the surf, cannonballs send spray cascading about you, and the glowing sunset dances over the water – that’s living, my friend.
Rare – the game’s devs – wanted to make the water ‘one of the stars of the game’. By meticulously basing the behaviour of the in-game ocean on its real-life counterpart, the results really do shine as a key feature.
9. The Lasting Art Style
Old Sailor Isle, the game's starting area
For a game that’s now five years old, it still looks gorgeous. This is thanks to the stylised graphics applied in the creation of this world. Everything has that slightly wonky, exaggerated look - even the Player models - with surfaces textured with a painted effect that never goes out of fashion. This, combined with the stunning lighting, forms a charming atmosphere you’ll get lost in for hours on end.
8. A Huge Open-World of Opportunity
The Skellies are always guarding their Treasure
With four unique regions to visit, filled with seventy-four varied charted islands (so far), you have a veritable playground to begin exploring in. Every location will bring you hoards of plunder, which can be sold to one of six main Trading Companies – the Gold Hoarders, the Order of Souls, the Merchant Alliance, the Hunter’s Call, the spectral Athena’s fortune, and the ravenous Reaper’s Bones.
But getting hold of all that loot, and keeping hold until you sell, is no mean feat. Traps, monsters, foes, Mother Nature, and sometimes the loot itself will put a stop to you. Threats come in all shapes and sizes, from devil ships crewed by the undead and underwater caverns guarded by vicious mermaids, to the most dangerous foe of all – other Players…
7. The Songs and the Sounds of the Seas
A jolly tavern singsong
One of the most joyous moments I had in this game was playing the ‘1812 Overture’ on a hurdy-gurdy with my crew on other instruments, whilst the last member manned the ship’s cannons, firing in time with the music. Credit to ‘The Kreators’ for one of the best renditions (See below). With seventeen shanties to play on four instruments, it’s easy to provide the finest sailing score to any voyage. When you return to adventuring, the game’s symphonic soundtrack kicks in, setting the perfect mood for any encounter.
The open world itself is a joy to simply listen to, music or no. The quality of the sound design is top-notch, faithfully reproducing the creak of rigging, the clash of swords, the clunk of a Skeleton’s foot on sand, the muffled bubbling as you dive underwater. It honestly feels like a living, breathing world.
1812 /w Cannons | Sea of Thieves
6. Hook hands and Bespoke Ships
The Captain's Cabin
If you’re a sucker for customisation options, as I am, then good news – this is the main reward for progression in Sea of Thieves. On top of kitting out your outfit, gear, weaponry, emotes, and every aspect of your ship, you can even get a cute pet to become your crew’s mascot. (Cute until you accidentally pick them up whilst trying to fire the cannons in a panic, like my dumb son of an egg Parakeet)..
Even without spending real-world money in the game store, there are plenty of charming cosmetics to earn in game. From story mission items to the occasional ‘Plunder Pass’, which gives you free rewards! A better model than most battle passes…
5. The Fear of Losing Everything!
Down to the depths
The Ocean is not a forgiving host in this game. Every time you set sail in search of riches, there is always the threat that you will be sunk, have your loot stolen, and have to start from scratch. Losing hours of gameplay to a hungry opponent, or even to a lapse in concentration, can be frustrating, to say the least. But this is also what makes the voyage so captivating.
The gameplay loop is designed in a way that taunts you into taking risks. To chase that next prize spotted through your telescope – just one more before you go and sell the lot! What could go wrong? Each artefact stowed in the hold raises the stakes and adds to the thrill. And if you do end up the victim of an ambush, well, you can always respawn and set out with a new objective – vengeance!
4. Wacky Adventures
Ssshhh. The Meg slumbers.
You never know what’s going to happen when you load up a session on the seas. Outside of the more scripted story segments, the potential for unique, random experiences is high. Never mind the times you’ll be set upon by a Skeleton or Ghost Fleet, Megalodon, or Kraken, the human element is what creates the most epic memories.
Whether you get caught in an hour-long chase and cannon skirmish, link up with other crews to form an Alliance, or drop everything to see who can land on top of an island first by shooting themselves out a cannon, the list of creative shenanigans you can engage in is almost endless.
My favourite moment had to be when my crew managed to convince another crew that we wanted to be buddies. As they relaxed and docked next to our ship, I snuck on board theirs with a gunpowder keg, bombed them, and we stole all their loot! And it set off one of those long pursuits across the whole map as they tried to recover their stuff. This is one of those few games where there is serious reward and joy to be found in being an absolute swine!
3. Sailing Together
Safer in numbers
It’s perfectly possible to sail the smallest ship – a Sloop – as a solo captain, but for a truly efficient voyage, you need a crew helping you. Or hindering, as so often happens.
Piloting a Sloop with two players makes for an easier ride, but the real magic happens with a crew of three on a Brigantine, or four on the gargantuan Galleon. All hands on deck means less panicky multitasking, allowing some of the crew to focus on combat, whilst the others navigate and repair damage. Always helps to have folk watching your back!
Beyond the practicality, it’s interacting with others where the game really shines. From messing about on the ship, to raiding ancient tombs side by side, to just passing by a stranger’s ship and setting off fireworks to show you’re friendly, the community is what makes it. That community is kept alive by streamers and other content creators, using the gorgeous world to tell their stories. And Rare really celebrate their fans, scheduling events for the community and multiplying the Gold bonus on Treasure. Those who love Sea of Thieves, really love it.
2. Being a Pirate!
I wouldn't cross this crew, 'specially him in the bottom right. Fierce
Come on, that’s what you’re here for! You can’t not roleplay. The style here leans into the romantic, absurd fantasy of the pirate life, and you have every opportunity to throw yourself into that dream. When everything comes together, and you’re ploughing through a storm with your colours flying high, cutlass and flintlock flailing, laden with Treasure and locked in naval combat with several ships at once, that’s when you’re in the zone.
There are a few other games that aim to emulate that pirate experience, many more realistically so, but, for me, nothing else holds a candle to the depth and atmosphere of Sea of Thieves. So, fix on that eyepatch and grab your sharpest cutlass. It’s plundering time!
1. Always New Adventures on the Horizon
'Bring me that horizon...'
From an admittedly bare bones beginning, Sea of Thieves has grown into something special, and continues to grow. The devs are always updating their world, further increasing its replayability. Much of that involves fixes and quality of life updates to the gameplay,and for the most part, those updates come with additional chapters to the game’s original story. These are often accompanied by new game modes and locations. As it stands, the game is bursting with things to see and do.
The additions don’t stop there. Back in 2021, Rare collaborated with Disney to bring Pirates of the Caribbean into the game with their ‘A Pirate’s Life’ update. The beloved series was crafted into playable missions, exploring new corners of Pirates’ lore, and bringing yet more cosmetics. And this year another collaboration, this time with Lucasfilm Games, is bringing ‘The Legend of Monkey Island’ to the well-travelled surf.
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