If you’re a gamer with a fondness for pirates, you’ve been spoiled for choice as of late, and it seems this will continue to be the case going forward. Rare’s excellent Sea of Thieves is full of content following years of updates, with collaboration items to chase, islands to explore, and fun player interactions around every corner. And if you want to focus fully on ship combat with cutting-edge visuals, the divisive Skull and Bones may be for you. Fans of storytelling could look toward the heavily leaked Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remake, with it being one of the worst-kept secrets in gaming at the moment. Yet for sea shanty-loving adventurers who want all of the above, the upcoming Steam game Sea of Remnants is one to keep an eye on, as it outshines the mainstays of the genre in a few ways.
Skull and Bones’ flaws are well-documented; critics of the game quickly dubbed it “boring,” by offering nothing beyond naval combat, as many wanted to see ship boarding and deep off-boat exploration. Early technical issues and repetitive tasks held back the live-service title early on, too. It has since received some solid support from Ubisoft, ironing out issues, deepening territory mechanics, and even introducing a massive kraken to fight through its most recent season. There is an audience for the game, but it’s going go be niche given the ship-centric gameplay, and some are unwilling to grant it a second chance. As for Black Flag, yes, it’s one of the best Assassin’s Creed games ever made and very deserving of a remake, but those who want a more straightforward pirate experience could be put off by all its tailing missions, lore, and so on. Its lack of co-op is also a problem for some, as many want to go on pirate adventures with friends, not by themselves. Barriers like these are why Steam’s Sea of Remnants is so thrilling, as it seems to take the best parts of every pirate game and merges them together.
The Sea of Remnants’ Steam page has a 2026 release window listed. With this window not being very specific and the game clearly being ambitious, though, there’s always a chance for a delay.
Sea of Remnants’ Features at a Glance
- EXPLORE on land or sea, with turn-based combat offering intense battles and character upgrades making for a proper RPG.
- UNCOVER an interesting story that keeps note of any bonds forged along the way.
- BUILD and upgrade your own ship, fighting huge sea creatures and sailing a sea impacted by dynamic weather.
- MEET 300 potential companions and crewmates as well as rival factions.
- RELAX in an engaging hub area full of fun mini-games.
- APPRECIATE a punk, comic book aesthetic, with energetic music, flashy animations, and plenty of personality throughout.
- EMBARK on four-player multiplayer raids.
…brave dynamic seas, battle strange monsters, build your fleet, bond with 300+ companions, and shape the evolving pirate city of Orbtopia through every choice you make.
How Sea of Remnants Outshines Skull and Bones
Sea of Remnants immediately addresses the go-to complaint of Skull and Bones’ naysayers. Those who took pleasure in tearing that game down regularly pointed to its realism and grounded mechanics as “boring,” but it’s frankly impossible to say the same about Joker Studio’s project. The bright and energetic punk style may not be someone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly memorable, with the trailers for the game boasting clear punk vibes. Artistically, the game feels like what would happen if someone put pirates, League of Legends’ Jinx, Splatoon, and the protagonists of It Takes Two in a blender. The result is a visually spectacular game with some neat wooden characters, breathtaking environments, and a clear personality of its own. The description of the game being a “visual feast” is accurate, as its “comic book flair” and “graffiti energy” are awesome to see in action.
NetEase Games, the developer behind the similarly gorgeous Marvel Rivals, is serving as the publisher for Sea of Remnants.
Not only does Sea of Remnants address Skull and Bones’ personality issue, but it also makes it very clear that on-foot exploration is a key part of its gameplay loop. Players will be able to run around and explore interesting island settings, and in doing so, they may find enemies like giant crabs that they need to battle through turn-based combat. It certainly doesn’t seem like it will be a slouch when it comes to ocean warfare either, as players will be able to build a ship with custom parts and cannons. They’ll hire their own crew to man it, too, with over 300 potential companions to meet and forge bonds with. Said companions will also be used for turn-based combat, with players able to train them and unlock skills they can wield in battle. On top of all this, the game offers battles with huge sea creatures and dynamic weather like storms and whirlpools. To put it bluntly, Sea of Remnants seems to be doing nearly everything Skull and Bones does in a more interesting way, while also addressing pain points like land exploration.
Sea of Remnants’ Story Focus Could Pique The Interest of Assassin’s Creed Fans
It remains to be seen if Sea of Remnants’ narrative will come anywhere close to Edward Kenway’s journey, but those that loved Black Flag for its storytelling will be glad to know that Sea of Remnants is at least trying to spin an interesting tale of its own. In Sea of Remnants, players control a sailor with amnesia who seeks to recover the memories they lost, accompanied by a myserious girl who guides them on their journey. They’ll be able to do so if they can reach the titular location, and along the way, they’ll make choices like killing or sparing enemy groups that could have significant consequences later. At the journey’s end, “every bond you form will resurface,” giving players a payoff to all the characters they meet and interact with. While the Black Flag remake is rumored to make the story more accessible by cutting out its present-day portion, Sea of Remnants is guaranteed to be fully disconnected from a huge, nearly 20-year-old franchise, which means it can be appreciated fully by anyone.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Sea of Remnants Could Even Be Coming For Sea of Thieves’ Crown
While Sea of Remnants boasting an intriguing story, a beautiful art style, and both land and sea combat would be enough for an enjoyable game, it goes a step further with its hub of Orbtopia. One of the best things about its pirate peer, Sea of Thieves, is how players can slack off and make their own fun, and Sea of Remnants is fully embracing this concept via activities like mahjong, russian roulette, a drinking mini-game, and races. A rooster is even shown stealing an item from the player that they need to chase down, and the Steam page states that “cats run the alleys” and “a pirate gorilla” is present in the hub, so it seems like Orbtopia will be oozing as much personality as the game’s graphics do. While players will return here for supplies, character cosmetics, and ship upgrades, clearly there’s a lot of entertainment to enjoy outside the usual Sea of Remnants gameplay.
Perhaps the only question mark about Sea of Remnants is that it remains to be seen how deep its multiplayer elements will be; it has MMO and PvP tags on Steam, and four-player raids are confirmed, but there’s also a chance that a good portion of content is singleplayer only. No matter how its online play shakes out, though, Sea of Remnants looks like it could be a brilliant experience. At worst, it’s a personality-filled, primarily singleplayer pirate game that could easily outshine Black Flag and Skull and Bones in multiple areas. At best, it’ll also be challenging Sea of Thieves for its crown as a charming co-op-focused experience filled with things to do. With so much going for it, those with even a bit of interest in the pirate genre should add this 2026 title to their Steam wishlists if they haven’t already.
