Video Games
How to play Sea of Thieves
Sail, solve voyage clues, recover loot and sell it. This ongoing pirate sandbox has no single final winner.
What you need
Installed game, online access and supported controls; clear crew communication helps
Set up the game
- Complete Maiden Voyage for equipment, maps, repair and sailing.
- Choose sloop for 1–2, brigantine for 2–3 or galleon for 3–4; stock food, planks and cannonballs.
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Playing Sea of Thieves
- Select a voyage or activity and inspect its clues. Plan a route using the chart table.
- Raise anchor, adjust sails and steer while checking rocks, shallows and heading.
- Complete island clues or encounters and carry loot aboard; watch approaching crews on High Seas.
- Patch hull holes with planks and bail existing water overboard. Repair stops inflow; buckets remove water already inside.
- Deliver loot to an appropriate buyer for gold/reputation. Loading it aboard does not bank a sale. Voyages finish, but the wider sandbox continues.
Two damage-control jobs
A collision opens a hull hole and water rises. One pirate patches it, but accumulated water remains. Another scoops and throws that water overboard. If everyone bails while the hole stays open, inflow can undo their effort; if everyone repairs when nearly sunk, emergency bailing may be needed first.
Plan the return trip
Before another detour, compare supplies, available crew time and the nearest appropriate buyer. Several chests but little repair wood may justify returning rather than starting another encounter. This is a risk choice, not a rule forcing immediate sale. Agree the destination aloud so navigator and helm work from the same plan. A successful learning session can be one completed voyage and safe return, rather than a maximum-value treasure stack.
Beginner decisions
- Assign helm, lookout, sails and repair jobs before trouble. Small crews can combine jobs, but somebody must notice rising water.
- Sell at manageable intervals while learning; long loot stacks also increase what is exposed to theft or sinking.
Common rule mix-ups
- Patching while nearly full of water without bailing enough to survive.
- Assuming sinking another crew is every session’s required objective.
Questions about this game
Is treasure safe on deck?
No; it remains physical loot until sold.
Must the anchor stay down when parked?
Not always. Raised sails and a ready anchor can permit a quicker departure when conditions allow.
Set up your first video game session →
Sources and edition notes
Adventure sailing, beginning with Maiden Voyage. High Seas includes rival crews; Safer Seas has different restrictions. Seasonal reward rates are not covered.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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