Sid Meier's Pirates!

Sid Meier's Pirates!
88
Metacritic
94
Steam
92.294
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$9.99
Release date
11 July 2005
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
94 (4 941 votes)
Recent
100 (37 votes)

Sail the Caribbean, marauding all on the high seas or ally your ship and crew as a privateer in search of riches - the life you choose is up to you. Face dogged enemies, raid unsuspecting villages, woo fair maidens, avoid capture or dig for buried treasure. Discover what it takes to become one of the most famous pirates in history!

Show detailed description

Sid Meier's Pirates! system requirements

Minimum: Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP, Pentium® 1.0 GHz or higher, 256 MB RAM, 1.2 GB Free HDD, 64 MB video card* with Hardware T&L support, Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP-compatible sound card*, DirectX® version 9.0b (included) or higher
* Indicates device should be compatible with DirectX® version 9.0b or higher.

Recommended:

Recommended requirements are not yet specified.
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
3920
Platforms
Windows PC
Similar games
Windward
Windward

Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG

$2.49 xDr: 75.48
Feral Blue
Feral Blue

Action, Adventure, RPG, Strategy, Early Access

$7.99 xDr: 47.79
Popularity
Reviews
Write a new review
Arcanyne
Arcanyne

Certified Classic. No other game offers as complete a pirate experience as this one. A remaster with better graphics only would be nice though

123
123

How tf am I supposed to find Montalbans hideout when the map has no landmarks? Military payroll ship 246 gold *fart*

Anonymous
Anonymous

I initially played Sid Meier's Pirates when it came out in the late 1980s. The newer version is enjoyable and has additional features that I've enjoyed.

bronzin54
bronzin54

Dangerously fun and addictive despite how repetitive it may seem as any other Sid Meier game. You can easily lose hours if not days trying to rack up your infamy and plunder merchant ships all while tracking down those who wronged you. It just doesn't get old, ever. Civilization may have one more turn, Pirates! has one more plunder and we all know that's a lie.

*Attention* The game may or may not install the steam.dll giving you a "steam not found' error message. Not to worry as this is a simple fix: Just copy the steam.dll file from the steam root directory and paste it into the "Sid Meier's Pirates!" steam folder. This may also need to do run in compatibility mode (Win XP Service pack 2)

Evilish
Evilish

it is retro gaming at it's best. i've been playing this game since it was released. i first played it on a tandy 1000.

princealbert1980
princealbert1980

The best pirate game out there, well next to uncharted waters new horizons, but this game you can build your fleet, find treasure, sack towns and fi d your family, has a light story line, in all its a great rounded pirate game.

hannibalred22
hannibalred22

Great and satisfying pirate experience play first on journeyman then gradually up the difficulty to get a feel for the game than start again as an adventurer to really get a challenging but fair experience

matt
matt

A timeless classic. Maybe the best game ever created. It's just a shame that it hasn't been updated since 2005.

kilynjbennett
kilynjbennett

played off and on all my life and its simple yet complex if you really want too and still fun. dosent even take much brain power if your tired too.

Sardit
Sardit

a blast from the past, but despite that, one of the more engaging games out there. Sure you can cheeze your way through the mini-games, but if you play it as it was intended this game is good to get stuck in on your next holiday. Be careful though it easily eats up time, and before you know it you're looking at dawn when you were just going to give it a try after dinner.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Maybe my favorite game of all time. Been playing it since the first version came out on Sega Genesis, however long ago that would have been!

Anonymous
Anonymous

A bit of nostalgic memories of the Commodor 64 in the "80s. First of the Sid Meier games that brought an open sandbox to explorer, as well as a story and every bit a simulator. Captain and pilot a tall ship on the Caribbean ocean, pillaging and plundering for notoriety, as the baddest pirate of the seven seas. Find your kidnapped sister and reclaim your families honor. If only this game allowed for multiplayer.

Zo time lord
Zo time lord

If someone told me this game was the reason computers were invented, I'd believe them. This game is fun as hell and everyone should play it once. And then play it again because it's amazing.

DangerRanger
DangerRanger

"CHUBON!"

"IMBRIGLICATED!"

11/10

oneclipleft
oneclipleft

My son (7) is a savant at this game. First thing, he named his pirate Pizza. Immediately after that, he starts boarding every ship he sees and just swashbuckling the shit out of their captains. Within minutes, his fleet is slap full of half-destroyed ships with 5 crew members apiece.

After looting about a dozen randos, a scant 20 minutes into his file, he screams "Dad! I just killed Blackbeard!" and banks 15,000 gold doubloons before smashing straight into some trade barge or whatever.

He's making me look bad, y'all. That's the real issue here. It won't be long before he's pirating TV shows, movies, and other games. Then he'll move on to the banks. No one will be safe from his reign of pirate terror.

No, not even you.

!Menzi
!Menzi

Never have I wanted to pirate a game I already own before

Ashham93
Ashham93

Classic game! Boats, fighting, upgrading, and best of all dancing.

Traveler243
Traveler243

Played this game as a kid and was so excited to rediscover it as an adult! I love this game so much and highly recommend to all gamers young and old.

The Dude  ⁧⁧☕
The Dude ⁧⁧☕

When I was a boy (a long time ago) this was an amazing game. Time to say goodbye...

crankenstein
crankenstein

Been playing this game for years. Going back to Sega Genesis days. Have always had fun and learned a lot about the geogrqphy of the cArribean

Haggis_MacB
Haggis_MacB

The greatest rhythm & dance game ever made. Also has some cool pirate minigames. 9/10.

YeetusMaximus
YeetusMaximus

This game is crazy good, easily one of the best games of all time!

Childe Roland
Childe Roland

I played this game a whole lot back in the day and I've played it even more on GOG, so ignore the low play time here on Steam. My save games aren't on the Steam version. ;)

Some days you want to play the best pirate game ever and enjoy the storyline. And some days you want to play the best sandbox pirate game ever and rampage across the Caribbean, reshaping the political landscape at whim. Fortunately they're the same game. You jump right into the storyline or for those days you don't want a challenge, but would instead like to indulge in a power fantasy you can fire up a trainer, skip the story quests, equip yourself with some awesome ships and gear, and go wreak havoc at whim. Either way, Sid Meier's Pirates! offers a rollicking good time that most other pirate themed games just can't seem to measure up to.

There's enough realism to be enjoyable without being overwhelming and getting bogged down in minutia, and the controls are easy to understand and use.

While it might be nice to have some sea shanties as part of the sound track, it really doesn't detract from the experience. The point of games is to entertain, and this game delivers in a big way. So. what are you waiting for? Quit reading this, go buy it on your favorite platform, and start having fun!

Candy man?
Candy man?

that has to be the grates pirate i ahve hever sean

joansilvester
joansilvester

It is easy to play and a challenge to get all the bonus stuff.

Alexiseightzero
Alexiseightzero

It's 2022 and I'm still playing this - that's how good it is.

Leopomon
Leopomon

One of the best classic games by Sid Meier's.

Scameranious
Scameranious

Sid Meier might be dead but my erection is very much alive.

Step into the life of a pirate who lives in a world where the Incans got to Florida somehow and built pyramids in the swamp. A world where evil barons for some reason know the hidden location of your kidnapped sister who has been living in the boonies alone for like 15 years.

Oh and did i mention the homo erotic scenes

Grogni Stiffmeade
Grogni Stiffmeade

This is such a great game, even as old as it is. They really need to do a sequel. Very replayable, too!

Commissar peter
Commissar peter

my charcter is undergoing a divorce :(

Maximus_ZA™
Maximus_ZA™

Best one ever. Need a sequel!!!

Ty Rants
Ty Rants

Still the best pirate game out there. But also kinda sad that nothing has come close to it in over 15 years except for Maybe Black Flag if you take out the AC junk.

suicidalhamster
suicidalhamster

excellent open world pirate sim. aging like a fine wine.

Anonymous
Anonymous

A classic game from my childhood that helped inspire my love for pirate lore!

Tiptoe-san
Tiptoe-san

Played the original back in the day for hours on end and I have enjoyed this updated version just as much. While having to dance my way to information gets a little tedious, once you've reached a certain level of romance with the governor's daughters is achieved, it's well worth the work in information and gifts...and you can always refuse. The game is fun even if it has a bit of a slower pace than many out there aren't used to. It's relaxing and not intended for someone that drinks 15 Red Bulls a day.

I've read many of the complaints and if the game is too easy for you, you should've picked a harder setting. I guarantee that you will find it quite impossible once you adjust it to one of the higher settings. I'm not sure where many of the negative reviewers are coming from but I haven't had a single bug yet. Perhaps the problem lies within their rigs and not in the game itself.

Aelrose
Aelrose

Fantastic, classic pirate simulator, with a charm that can't be beat!

Now if only my crew didn't ask for so much loot whenever we split up...

Goodish
Goodish

Grew up watching my dad play this and eventually bought it to play myself. One of the best pirate games there is, even if it is a little dated. Sure would love a modern version of this or maybe a new game just like it.

FeelsBadMan
FeelsBadMan

Its short, but sweet. i always come back to take that man o war again and again. best game made for naval combat, and its sick u have a massive entourage of captured ships and u also have to crew them ahahaha

Maddenbug
Maddenbug

Tons of fun with trying out different skills and ships and quests!

Anonymous
Anonymous

This game is reasonably priced, easy to learn and a lot of fun to play. If you want to explore your inner swashbuckler, I would highly recommend Sid Meier"s Pirates for your Steam collection!

CelticCatto
CelticCatto

very good game, it lets me attack the French and take over their settlements without a negative consequence pretend I'm in Treasure Island

DracoOfRoguesRoost
DracoOfRoguesRoost

YOU ARE A PIRATE

F*** THE GREEDY DUTCH

Hugh Janus
Hugh Janus

Used to play the heck out of sid meiers pirates as a kid. im having a blast playing again. Anyone having issues with the game cut videos and man menu make sure your graphics card is fully up to date. runs awesome.

karmacozzy2005
karmacozzy2005

It's one of the first multi-faceted games I played. It involves naval battles, land based strategy, puzzles, sword fights, trading and more. The graphics are great, and surpassed it's era and holds up today.

Meme Slut
Meme Slut

10/10 best childhood nostalgia game

Google docs
Google docs

So many different things to do in this game, its has dancing, fencing, sailing, ship battles, turn based combat when attacking cities, it has an economy system, this game is better than most recent releases which think you need to make every detail of the game so intricate to make players stay, this game is identical to the one you would have gotten out of the box set back in 2004, the guy complaining about privacy i doubt actually downloaded it from steam. there is nothing like what he described. no third party required. only thing that i would like to see is achievements but that is just a modernized thing i think would make this game better than it already is.

PROS:
Dancing
Sword Fighting
Ship Battles
Sailing
Open Economy
Land Battles
Different skill levels

CONS:
the wind always blows to the west

honestly best game i have played in the past 5 years

DoomSlayta
DoomSlayta

I played this a while back as a kid and absolutely adored it. I went in expecting a janky $10 Walmart game, as the packaging made it seem that way. However, what I got instead was an amazing Pirate sim that has more content in the first 30 minutes than Sea of Thieves has all-together. Fingers crossed 2k (unlikely) pulls their heads out of their asses and releases a Pirates 2, or one helluva remake!

Pitzie
Pitzie

greatest pirate simulator of all time. probably the best $2.50 you'll ever spend. still a good game almost 20 years later.

MrSugarMuffin.ttv
MrSugarMuffin.ttv

In my opinion, nothing has come close to capturing this games charm. That's it really.

martin.balino
martin.balino

An extraordinary classic! Played it on different platforms back since C64, a masterpiece from Sid Meier.

argiod47
argiod47

One of my all time favorites.
First iteration was on an 8-bit PC.

Spitty-T
Spitty-T

This game is a timeless classic that never disappoints!

Gunny Zimmerman
Gunny Zimmerman

This is one of my favorite games of all time.

Repo Man
Repo Man

would love to see a controller function for this game, I don't see it being that hard since i originally played this game on xbox.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Classic game. Hours of gameplay and it never gets old.

borschmorsh
borschmorsh

This is absolutely one of the best games of all time, in my opinion.

Deca
Deca

Basically this was one of the first games I played back when it first came out. great way to kill a few hours sailing around.. yea cheesy graphics but its old school cool

Jaolu
Jaolu

This game is rather
I M B R I G L I C A T I N G!

SPIRIT 1976
SPIRIT 1976

fun old school pirate adventure without all the mature themes you might see from more recent titles.

V
V

Yarrr! Pirate Adventure! Plunder!
Hot pixelated woman with big breasts!

Luciu5
Luciu5

Been playing Pirates! since 1986. Not many games out there that hold up over that length of time. This is primarily just a graphical update.

stuartmfarrant
stuartmfarrant

An old classic, amazingly engrossing gameplay for such a small game. Live the life of a Pirate and escape the modern world.

adrian.harris5
adrian.harris5

Anyone who liked the original or any of the other remakes will like playing it again with this version.

nightcanton
nightcanton

very fun classic game too bad it's not on mobile anymore do to lack of 32bit support

Daniel56234
Daniel56234

Very Good Game, I am very new to this. Most of the time the game is so fun, but all of a sudden some STUPID AI is ten times harder and I get stomped and lose my flagship. Otherwise, a very good game.

Thraxous
Thraxous

It's an old simple game. It's pretty addictive and a good time killer. I remember playing the original on sega genesis in the 90s.

jvrlazo
jvrlazo

I've been playing this for 5 years, and I still get a kick out of it. Like chess, you can play it forever and still enjoy it.

johnthepatriot
johnthepatriot

How is it that after all these years this is still one of the better Pirate-themed games on the market? Even the graphics do not suck as much as one would think they would being such an old game. Full keyboard with number pad recommended! Five Stars ;)

Anonymous
Anonymous

Great game, think civ plus action

dmacarro
dmacarro

Played this game since age 12, now am finding it very useful as reference at 30 on a trip to caribean

romancandle08
romancandle08

Very dated, but still the best pirate strategy game out there. Who else is sick of all the current cartoon, fantasy, non real world map, pirate games on the market? I wish they would make a sid meir's pirates 2.

BabyUnicorn
BabyUnicorn

High on my list of all-time favorites. I've been playing this game since I was 11 and I still haven't found my whole family.

Das Bearman
Das Bearman

Still one of the best time killers out there

Frimpy
Frimpy

good game from good old times but not worth 10€

rando76
rando76

this game... nay. this Experience is unrivaled even today in graphical fidelity and storytelling prowess. my favorite part is using the rapier and spamming thrust to defeat every enemy in the game with ease even with a crew of just 1

Anonymous
Anonymous

I LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fortefyre
Fortefyre

I've played every version of this game since its inception. From the NES, to the Genesis, to this one, and this one is just the quintessential Pirates game. It's perfect.

gameofEnder
gameofEnder

Ultimate swashbuckling game. You may find the graphics to be dated, but the pirating is so much fun.

There are challenging mechanics, like invading towns. But if you love sailing old ships with the weather gauge on your side! This game be forrrr ye maty!

Anonymous
Anonymous

I used to play this on the Commodore 64/128 back in the '80s. This remake is awesome! Really fun.

ninjascarf
ninjascarf

mount and blade for pirates. love this game

Nashiq
Nashiq

Always a joy to play the old classics. This is one of the good ones.

narflethegarthok
narflethegarthok

Fun Game tot play Highly recommend this game and Sid Meier's Sim Golf game both are Great Games

i'm
i'm

PC port sucks so much ass. Get it on an xbox emu.

Ldad99
Ldad99

One of the best of all time. Highly recommend it.

kmossman
kmossman

Beloved game, overdue for remake. Better graphics, storyline, soundtrack, and yes, Multiplayer world option. Original was 'the bomb' - I spent entire days playing Pirates! in the 80s!

Newer games seem easier and shorter, big sad.

Kerridwynn
Kerridwynn

As an older video game, there are issues with repetitiveness and there isn't s high degree of difficulty. But it has a decent story and game play is relaxing. So, this game is a comfort game for me - one I play whenever I just want some downtime.

TheKingElessar
TheKingElessar

I refuse to believe that my love for this game is purely nostalgia. The mechanics are deep enough to really satisfy, but the real draw is the breadth of them—there's a lot to do in the game. I would love to see a remake with a more complex story and clearer mechanics, but this version is great right now.

At the price you can get it for on Steam (often 75% off!), it's so worth it. (I added a firewall rule blocking the game's internet connection; hopefully China won't be able to steal my gender)

carroll.emilyjo
carroll.emilyjo

Great game... when it works... I grew up playing this game how it is on the wii. Recently got bored and began playing, however i seem to find the game broken and unable to even maintain its window open. This was really disappointing to me so there isn't much else to say.

gruntjoe
gruntjoe

An OG pirate simulator. I had it ages back, and had to buy it on Steam after the disk went missing.

Triarii
Triarii

OLDIE but goody. The original pirates game.

DeadestMoon
DeadestMoon

This game isn't for everyone, but it might be for some. A campy game with interesting mechanics. I tried playing this as a kid on the Xbox, but never got very far as I only rented it. Thought I'd try it again on here, and was having some fun. The aging system is what got me. Eventually it got too hard and greatly annoying. I will not be able to complete the story (even though there is very little of one). As I said, this isn't for everyone, but if you like really old games then this will be good for you. (I only mean old because this is a remake of a really old game).