Is Sea of Thieves Cross-Platform?

Sea of Thieves was released in 2018, exclusively on Xbox and PC platforms. It was an instant hit with fans, fusing a charming art style with a beautiful, open-world pirate adventure. In Sea of Thieves, players are given a ship and the open ocean, and what they do then is entirely up to them. It’s one of the best multiplayer games that is exclusive to Xbox-based platforms, and it has enjoyed constant popularity since it launched. But, with the mention of multiplayer, we’re asking today, is Sea of Thieves cross-platform?

As a persistently online game, Sea of Thieves thrusts players into a perilous adventure in a world filled with other, real-world gamers. It’s a multiplayer title at its very core, and it’s built to be enjoyed with friends. As players explore the open world of Sea of Thieves, they can take part in seasonal events, follow questlines, and go on the hunt for treasure, all while dodging incoming cannon fire.

It’s a brilliant multiplayer experience, but is Sea of Thieves cross-platform?

Is Sea of Thieves the Best Pirate Game?

Image Credit: Rare

By June 2022, Sea of Thieves had attracted more than 30 million unique players. Today, there’s no doubt that Sea of Thieves sits at the top of the pirate adventure niche, commanding a dominant position over any competing titles. In fact, since the game launched in 2018, it has enjoyed an unchallenged position, as no game in the genre has been able to hold a candle to Sea of Thieves. In November of 2022, Skull & Bones, a Ubisoft-developed title, will enter the fray, but it isn’t expected to rival Sea of Thieves.

As a game, Sea of Thieves is remarkably accessible, offering a basic learning curve and non-stop opportunities for adventure from the start of the game. It’s a non-linear experience, meaning that players can do whatever they want, unbound by the restrictions of a single-track story. It’s also an endless adventure, as, if a player is sunk by an opponent on the open sea, they simply respawn in a different location with an entirely new ship.

For the last four years, Sea of Thieves has been regularly updated by Rare, the developer. Every so often, fresh content will be introduced to the Sea of Thieves platform, expanding on what is already available for fans. At times, these updates have been a considerable size, such as the Pirate’s Life expansion, released in 2021, which introduced a Sea of Thieves x Pirates of the Caribbean crossover.

If we go by numbers alone, there’s no doubt that it’s the best pirate game on the market. But, is Sea of Thieves cross-platform?

Is Sea of Thieves Crossplay?

Sea of Thieves is crossplay, offering players on both Xbox and PC platforms the ability to interconnect. At any given time, players on these two formats can link up and explore the open oceans of Sea of Thieves, uninhibited and unrestricted. Fortunately, the Sea of Thieves crossplay features are available as soon as players finish the short introduction mission.

What is cross-platform? If you’re not familiar with the term, cross-platform play enables players on different formats to cross over and play with each other, regardless of the technical divide. For instance, if a gamer on PlayStation is playing the same game as a player on Xbox, and that game is cross-platform compatible, the two can connect via crossplay technology.

There are many games that are cross-platform, and many of them are like Sea of Thieves, making use of the Xbox platform to connect both Xbox console and PC players.

Are There Alternatives to Sea of Thieves?

As we’ve already explained, Sea of Thieves boasts a relatively unique position in that it’s unchallenged in its category. There really aren’t any games that stand up against the might of Sea of Thieves, and there are fewer still that boast multiplayer compatibility.

For instance, consider another ocean-based adventure: Subnautica. This is an open-world, endless experience that throws players into a perilous, water-based environment, much like Sea of Thieves. But, is Subnautica multiplayer? It isn’t – not unless you’re on PC and using a mod to force the game into a co-op environment.

Unfortunately (but fortunately for Rare), Sea of Thieves has no real alternative. If you’re looking for a pirate adventure to enjoy with your friends, this really is the only game that you should be investing in.

So, is Sea of Thieves cross-platform?

Absolutely, it is.