Top 4 Upcoming Pirate Games: Is the Black Flag Remake Finally Happening?

by Fernando Diaz / Editorials, Highlights, Lists, Upcoming Games / 09 Jul 2025

There’s a new generation of pirate adventure on the horizon

With something for every type of swashbuckler—the masochistic survivalist, the co-op captain, the story lover, and… maybe, just maybe, the rest of us. Let’s be real: the pirate genre has been sailing in circles for a while now, getting dizzy and probably a little seasick!! But it looks like the winds are finally changing… a cinematic moment is happening, with a whole fleet of new adventures heading our way, ready to let us hoist the Jolly Roger & yoink some glorious, glorious treasure on the high seas. If you’ve ever dreamed of such a life, now’s the time to wake up and smell the grog. We’re strapping on our surgical gloves to dissect four games that will define the next generation of pirate gaming.

1. Crosswind: The Unforgiving Survival RPG

Crosswind is a gritty survival game for gamers who enjoy pain and have a spreadsheet for everything. If you love the “punch a tree, build a shack, get eaten by a wolf” formula of games like Valheim or Rust -> this is your new addiction. In a dark, alternate Age of Piracy, you start as a betrayed captain, which is just pirate for “had a really bad Tuesday.” You must scavenge for resources, build shacks that eventually become actual outposts, and wrangle a crew of salty sea dogs who probably haven’t bathed in a month if you’re going to make it. The combat is “soulslite” meaning every battle is a test of your patience and your controller’s durability!! You’ll need to learn a ridiculous array of weapons, expertly timing dodges and parries to take down bosses the size of a small car. The game’s biggest, boldest flex is its smooth ship-to-land transition, where you can fight on the ocean and then personally lead the “we’re here to ruin your day” party ashore without a single loading screen. With a story that spirals into war against empires and spooky supernatural stuff, plus single, co-op, and PvP modes, Crosswind promises to be as rich as it is ruthless.

2. Ahoy: The Ultimate Co-op Naval Simulator

For the absolute history nerds and co-op teams who take things way too seriously, AHOY is your jam. The commitment to period accuracy here is, frankly, unhinged; each ship is recreated from actual 1780/90s blueprints… it feels less like a game & more like a time machine that smells faintly of sea salt and questionable life choices. The main hook is a chaotic co-op adventure where up to 16 players can cram onto one ship. One person steers (badly), others wrestle with the sails, a dozen people try to fire cannons without blowing each other up, and one poor soul in the crow’s nest just screams. Success in its bloody naval battles depends entirely on your crew’s ability to not shout over each other. If you want a simulation of 18th-century naval life so realistic you can almost feel the scurvy setting in, Ahoy is the one to keep your spyglass trained on.

3. Corsairs Legacy: A Classic Single-Player Pirate Story

While other games are all about sandbox freedom, Corsairs Legacy is doing the unthinkable: focusing on an actual, pre-written story. You get to slide into the probably-not-very-comfortable boots of Rufus Monroe, a smuggler trying to make a dishonest living in the Caribbean. When a gig goes spectacularly wrong (as they do), he and his crew are launched into a dangerous new adventure they definitely didn’t sign up for. It’s a classic pirate action RPG, so the game loop will feel like a cozy old sweater for anyone who likes quests and exploration. The devs swear it’s inspired by real historical facts, which means you’re basically getting a history lesson with more stabbing. This is a game for people who want to get lost in a character’s story & see if they can turn a dude named Rufus into a pirate legend. Best of all, it’s already in Early Access, so you can go disappoint your virtual crew immediately.

4. The Legend Returns: Why the Rumored Black Flag Remake is a Massive Deal

Finally, let’s talk about the giant, sea-monster-sized elephant in the room. Disclaimer: This is 100% rumor-mill stuff. Ubisoft’s lips are sealed tighter than a barnacle on a ship’s hull, but the gossip ship is sailing in one direction. We’re talking about a full remake of what most people will agree is the GOAT: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. For many, Black Flag was peak Assassin’s Creed—a perfect mix of sea shanties, ship battles, and a surprisingly emotional pirate saga that had no business being that good. Rumor has it this is more than a simple glow-up… we’re talking a full rebuild in a new engine with overhauled combat, parkour, and everything else. The scuttlebutt points to a 2026 release. If true, you’ll get to play one of the greatest games ever made, but with modern gameplay and graphics that’ll melt your eyeballs. If they can pull this off it won’t just be the ultimate pirate experience -> it’ll be the reason we all call in sick for a week. Pray to whatever sea gods you believe in that this is real.

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.

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