Death's Door
Death's Door
Game
Game2005
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Developer Firaxis Games
Sid Meier's Pirates! (also known as Sid Meier's Pirates!: Live the Life, or simply Pirates!) is a 2004 strategy, action and adventure video game developed by Firaxis Games. A remake of Sid Meier's earlier 1987 game of the same name, it was originally published by Atari Interactive, but in May 2005, 2K acquired the rights to the title from Atari's parent company Infogrames and later went on to publish console and… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
361 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
95
LovedLoved
216 positive · 12 negative
95% range 91–97%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 216 | 12 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 52 | 1 | 62 |
| Lemmy * | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
5,458 of 5,776 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
95% recommend · 200 yes, 10 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 210 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (7,178 of 7,597 positive).
Players widely consider it the best pirate game ever made, even decades later. [1][2][3] Many wish for a remaster or sequel, noting its dated controls and lack of modern support. [4][5][6] Some criticize the EULA changes and performance issues on modern systems. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [2]
you know, people say things like "Sid Meier's Pirates!" is still the best video game about pirates ever made and you think things like "I don't know... Black Flag was pretttttyyyyyy goooood..." and then, you play "Sid Meier's Pirates!" and you realize "Sid Meier's Pirates!" is still the best video game about pirates ever made long live the king
- [13]
The year was 2005 when, for my 7th birthday I was gifted the collectors edition of Sid Meier's Pirates! It was the very first real game I ever owned and I still have the discs and manual from that day over 20 years ago. This is a thoroughly enjoyable little game that I treasure near and dear to my heart to the point I am planning on buying a 50 foot sailboat and remodeling it after the sloop in this game. I ripped …
- [16]
Possibly the best pirate game out there. I'm only going to mention the cons, because there's so many pros I would list them forever. You can't remap keys and playing with the mouse is a lot harder than with a numpad. If your laptop has no numpad, you're out of luck. In ship combat it's a bit too hard to tell when you're actually supposed to shoot. thats it, everything else is perfect
- [12]
If you're looking for a fun little game to play during your downtime, but then end up playing for 5 hours straight without even thinking about it, then Sid Meier's Pirates is that game for you! I bought it during one of the many sales they had for it for literally less than $5, and I. Got. Hooked(no pun intended). when i bought it, it was around 11pm, and planned to only play it for an hour or so, then go to bed, 4 …
- [1]
Twenty years later and still nothing else like it. Such an easy concept too and yet, where are the clones? Perfect pick up and play pirate game.
Summarised from 34 of the 314 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Sid Meier's Pirates! talk about still the best pirate game available; those who didn't talk about no remaster or sequel after many years. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The critical reception for Sid Meier's Pirates! was generally positive. The PC release has an aggregate review score of 88 out of 100 on Metacritic. Steve Butts of IGN praised the solid gameplay design that combines a large variety of activities and allows the player to choose one's own style of play. The reviewer also noted the attention to detail in both visuals and sound, and described the stylized look as adding life to the experience. However, he pointed out the repetitive nature of the gameplay over time, and some mechanics that feel inconsequential. The Xbox port also was received favorably, with an aggregate review score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic. The PlayStation Portable…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 361 · most liked firstI'm looking forward to digging into Pirate Yakuza action at some point, but tonight for a feature, I've been revisiting my first ever piratical game. One still as golden as all the rich stuff in One-Eyed Willy's hidden treasure. 📺: Sid Meier's Pirates, MicroProse, 1987/90 (Amiga version)
positive · AI labelView post →Horizons Gate is a really cool game i got on sale recently that feels like a mix of FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre mixed with Sid Meier's Pirates
neutral · AI labelView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! - In-depth Written Amiga Review With Pics.
neutral · AI labelView post →Twenty years later and still nothing else like it. Such an easy concept too and yet, where are the clones? Perfect pick up and play pirate game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →you know, people say things like "Sid Meier's Pirates!" is still the best video game about pirates ever made and you think things like "I don't know... Black Flag was pretttttyyyyyy goooood..." and then, you play "Sid Meier's Pirates!" and you realize "Sid Meier's Pirates!" is still the best video game about pirates ever made long live the king
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →8/10 Crazy that a game so old still holds up to this day. It was still is very fun open world rpg game. Only thing that still annoys me is forcing the ending and dances are kinda useless.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Raise the anchors and set sail for another rat stream! Going live in 2 hours with High Seas, High Profits; a game that will hopefully scratch most of my Sid Meier's Pirates vibes (with more trading and less pirate shenanigans most likely) twitch.tv/aussiegrif
neutral · AI labelView post →Amazing childhood game . A remastered version or like a 2nd game would be absolutely insane . I wonder how it's not a thing after so many years
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's over 20 years old and is still the GOAT of pirate games. I wish there was a modern remaster/remake.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! MicroProse 1987 The original version released for the #C64. This game blew me away as a kid and it's still awesome - one of my fav games of all time. youtu.be/lT9U94NeE7g
positive · AI labelView post →Hey @spritewrench.com, thanks for hosting #TurnBasedThursday this week and the lovely event art! Terra Randoma is not a pirate game, but in fact Sid Meier's Pirates! was one of the biggest inspirations behind it! Here is some combat on a shipwreck to prove it 😁
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is basically a copy of Sid Meier's Pirates but set in the American Civil War. But it not only copies that, I wonder where I've seen this Ship Boy before.😂
neutral · AI labelView post →You've heard of Civilization. You've maybe even played Colonization. Now get ready for Exploration! While the DOS game has a similar 4X strategy flair, it has more in common with Sid Meier's Pirates, with a focus on trade. Those 1994 PC graphics feel like a warm blanket to me~ #chosting 👇🧵
neutral · AI labelView post →My life will be complete the day that we finally get a sequel or remake for this game. It does have some archaic elements. Sailing against the wind can be a slog. The controls haven't aged gracefully. Both naval and sword combat have their quirks. But God is it a good time when you really immerse yourself in it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gotta go with the old school here, Sid Meier's Pirates! No water physics, graphics from 2004, etc, but so much fun that I've been playing it since the original came out in 1987. Hell, i was playing the 2004 remake just last week even.
positive · AI labelView post →* [Heaven's Vault](https://store.steampowered.com/app/774201/Heavens_Vault/): Language translation point and click adventure game. * [Project Hospital](https://store.steampowered.com/app/868360/Project_Hospital/): A great hospital sim. You can even diagnose the patients yourself! * [Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356670/Sakuna_Of_Rice_and_Ruin/): A japanese RPG/brawler with a (very detailed) rice farming simulator as the way to gain XP to level up. * [Warsim: The…
neutral · AI labelView post →Who else LOVED playing Sid Meier's Pirates! created by Sid Meier for the Commodore 64 and published by MicroProse in 1987. The game is a simulation of the life of a pirate, a privateer, or a pirate hunter. It was widely ported to other systems. #C64 #Commodore64 #Commodore
neutral · AI labelView post →The year was 2005 when, for my 7th birthday I was gifted the collectors edition of Sid Meier's Pirates! It was the very first real game I ever owned and I still have the discs and manual from that day over 20 years ago. This is a thoroughly enjoyable little game that I treasure near and dear to my heart to the point I am planning on buying a 50 foot sailboat and remodeling it after the sloop in this game. I ripped the jolly roger and sail design out of the files and remade them by hand in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Going to make this a thread for my #7drl progress. Game is pirate themed. Going to be all ascii and moderately traditional, but taking a lot of inspiration from FTL and Sid Meier's Pirates. Going to go weird and fantasy with it though, with ghost, monkey, shark, and crab crews. #gamedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Yes! But one question- When are we getting the remastered version… of the remaster?
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Pirates (2004) is still, arguably, the best pirate game ever made--and if you want extra credit, go back and try the originals. It's delightful and terrifying seeing just how much the game... basically didn't change. They nailed it from the jump. store.steampowered.com/app/3920/Sid...
positive · AI labelView post →RETRO ⚒️🦉🦇 Pirates Gold Sid Meier's Pirates! is a strategy game originally developed by MicroProse in 1987, in which you play a pirate captain in the Caribbean. Due to its great success, the Gold Edition was released in 1993. #cralon #pithead #pitheadstudio #indiedev #gamedev #piratesgold
neutral · AI labelView post →This game has always been great. I wish they would make an updated version. For sure, one of the greatest games ever made.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is over 20 years old and is still somehow the best open world pirate rpg ever made As a bonus, I know so much about different classes of ships now
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still the best pirate game available, even in 2026, and more than 20 years after this game was originally released. How hard would it be for competitors to make a superior game with improvements to gameplay possible given the massive tech and other improvements over that time, it would be super easy, yet all that comes out is trash leaving this game remaining as the best pirate game bar none. Fingers crossed that there will be a re-release sometime as this game is locked at 4:3 aspect ratio…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Looting Game Design Gold from Sid Meier's Pirates! (is a brilliant idea indeed) - www.gamedeveloper.com/business/loo...
neutral · AI labelView post →If you play Sid Meier's Pirates on Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sep 19), all the in-game text is in Pirate-ese.
neutral · AI labelView post →Possibly the best pirate game out there. I'm only going to mention the cons, because there's so many pros I would list them forever. You can't remap keys and playing with the mouse is a lot harder than with a numpad. If your laptop has no numpad, you're out of luck. In ship combat it's a bit too hard to tell when you're actually supposed to shoot. thats it, everything else is perfect
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! I played it so much as a kid. Now I'm 43 and I played it a couple of months ago. It's still a great game!
positive · AI labelView post →Played this game back in high school like it was my new religion. I had a fascination with pirates and this game was wonderful then, and still wonderful now. I go back to play it often when I am feeling nostalgic. My nephew is thirteen and I've got him playing it now, too. This game will always hold a special place in my heart.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you have depleted your dopamine levels at this stage of life, the Pirates have some 22-year-old pieces of candy for you. Get yourself ready, because eventually you will be bored of doing the exact same thing over and over again. Rispect Granpa Sid tho.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best Pirate Game from 97 till Black Flag and Windrose. And even now still a damn fun good game! Classic Gold!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game gets kind of repetitive even within a short playthrough and not being able to go fast because of the unchanging wind is frustrating, but it's still a fun experience with its music, ship fights, and atmosphere.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great old school pirate game. Remind syou that game play is more important than graphics
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! I played the original when it came out on PC in like 1987. A friend of my dad gave me a copy, but I didn't have the manuals or map or anything that came in the box, so in order to figure out how to get around the Caribbean I had to crack an encyclopedia to a map, and that got me both interested in maps and also in reading the history of all these places I'd been to in the game. I still play the 2004 remake of that game a few times a year.
positive · AI labelView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! Specifically the remastered pc version from 2004.
neutral · AI labelView post →The fact that Sid Meier's Pirates doesn't have a meaningful successor is bonkers. There are multiplayer pirating games, and a few games featuring pirates without it being the specific purpose of the game (Black Flag is included here) but nothing really takes up the same niche.
positive · AI labelView post →I've played this off and on over the years. I lost the CD years ago and recently got it on Steam. Still as fun as ever to play and runs well (no problems yet). My one disappointment is that nobody has built a sequel, improving upon it. The flip-side, at least nobody has made a sequel that ruined it...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! There are so few actually good pirate games.
positive · AI labelView post →If you're looking for a fun little game to play during your downtime, but then end up playing for 5 hours straight without even thinking about it, then Sid Meier's Pirates is that game for you! I bought it during one of the many sales they had for it for literally less than $5, and I. Got. Hooked(no pun intended). when i bought it, it was around 11pm, and planned to only play it for an hour or so, then go to bed, 4 hours later, it's 3 in the morning, I'm taking over Havana for the English with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →one of the best Pirate Games there is, super nostalgic and fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Every time I play a pirate-themed game I start the exercise of designing my own pirate game and very quickly realize I'm just recreating Sid Meier's Pirates 😅
positive · AI labelView post →PLAY RETRO 234: Sid Meier's Pirates! Sid Meier's Pirates! began on the Commodore 64 in 1987 and later took to the seas on other platforms! We love this game! FEEDS, EPISODES and SITE: frogpants.com/playretro VIDEO: youtube.com/@playretroshow
neutral · AI labelView post →if anything needs a proper remake it's this game. it's like a boat and pirate focused mount and blade that mixes 3 different genres from turn based strategy to naval combat to swordfighting. incredibly fun terrorizing the carribean and working your way up from basically nothing. unfortunately barely playable if you dont have a numpad and everytime i alt tab my heart stops because i think it finally died and i haven't saved.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I finally got around to trying out Sid Meier's Pirates! Why haven't I done this before?! It's fabulous! I was intending on having it as a game to play with the kids, but I'll have to tell them it's not working any more cause I very much want to play in optimal ways they won't enjoy watching.
positive · AI labelView post →I sent an email thanking them for making Sid Meier's Pirates! and they sent an email back thanking me for my interest and that no new game was planned. Which...wasn't my email, but still very sad!
neutral · AI labelView post →Like 15 years later and I still have burned into my brain a blog post of his with the thrust "I used to play the classic computer game 'Sid Meier's Pirates!' so here's what they should do to fight the Somali pirates"
neutral · AI labelView post →Happy Saturday! If the On-Call Gods are kind, today should be a 2 game day - first I'll be on Sid Meier's Pirates (YES, IT WORKS AGAIN) for some Retro Piracy Tonight I'll be playing Repo with @zillgrim.bsky.social @emmixboo.bsky.social @chunksofplum.bsky.social - one of them will be streaming it!
neutral · AI labelView post →Bought it for the nostalgia, and am fully enjoying it as much as I did 20 years ago.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The absolute OG pirates game in my opinion. Still better than any other pirate I've experienced so far even decades later.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been playing for years now on my big screen tv, enjoy the historical content and the broadsides, but now in the comfort of my recliner!!! Out for a year on the beach, but finally looted windows 11 and away!! Having to relearing some strategies and techniques, still lots of hearty fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →20+ years later and this game still holds up. I grew up as a playstation kid, but I had a few games on PC long before I had a steam account, this was one of them and I played probably thousands of hours in this game back in the day. It's still just as awesome as I remember it being. Sid Meier used to make the best games, I wish he'd start making games again, because nobody does it like he used to...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Narrator: The game was called "Sid Meier's Pirates".
neutral · AI labelView post →Sid Meier's Pirates! Especially the Gold edition is close to a perfect game in terms of balance between the mini-games mechanics and the overall campaign.
positive · AI labelView post →Yesterday my Steam account turned 20. DAMN. The first game I ever bought was Sid Meier's Pirates. So many games. So many memories. Hopefully, for 20 more. ❤️
positive · AI labelView post →You can't beat a classic. Some games simply stand the test of time & aren't beholden to misplaced nostalgia. Sid Meier's Pirates is one of those games. Whilst arcade-like and simple in nature, everything you do / get up to in SMP, is enjoyable, there's never a truly dull moment. It isn't quite on the level of more complex adventure / simulation sandbox games, like Mount & Blade for example, or Kenshi, not even close, but it's still a top quality game and great for both quick bursts of fun,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is an old game. But the pirate experience is awesome. Expect this game has some issues that affecting gameplay a bit. Top 3 major issue I found: 1. you cannot play indefinitely. As you get older, It forces a retirement. 2. you practically can only play in apprentice/journeyman difficulty to enjoy and complete the game. The fencing mini game with Sir Montalban (the one who break your family on the intro movie) gets too difficult and impossible to win, if above journeyman difficulty. 3.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I would do unspeakable things to get a Sid Meier's: Pirates! Live the Life style game, but with Black Flag controls/graphics. Honestly, I got a Ship-of-the-Line in that game once when I was like 13, and every game from then on I hunted for them trying to capture a whole fleet, but they were pretty rare. I want that feeling of "I'm hunting for a specific ship and country/cargo" again. Black flag is still my all time favorite AC
positive · AI labelView post →This game brings me back to Code Red Mountain Dew and Staying up to 2AM. Other than that, always kill the English
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I grew up on this game. My friends and I would swap strategies and philosophies on the best ways to make money and what kind of pirates to play as. Even today, I love to go in trying to decide how I am going to dominate the Caribbean (i.e., what color am I going to paint the map). This game is simple on the surface, but I wish the spiral-bound guide was still available like when we bought the CD. That thing was such a wealth of helpful info if I can find it, I may type up the information and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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