Used to identify the game, unaltered. Sid Meier's Pirates! wordmark, trademark of its owner, from the publisher's Steam store listing

Sid Meier's Pirates!

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

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!

Strategy

Player score

9.4/10

7,535 reviews

Released: 1987
Developer: MicroProse
Platforms: 1 systems
Critics: 88
Steam Deck: unsupported
Download: Not stated

We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is Sid Meier's Pirates!?

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released	1 January 1987
Developer	MicroProse
Publisher	Ultra Games
Platforms	Nintendo Entertainment System
Genres	Strategy
Languages	1 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q2096756, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was Sid Meier's Pirates! received?

Players94%positive of 7,535 · Very Positive

Metacritic88critic aggregate, PC

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

What does it support?

Technical support
Capability	Support
Controller	Not stated
Cloud saves	No
Cross-platform play	No
Mod support	No official workshop
Online play	Single-player only
In-game purchases	No
Steam Deck	unsupported
Download size	Not stated
Add-on content	None listed
Age gate	None

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$9.99

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of Sid Meier's Pirates! on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

Crashes and freezes32 of 300 (11%)
It got so bad that every time I entered a town or a battle there was a 50/50 chance the game would crash and lose all my progress, I tried to fix this by adjusting the video settings but it didn't do any good.
Steam review, 16 February 2019 · 3 hours played · 31 readers marked it helpful
List of main problems I have had on multiple pcs: - Expect the game to freeze or crash every couple of hours.
Steam review, 8 August 2017 · 66 hours played · 16 readers marked it helpful
Will not launch or install16 of 300 (5%)
This game does not run for many people and support no longer exists.
Steam review, 8 July 2019 · 0 hours played · 81 readers marked it helpful
The negative review is because the Steam copy is broken on most systems and I swear I tried every single trick suggested in the discussions, I couldn't get past the black screen with the spinning wheel.
Steam review, 14 November 2017 · 0 hours played · 18 readers marked it helpful

A further 16 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like Sid Meier's Pirates!

24 games overlap with Sid Meier's Pirates! on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Stronghold: Definitive Edition.

All 24 games like Sid Meier's Pirates!

Common questions about Sid Meier's Pirates!

What platforms is Sid Meier's Pirates! on?

Sid Meier's Pirates! is available on Nintendo Entertainment System. It first released in 1987.

How much does Sid Meier's Pirates! cost?

$9.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend Sid Meier's Pirates!?

94% of 7,535 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Very Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

What is the Metacritic score for Sid Meier's Pirates!?

88 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.

Does Sid Meier's Pirates! work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates Sid Meier's Pirates! as unsupported on the Steam Deck, from its own testing.

Who made Sid Meier's Pirates!?

Sid Meier's Pirates! was developed by MicroProse and published by Ultra Games.