Sea of Thieves launches on PS5 in April – here's what the hype is about

Celebrated pirate adventure game Sea of Thieves is finally arriving on Playstation 5’s shores, six years after its original Xbox release.

The first person action-adventure title will be released on the Sony console on April 30 and pre-orders are open now for this latest evolution.

Rare, the developer, said the project has been years in the works as the transition to Playstation was unconventional and tricky because Sea of Thieves was initially an Xbox exclusive.

It was released on Steam in 2020 and is one of a number of Playstation 5 games to look out for this year

British company Rare had never before released a Playstation game and the launch comes after conversations held with Sony Interactive Entertainment.

Mike Chapman, the creative director, said: “We were educating them about the game, talking through what was special about it. Trying to find treasure on an island with a group from a different platform holder … it was surreal.”

Sea of Thieves gives players the chance to work together to find treasure, conquer islands and battle against rival ships. The uniqueness of the concept has made the game a hit with fans even if critics were lukewarm about the lack of overarching storyline and character progression. There are no set roles and players are free to approach the world and other players in their own way. That could mean being be out with your crew looking for treasure, getting drunk, singing a song or being attacked by a rival player's boarding party coming to steal your bounty.

Add-ons and updates to the original game have added flamethrowers and skeletons – giving a real Jack Sparrow sense to the brand.

Mr Chapman added: “We empower players with really simple tools and they can bring their own creativity in. We’ve tried our best to stay true to that.”