Upcoming Open-World Game Passes Impressive Milestone on Steam

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The open-world pirate survival game Windrose has surpassed one million wishlists on Steam. This achievement comes as more people discover the game, particularly after playing its popular demo.

Although Steam wishlists aren’t a perfect way to measure interest, they’re still one of the best public indicators of how well a new PC game might do. This is especially true if the game had a popular demo – it suggests many people who added the game to their wishlist already know enough about it to decide if they want to buy it. Windrose Crew, the developer and publisher of the game, announced on February 22nd that the game had been wishlisted one million times.

Windrose Dev Credits Demo for Growing Steam Momentum

Okay, so Windrose Crew just announced that their game, Windrose, has hit over a million wishlists on Steam! It’s awesome to see so many people interested after checking out the demo and getting involved with the community. They said it’s both exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but their main focus is still making a really good game. They also dropped a remastered trailer for the ‘Drunken Sailor’ song, which gives a better look at everything – the different areas you’ll explore, ship battles, and even boarding other ships. Plus, they teased some of the bosses and other cool stuff we can expect in the first Steam Early Access build. I’m getting hyped!

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The game’s demo will be available during Steam Next Fest, which runs from February 23rd to March 2nd, 2026. Developers hope to gather a lot of feedback during this event to help finalize the game before it launches into early access. Players who complete the demo will receive a special cosmetic item they can use to decorate their base once the early access version is released, likely in spring 2026.

For game developers, releasing a demo during a Steam Next Fest, alongside a strong wishlist presence, is a common strategy. It boosts visibility in the Steam store and provides valuable data to Steam’s recommendation system about player interest. However, turning wishlist additions into actual sales relies on good timing, appropriate pricing, and whether players continue to enjoy the game after the festival hype dies down. The studio also announced plans to reveal a new trailer at IGN Fan Fest on February 25th, which is a significant promotional opportunity for a new game like Windrose, indicating that their full marketing campaign is now underway.

How Windrose Differs from Other Recent Pirate-Themed Games

I’ve been following Windrose for a while now, and it looks amazing! It’s a survival game set in a really cool, alternate version of the Age of Piracy, and you can play it either by yourself or with friends, both on land and at sea. What’s really neat is that the world is partly randomly generated, but also has carefully designed dungeons and quests. It used to be called Crosswind, but they rebranded it late last year. The best part? The Steam demo is getting incredible reviews – overwhelmingly “Very Positive” from over 2,000 people! I’ve seen people saying it’s even better than Skull and Bones, and some prefer its pirate gameplay to Sea of Thieves. While those games all have pirates, Windrose seems to really focus on the survival aspect – gathering resources and building up your base is a huge part of it.

Players sharing their experiences online say the game wasn’t always what it is today. The initial closed alpha test in 2025 was planned as a cooperative pirate adventure focused on playing with others. One fan explained that so many people enjoyed that style of gameplay that the developers adjusted the game based on their feedback. Currently, Windrose doesn’t have a firm release date, but it’s listed as “coming soon” on Steam and will only be available on PC.

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2026-02-23 05:04