The pirate survival game, Windrose, is quickly becoming popular on Steam after releasing a demo that players are loving. Fans have been anticipating the game since a successful playtest in 2025, and now that the demo is available to everyone, thousands are trying it and giving it great reviews.
Windrose, created by Windrose Crew, was initially known as Crosswind before changing its name in November 2025. Though it’s become very popular on Steam, this is the studio’s first game released on the platform, and the development team is said to be relatively small.
Windrose’s Demo on Steam Is Exploding in Popularity
The free demo for Windrose, released on February 17th, lets you play for four to six hours and includes the beginning of the game plus three islands to explore. Even though it’s just a small part of the full game, the demo has already become very popular on Steam, with almost 17,000 people playing at the same time, and that number is still growing quickly. Many players have also added Windrose to their Steam wishlists, making it one of the most anticipated upcoming games. It’s also gaining a reputation as a great pirate game, with some fans saying it’s everything they hoped Skull and Bones would be.
Image via Windrose Crew In Windrose, you play as an ambitious pirate trying to make a name for themselves during a unique take on the Golden Age of Piracy. It’s an open-world survival game where you can build a base, explore a world created on the fly, and even take on activities like farming and fishing. Battles are challenging, drawing inspiration from games like Dark Souls, and require careful timing of attacks, blocking, and dodging to succeed.
I’m really excited about Windrose! From what I’ve seen, it’s got a cool supernatural vibe with some seriously creepy monsters and enemies – lots of zombie-like creatures to battle, which sounds awesome!
Steam Reviews Show 93% Player Satisfaction
Image via Windrose Crew Many players are calling Windrose the pirate game they’ve always wanted. Despite being made by a small independent team, it’s receiving praise for being better than larger, well-known pirate games like Skull and Bones and Sea of Thieves. Fans especially enjoy the game’s combination of in-depth base construction and fun sailing mechanics.
The demo is proving popular on Steam, with over 1,000 reviews and a 93% recommendation rate. Players are particularly excited about the gameplay, with one comparing it favorably to Sea of Thieves and predicting it will be even better. Another reviewer highlighted the building system, calling it easy to use, comprehensive, and the best they’ve encountered in a survival game that isn’t based on voxels.
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If you play the Windrose demo, you’ll get a special spyglass that you can use when the full Early Access version comes out. Just keep in mind that any progress you make in the demo won’t carry over, and in this version, co-op games need to be hosted by a player.
Image via Windrose Crew Windrose Features at a Glance
- Exploration: Roam freely across a vast open-world map featuring expansive seas and numerous islands
- Soulslite combat: Battle rival pirates and hostile creatures in PvE encounters with mechanics loosely inspired by the Souls series
- Customizable ships: Modify different aspects of any ship, turning it into a massive weapon of destruction or a fast, nimble vessel
- Base-building: Claim a piece of land and construct a complex pirate fort
- Co-op multiplayer: Team up with up to three friends to complete quests and explore the world or build bases together
Windrose Release Date
The developers of the pirate survival game, Windrose Crew, haven’t given a specific release date yet. They’re currently planning to launch Windrose on Steam Early Access in 2026, but that date could change. Fans should follow the developer’s official channels for the latest updates.
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2026-02-21 04:04