Ready to set sail on a high seas adventure? These ten awesome board games let you take on the role of a pirate, explore an island or three, and gather up as much treasure as possible. Just make sure to watch out for ghost ships, deadly curses, and the cannons of your rivals. Hopefully, you’ll be the richest and most infamous of them all by the end of your next game night!
The thrill of ship-to-ship combat is the core of Merchants & Marauders: Broadsides, an engaging pirate-themed card game for two players. You and your opponent are fighting over a particularly prosperous trade route, and can wrest control of the waves by either taking out key members of the opponents crew or sinking their ship. To do either, you’ll need to carefully load, aim and fire your cannons with different types of ammo. In addition, you’ll have to sail your ship away from enemy broadsides and pay cards to repair any damage you take.
The tabletop adaption of the hit open world video game Sea of Thieves does a solid job capturing the soul of the source material. Becoming a pirate and captaining your own ship is as enjoyable as ever, and there are plenty of epic adventures to embark upon. Beasts like the Megalodon and the Kraken also add suitable suspense on the seas. It would be nice if there were more unique locations to visit and a slightly easier to decipher rulebook, but for fans of the original video game it’s a must own.
The family-friendly pirating board game Jamaica pits players against each other in an epic race around the island organized by the local governor. The further ahead you are when you complete the circuit, the more money you earn. However, just reaching the finish line first won’t necessarily win you the game. Along the route, there are many places to stop and pick up treasure. The player with the most gold is one who takes home the ultimate pirate crown.
Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest is a quick competitive board game in which players attempt to gather as much treasure as possible by raiding an island for buried treasure. Each day the players will have to send one of the six crew members at their disposal down to the island to compete with their opponent captains for the loot. Keeping track of what cards the other players has already used is essential to victory, as is avoiding the cursed treasure. Game times are slightly shorter than the original Libertalia, which definitely isn’t a bad thing.
Skull King is a perfect pirate-themed party game for up to eight players that leans on trick-taking gameplay. Each round, you’ll need to bet how many tricks you can make based on the cards in your hand. A correct prediction will net you valuable points once the round is over. However, it’s all too easy to fall into the traps of the Skull King, who trumps everything except the mermaid. Whales, krakens, and escape cards also add interesting twists and ensure that the game’s tension continues to escalate each round.
Maracaibo is a complex yet rewarding strategy board game in which you and your fellow players will all get to captain your own pirate ships and explore the Caribbean. The game’s project cards and career options set up unique paths to victory for each player. The ship upgrades system also offers satisfying ways to upgrade your sailing vessel. In addition, there is an optional campaign in which your choices from one game will roll into the next. The box includes a solo variant, but the game is in this case most enjoyable alongside a few other players.
If you’re looking for a pirate board game that’s a bit more on the easy-to-learn side of the scale, then Plunder might be the perfect choice. The goal of the game is simple; all you need to do is collect ten plunder points. However, there are many ways that you can achieve this goal, such as taking over islands, burying booty, and destroying your opponent’s fleet. Both combat and ship movement operate using dice rolls, which means you’ll need to choose the right moment to take some risks if you hope to claim victory.
The acclaimed deck building board game Dominion offers players an outstanding chance to build an empire on the high seas with its Seaside expansion. Merchant ships, smugglers, treasure maps, and lookouts offer exciting new ways to claim the last province and end the game with the most victory points. If you don’t already have Dominion, you can pick up the Seaside expansion alongside the small Dominion Base Cards box to skip the original game and set sail on the perfect pirating adventure right from the start.
Dead Men Tell No Tales is a cooperative board game in which you and your fellow group of sailors are trying to capture a treasure onboard a ghostly pirate ship. You’ll have to battle the undead crew, avoid hazards around the ship, and face off against the infamous Captain Fromm to succeed. Unlike the other tabletop titles on this list, the game focuses on a single raid rather than a series of journeys, which makes for a nice change of pace. Will you make it off the ship before the flames rise too high? It’s tougher than you might think.
Forgotten Waters offers three to seven players an exciting open world of pirating shenanigans that’s full to the brim with memorable quests and locations. Gameplay is fully immersive and easy to manage, with the game’s free app assisting players with everything from setup to encounter narration. Creating your character is also fun, since there are plenty of enjoyable skill combos to sample and role play alongside. Timed worker placement and roll-based skill checks add plenty of tension to each of the five lengthy scenarios included in the box.
