Windrose proves we don’t need Black Flag yet as Steam’s trending #1 game
Windrose, a pirate-themed game developed by Kraken Express, has become an unexpected breakout hit on Steam following its Early Access launch on April 14. The game attracted nearly 200,000 players within its first weekend, demonstrating significant market interest in the pirate game genre despite widespread anticipation for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag remake.
The game has achieved an all-time concurrent player peak of 200,162, placing it as the sixth most-played game on Steam—outranked only by major titles like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, Dota 2, Slay the Spire 2, and Apex Legends. Despite encountering some server stability issues, Windrose maintains a “Very Positive” rating from players, indicating strong satisfaction with the gameplay experience despite technical challenges.
The rapid success of Windrose appears to validate continued interest in the pirate game genre. The title was previously featured in the Triple-i Initiative showcase, suggesting its quality was already recognized within indie and mid-tier game development circles before its Steam release.
The game’s strong early performance highlights the potential for smaller-scale releases to capture significant player bases on Steam, even when competing against established live-service titles and major franchise remakes.