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  1. Games
  2. Open World Games
  3. Windrose

Windrose devs show off their favorite Steam reviews as the hit pirate survival game crosses 1.5 million copies sold: "I got touched by a big crab"

News
By Anthony McGlynn published 30 April 2026

And yes, there's a One Piece reference

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Windrose
(Image credit: Windrose Crew / Kraken Express)
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You may have noticed Windrose is having a moment. The pirate-themed open-world multiplayer game garnered over 200,000 concurrent players its first week, and it's remained consistent since. In light of this, there are a lot of Steam reviews, and now there's a trailer highlighting some of the best.

"I punched a dodo in the face," is one that immediately jumps out. The reviews are shown in an animated slideshow, framed on the wooden pieces of a docked pirate ship. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these adorn the walls of developer Kraken Express in real life, incredible as they are.

"YAARRRRRR!!! The game be grand, matey!" writes one spirited review, clearly from someone intimately familiar with the seven seas. "Voyagin' with yer crew be a right bit o' fun." There are many just like this, taking my back to when Pirate English was an option on Facebook. Remember that? Simpler times.

Article continues below
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  • Windrose early access release trailer screenshot shows a male pirate wearing a bandana on his head, facing the camera. Windrose sells 1 million copies in less than a week, passes 220,000 concurrent Steam players
  • Woman wearing bandana appears up-close in front of rocky waters and shipwrecks Windrose hits 1.5 million Steam wishlists as 800,000 players convince devs to leave the bangin' demo up until launch
Windrose: Thank You / Accolades Trailer - YouTube Windrose: Thank You / Accolades Trailer - YouTube
Watch On

As is necessary for anything themed around gathering a crew and setting sail for treasure, there's a reference to Luffy and his merry band of misfits. "It's time to find the One Piece," says one reviewer. If Kraken Express weren't already planning to reference that franchise, the team really should be now.

There are numerous references to boars, wolves and other animals, many of which have battered and bruised players to varying degrees. "I got touched by a big crab," one reviewer solemnly wrote. No further context needed.

The trailer reveals there are apparently now over 1,500,000 players who've tried out Windrose. That's a lot of gold and silver. Yo ho ho, indeed.

Windrose patch fights connectivity woes with setting that sacrifices ping to make sure you can join a friend's game, along with crash fixes, added music, and more

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Anthony McGlynn
Anthony McGlynn
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Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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Screenshot from Windrose, showing a pirate aiming down the sights of her rifle while standing in front of tropical trees.
Open World Games Open-world pirate survival game Windrose launches to 69,000 peak players and 88% positive Steam reviews
 
 
Windrose early access release trailer screenshot shows a male pirate wearing a bandana on his head, facing the camera.
Open World Games Windrose sells 1 million copies in less than a week, passes 220,000 concurrent Steam players
 
 
Woman wearing bandana appears up-close in front of rocky waters and shipwrecks
Open World Games Windrose hits 1.5 million Steam wishlists as 800,000 players convince devs to leave the bangin' demo up until launch
 
 
Screenshot from Windrose, showing a pirate aiming down the sights of her rifle while standing in front of tropical trees.
Open World Games Open-world pirate survival game with over 1.5 million Steam wishlists finally has a release date
 
 
Woman wearing bandana appears up-close in front of rocky waters and shipwrecks
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