Sea of Thieves is a first-person multiplayer action-adventure game in which players take on the role of pirates exploring an open world ocean. Crews of one to four players operate sloop, brigantine, or galleon ships cooperatively, completing voyages for various trading companies, hunting for treasure, battling skeleton forts, and encountering other player crews who may form alliances or attack. The game features a cosmetics-only progression system, meaning all players have equal gameplay capabilities regardless of experience level.