Curse of Pirates Steam Edition: Price, Ships, and 1.0 Features

Curse of Pirates is an ocean-themed action roguelike published by HeroCraft PC and developed by Funky Parrot, available on Steam for $9.99. Inspired by titles like Vampire Survivors and Hades, the game tasks players with surviving bullet-hell waves of sea beasts, cultists, and phantom armadas while commanding upgradable vessels. Following its initial Early Access run on April 23, 2026, the game fully launched its 1.0 update on September 7, 2026, introducing the Abyss campaign, new ships, and persistent metaprogression.

Curse of Pirates Steam Overview and Pricing

The standard edition of Curse of Pirates sells for $9.99 on the Steam Store. Valve players have rated the game "Very Positive," with an average approval rating of roughly 82% across over 130 reviews.

Steam also offers themed packages that include the base game at a discount:

• Curse of Pirates & Slime 3K: Rise Against Despot Bundle (10% off)
• Curse of Pirates & Grind Survivors Bundle (10% off)
• HeroCraft PC Publisher Bundle (includes titles like Tempest, Revival: Recolonization, and King of Dragon Pass at 35% off)

Roguelike Mechanics and 1.0 Campaign

Curse of Pirates blends top-down naval navigation with bullet-hell horde survival. Each level is divided into escalating enemy waves, challenging captains to steer between hostile fire, moving sea monsters, and environmental obstacles. Defeating enemy fleets fills a Dominion "Attention" meter; once maxed out, a boss confronts your vessel. Surviving the stage triggers endless ghost fleets from the Dead Seas to test your build limits.

The full 1.0 release expanded voyages into a five-map campaign leading into the Abyss. Between runs, captains spend gathered resources in the Hub to unlock permanent upgrades and visit Mickey's shop for rerolls and ship enhancements.

During combat, leveling up presents three randomized ability offerings tied to your crew members. Players collect resources like wood, stone, ship wreckage, and gold, which convert into a unified currency called Treasures at the end of a run. Sea altars provide temporary stat enhancements, and treasure chests yield Marks that slot into hull ability sockets to determine modifier combos.

Crew Members and Elemental Powers

Captains do not sail alone. The crew roster provides distinct elemental active and passive abilities that shape each run:

• Astrid Flameheart: The daughter of pirate Azrail. She specializes in fire damage, surrounding the ship with rings of infernal blaze, explosive bursts, and burning pools of tar.
• Lord Darkbown: A cursed skeletal avenger who commands toxic venom. His skills spread clouds of green poison that rot approaching enemy hulls.
• Zar'kul The Mad: An abyssal entity that inflicts the "Curse" status effect, causing massive damage that spreads from target to target like a contagion.
• Zephy: Added in the 1.0 update, this interdimensional wind parrot summons ricocheting tornadoes, grants dash cooldown reductions, and increases firepower based on distance traveled.

Playable Ships and Boss Encounters

The 1.0 build offers five playable vessels unlocked through boss milestones. Each ship alters projectile counts, ability slots, and baseline stats:

• The Red Junk: Focuses on overwhelming projectile quantity, greatly boosting the number of shots produced by equipped skills.
• The Leviathan: Built around companion summoning, calling deep-sea creatures to defend the ship while boosting allied summon abilities.
• The Submarine: A specialized craft featured in high-tier run completions and specific achievements like defeating the Kraken while submerged.

Campaign progression puts your fleet against multiple mini-bosses and major stage rulers:

• The Vice Admiral and Dominion naval cruisers
• The Kraken, ruler of the open waters
• Sythrix the Void Serpent, which must be tracked through interdimensional waters
• The Gaze of the Abyss, a colossal floating ocular entity
• Azrail (Azrael), The Pirate King—Astrid's renegade father and the final encounter at the heart of the Abyss

System Requirements on PC

Curse of Pirates requires modest system specifications, making it accessible on older desktops and handheld gaming PCs:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Curse of Pirates have full controller support on Steam?

Yes. Although Early Access and pre-1.0 builds experienced gamepad detection issues, the developer deployed an official hotfix on September 10, 2026, updating gamepad inputs and button rebinding. The Steam store page lists full support for standard Xbox, DualShock, and DualSense controllers.

Is Curse of Pirates verified on the Steam Deck?

The game holds a "Playable" badge on Steam Deck. It runs smoothly on the handheld hardware due to its low 1 GB footprint and lightweight system requirements.

Does Curse of Pirates feature permanent metaprogression?

Yes. While Early Access previously experimented with different progression loops, the official 1.0 update brought back permanent metaprogression. Gold, stone, and wood convert into Treasures, which players spend between voyages at Mickey's shop in the Hub to unlock persistent ship upgrades, modifiers, and run rerolls.