Sea of Thieves Opens Free Access on All Platforms as Season 21 Begins

Rare has kicked off another free-play period for its pirate sandbox Sea of Thieves. The promotion marks the launch of Season 21 and runs from September 17 to September 21, 2026. This time, access is open not only on PC but also on Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles — and playing online on consoles temporarily does not require an active Xbox Game Pass Core or PlayStation Plus subscription.

Custom Seas and the Layouts System

The main content update in Season 21 is further work on Custom Seas, the mode that lets players set the rules of their own seafaring adventures. According to the official developer blog, the biggest addition is the Layouts system. Players can now save the state of their custom server, along with the placement of objects, items and world parameters, and load a prepared configuration with a single button.

Rare is betting on interactive events: from September 17 to September 22, the game is running an event that encourages diplomacy. Players can use a special item, the Parley Pennant, to signal that they want to negotiate with other pirate crews instead of boarding aggressively. Taking part in peaceful negotiations earns unique cosmetic rewards.

What to Know About Discounts and Crossplay

All progress made during the free week is saved to your account automatically. If a player decides to buy Sea of Thieves: 2026 Edition on Steam, they will pick up right where they left off.

For those ready to stay at sea for good, there is a deal running now:

• The Standard Edition is 65% off — $13.99 instead of the usual $39.99;
• The discount stays active until September 27, giving you a week to think it over after the free period ends.

Sea of Thieves is free to play from now until September 21st! To celebrate #TalkLikeAPirateDay, we're giving everyone the perfect playground in which to practise their piratical parlance, so invite friends and family, wherever they play, to join you and set sail! pic.twitter.com/a7MVTfXClq

— Sea of Thieves (@SeaOfThieves) September 17, 2026

The game supports full crossplay between PC, Xbox and PlayStation 5, so you can put together a crew of friends no matter what platform they play on. The Season 21 update is not split into fragmented acts: the team plans to support the current content with regular weekly events, bug fixes and further development of the tools for Custom Seas user servers.