Earlier this week, Microsoft broke one of its longest-standing personal trends in gaming by making several of its exclusive Xbox titles available to preorder on PlayStation 5, and they’re already making waves on the PlayStation Store.
Those games include Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves, among others, but it should come as no surprise that Sea of Thieves is leading the way as the most-preordered game of not just Xbox’s new wave of transitional, soon-to-be-cross-platform titles, but the entire PlayStation Store according to a report from Windows Central. Just a little under a week since coming to the PS Store, Sea of Thieves—which releases for PS5 on April 30—has taken the top spot as the most-preordered game, surpassing upcoming games like MLB The Show 24 and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
Although no exact numbers are available about the ever-growing PlayStation preorders, the data suggests Microsoft’s dicey plan to expand the seafaring title to another console could pay off in the long run, with more and more prospective players already pre-ordering both the standard and premium editions of Sea of Thieves on PS5.
Since its release in 2018, no game has scratched the pirate itch the way Sea of Thieves did. Rare and Microsoft’s borderline-flagship title for the Xbox also crossed over into the realm of PC gaming, and even beyond its brief moment as one of the biggest games in the world in the months following its initial release, Sea of Thieves has had some serious staying power. This continued relevance of the game is largely thanks to its stranglehold on the open-sea pirate-adventure subgenre which was only truly tested earlier this year by Ubisoft’s Skull and Bones.
Last year, Sea of Thieves released a special fifth-anniversary edition which included all the content added since launch as well as bonus items for new players. Should the rising preorders for Sea of Thieves translate into a consistent player base on yet another platform, the game’s moment in the cultural consciousness could continue well into its 10th anniversary.
Preorder bonuses for Sea of Thieves on PlayStation include the Ruby Viper weapon set, the Scarlet Storm parakeet, two new outfits, and early beta access to the PS5 version. PlayStation enthusiasts can set sail in Sea of Thieves on PS5 on April 30.
