Windrose

Kraken Express developed and self-published Windrose, with Pocketpair Publishing handling distribution in Japan. It entered Steam and Epic Games Store Early Access on April 14, 2026. You begin as a shipwrecked pirate with nothing but a rowboat and basic tools. Furthermore, every island on the horizon hides dungeons, loot, and secrets worth risking your life for. The sea is yours to claim — if you can survive long enough to claim it.

About the Game

Windrose was originally planned as a free-to-play MMO called Crosswind. However, alpha feedback pushed the team to pivot toward a focused premium co-op experience for one to four players. That decision proved wise — the game crossed 1.5 million Steam wishlists before Early Access even launched, making it one of the platform’s most wishlist entries in 2026.

Land and Sea Gameplay

The game operates across two connected layers. On land, you build bases, craft tools, explore ruins, and fight enemies using a souls-lite combat system with stamina, dodging, and parrying. At sea, you command ships ranging from an agile ketch to an imposing frigate. Furthermore, transitions between sailing and going ashore are fully seamless with no loading screens between them.

World and Progression

The Early Access version features three biomes spread across 30 islands and 90+ points of interest. Each island is handcrafted rather than purely procedural, with dungeons, hidden loot, and lore pieces tied to side quests. Additionally, the town of Tortuga serves as a social and trade hub, while faction systems and a reputation mechanic give your choices real weight across the world. Consequently, the EA version alone offers an estimated 50–70 hours of main story content.

Key Features

Souls-Lite Combat on Land and at Sea: Land combat uses stamina management, dodge rolls, and parrying rather than button-mashing attack chains. Enemies are deliberately challenging and reward players who read attack patterns carefully. Furthermore, naval combat brings a completely separate skill set involving ship positioning, broadside timing, and crew coordination. As a result, mastering both styles of combat is essential for progressing through the game’s tougher content.
Seamless Ship-to-Shore Exploration: Sailing to an island and stepping ashore happens without any loading screen or transition break. The world is continuous — the sea, the beach, the jungle interior, and the dungeon below it all exist as one connected space. Moreover, three ship types from small ketch to large frigate support different play styles and crew sizes. Additionally, ships are fully customizable with recruited NPC crew members who boost performance and productivity.
Base Building with NPC Workers: Players gather resources and establish settlements that grow in productivity as more NPC workers are recruited. Each worker contributes to specific crafting, farming, or production tasks that run while you explore. Furthermore, upgrading your settlement unlocks more advanced crafting options and passive resource generation. Consequently, a well-built base functions as a meaningful home base rather than simply a storage chest on land.
1–4 Player Co-op with Factions and Reputation: The full game supports solo play or co-op groups of up to four players in a shared world. Factions populate the world with their own quests, relationships, and reactions to your reputation standing. Moreover, the town of Tortuga serves as a shared hub for trade, story beats, and social interaction. Therefore, every major decision — who you help, who you rob, and who you antagonize — shapes how the world treats you going forward.

Games Like This

Similar Game	Key Difference	Best For
Valheim	The most direct design comparison — a Norse survival RPG with base building, co-op, and challenging stamina-based combat. However, it lacks naval gameplay depth, seamless sailing, and a pirate world setting. Furthermore, its world is procedurally generated rather than built around handcrafted islands and faction storylines.	Players who want a proven, fully released co-op survival RPG with a large content library and a strong modding community.
Skull and Bones	Also a pirate naval game with ship customization and open-water gameplay. Nevertheless, it is exclusively naval — players cannot leave their ships, explore islands on foot, or engage in land combat. Moreover, it is a live-service game with seasonal content rather than a story-driven co-op RPG.	Players who want a pure naval pirate experience focused entirely on ship combat and fleet management without any land exploration.
Enshrouded	Shares the open-world survival RPG structure with base building, crafting, and co-op multiplayer. However, it is set in a dark fantasy world rather than a pirate setting, and it has no naval gameplay whatsoever. Additionally, its combat is more action-RPG than souls-lite in feel.	Players who want a co-op open-world survival RPG with deep base building in a dark fantasy setting rather than a pirate world.

Game Details

Developer: Kraken Express (team: Windrose Crew)
Publisher: Kraken Express (Global); Pocketpair Publishing (Japan)
Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store); Windows
Early Access Release Date: April 14, 2026
Full Release ETA: 1.5–2.5 years of Early Access planned
Formerly Known As: Crosswind (originally planned as a free-to-play MMO)
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Early Access (Pirate, Survival, Open World, Souls-lite, Co-op)
Steam Wishlists: 1.5 million+ at launch
Steam Reviews: Very Positive (88% of 7,802 reviews)
Co-op: Online co-op, 1–4 players
Controller Support: Full
EA Content: 3 biomes, 30 islands, 90+ points of interest, ~50–70 hours

System Requirements

Windrose is one of the most demanding Early Access titles of April 2026 — the minimum GPU requirement of a GTX 1080 Ti is unusually high for a survival game at this stage. Furthermore, an SSD is strongly recommended at both tiers given the seamless open-world streaming demands.