Paper Pirates

Paper Pirates

Released Feb 2020

Grab a crew and jump aboard a haunted pirate ship for a social deduction party game, using your phones as controllers! Are you a human sailing home to shore or a ghost working against the crew? Throw your crewmates overboard, but fear not - nobody’s ever out of the game!

90% positive · 132 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

Steam $12.99
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Evaluation

Paper Pirates launched on February 28, 2020 and has received consistent, meaningful content updates every year since. Iteration Games has added new game modes (Traits in March 2021, Traits+ in June 2024), regular batches of new traits and events (including seven new traits in the Swapful Update on October 30, 2024, and a scheduled rollout of seven more traits across August–October 2025), and recurring seasonal celebrations tied to real-world occasions. The most recent update, The Pirate Pool Party, launched on June 24, 2026 — just over two months before today — bringing new seasonal traits (The Mermaid, The Shark, The Bait), a new event, limited-time cosmetics, and special bots. The developer also continues to run a weekly live stream every Saturday, indicating sustained community engagement. No statement has been made suggesting content development is winding down, and the pattern of updates across six-plus years shows no signs of slowing. Someone interested in Paper Pirates can expect the game to continue receiving new content.
Evidence
The Pirate Pool Party seasonal celebration launched, adding two new seasonal traits (The Shark & The Bait), The Mermaid trait, a new Spooky Sandcastles event, exclusive cosmetics, and seasonal bots — running through July 22, 2026.
news post · Jun 24, 2026 source content shipped
high
6th Anniversary Update added five new traits (The Eager, The Executioner, The Decoy, The Adventurer, The Toxicologist), one seasonal trait (The Blessed), two new events, anniversary bounties, and new cosmetics.
news post · Feb 28, 2026 source content shipped
high

Media

Details

Publisher
Iteration Games
Achievements
80
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player · Multiplayer · Co-op · PvP · Local/Split Screen

About this game

Paper Pirates is a voyage of several days for up to ten pirates. Each day the captain picks the crew they trust to play in, and those pirates can either obey the captain if they be trustworthy, or disobey if they’re looking to cause some trouble.

At the end of each day, the crew vote to throw a pirate overboard. Throwing over a ghost is good news for the crew, as the ghost leaves the ship and the humans can celebrate! But woe betide the crew who throw over an innocent human, as the spirit of the drowned will haunt one of the pirates who accused them, turning them into another ghost…

Nobody’s voyage is ever over because they were thrown overboard in Paper Pirates though, and after being voted off you come back on board as the ship’s new stowaway! You can’t win the game if you stay as stowaway, but if you can convince the crew to throw someone else overboard, well... you’re sure to rank up and earn that promotion.

Start out with a Classic game for some original Paper Pirates ghost hunting action, then try a Scored game to give each pirate a secret objective, earning coins to show who can be the toughest, meanest pirate on the seven seas. Or why not try a Trait game to give each pirate a secret trait, letting them bend the rules of Paper Pirates to their whims!

Every day, the crew could face one of over sixty wild events that changes the game completely. From exploring a desert island to travelling back in time, you never know what the crew will face next!

If you own Paper Pirates, you can create a lobby and any of your friends can join even if they don’t own the game! Share the room code and they can join from a web browser on their own PC, laptop, mobile phone or tablet. Play locally, or use Steam Remote Play Together or any other screen sharing solution to play with friends further away!

Every time you play you earn coins, which you can spend at the Ship Shop! Treat yourself to some new outfit pieces from Sam Sherbot’s Outfit Shop, or ask Nat O’Bother to help you customise, and even name, your ship!

Choose the way you play! Each game can be customised to your personal preferences. You can make games shorter or longer, change the way events are chosen, choose how many ghosts to start with, and even set up games with specific events that you love the most!

Last evaluated Aug 28, 2026
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