Pirate hype continues: “One of the most original city-builders in a long time”

2026 is shaping up to be the year of pirates in gaming. While the pirate survival adventure Windrose got off to an extremely strong start on Steam and even surpassed 200,000 concurrent players, another pirate-themed title has now been announced with Corsair Cove – and it comes from a well-known studio.

One reason the game looks especially promising is the team behind it. Corsair Cove is being developed by German studio Limbic Entertainment, which many players will know from Tropico 6 and Park Beyond. The developers are backed by publisher Hooded Horse – the strategy specialist behind titles such as Manor Lords and Nova Roma.

In terms of gameplay, Corsair Cove focuses on classic city-building. The key twist is that, instead of constructing a conventional settlement, players build a pirate stronghold on their island – complete with harbor, fleet and production chains. Its most distinctive feature, however, is that construction does not just spread outward, but upward as well. Buildings are placed on cliff faces, linked by bridges, ropes and walkways, and gradually grow together into a vertical pirate city.

GameStar editor (on German) and YouTuber Maurice Weber has already had the chance to play a demo version of Corsair Cove. After four hours, his impression was very positive. He even described the game as “one of the most original city-builders in a long time.” According to the announcement trailer, the vertical pirate city-builder is scheduled for release in 2026 and could become one of the genre’s most interesting releases of the year. Weber noted, however, that this will depend on whether the game can offer enough long-term depth.