Sea of Thieveshas released a significant new update for July 2025, bringing tons of new content to Rare’s pirate game. The newSea of Thieves3.4.2 update is part of the ongoing Season 16, which began back in May.
Rare’sSea of Thieveslaunched back in 2018, although its initial reception was mixed. The game holds a Top Critic Average of 69 on review aggregator siteOpenCritic, indicating “Fair” reviews. Despite this mixed reception, Rare remained committed to the game, with years of content increasing both the number of things to do inSea of Thievesas well as the overall quality.Sea of ThievesSeason 16launched in May, pitting players against Captain Flameheart’s Order of Bone and Blade.
The latest3.4.2 update forSea of Thievesis a pretty big one, offering a new on-demand Voyage named Followers of the Flame. According to the patch notes, this newSea of ThievesVoyage"tasks crews with using the Follower’s Flame Lantern to find and resurrect the Order of Bone and Blade and perform a dark ritual to create the new Chest of Bones." The Chest of Bones can then be “unsealed to release waves of Order of Bone and Blade Skeletons to aid the crew.”
As well as the new Voyage, the newSea of Thievesupdate also brings a host of gameplay and balance changes. When unsealing a Reaper’s Chest on a rival ship, the skeleton waves released “now dynamically scale to the size of the ship.” The Devil’s Roar has been rebalanced, too, which, according to Rare, is “to reduce frustration while adventuring in this region, but still retains the atmosphere and risk that comes from sailing in such a dangerous part of the seas.” Seven new items have been added toSea of Thieves' Pirate Emporium, too. These are just a small look at the changes in the newSea of Thievesupdate, with the rest of the patch notes found below.
GivenSea of Thieves' ongoing success, it’s hard to imagine Rare leaving it behind anytime soon. It was recently confirmed thatSea of Thieveswill add paid custom servers in 2026, which could help expand the game’s player base even more in the future. There’s no concrete date forSea of ThievesSeason 17 at the moment, although it has been confirmed that it’s set to introduce The Smuggler’s League with new Voyages for players to complete.
Reapers Rising Commendations and Rewards
Performance Improvements
Pirate Emporium
Show off your personal style with purchases from the Pirate Emporium! Pick up exclusive cosmetics such as ship liveries, costumes, weapons, pets and emotes using your Ancient Coins, purchasable with real money. Head to the Pirate Emporium to browse and buy the latest additions!
Legends Unleashed (July 17th–31st)
Visual and Audio
Performance and Stability
