Microsoft’s multiplatform experiment seems to be bearing fruit as Sea of Thieves continues to dominate PS5 downloads. The game made a rare (no pun intended) appearance in Circana’s U.S. sales report — where Xbox games are typically nowhere to be found — thanks to its PS5 release. Now, Sony has revealed that Sea of Thieves was the most downloaded game on the PS Store in both Europe and North America during the month of May 2024.

Sea of Thieves sits atop PS5 download charts as Helldivers 2 slips

After dominating charts for several months, multiplayer game Helldivers 2 has finally started to make its way down the rankings. In the U.S., Helldivers 2 took the fourth spot and in Europe, it grabbed fifth position.

The rest of the games in the top ten are all your typical appearances, like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto V. Stellar Blade managed to stay in the top ten in both regions, settling for no. 8 in North America and no. 10 in Europe.

Microsoft’s leadership will certainly be pleased with Sea of Thieves’ performance on the PS5. The company has repeatedly said that its first four games on PlayStation will determine its future approach, and more PlayStation releases are pretty much certain at this point.

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Xbox is testing the waters of cross-platform games, porting a handful of games to the PlayStation 5, PS4, and Switch. The experiment seems to be going well so far, with Obsidian Entertainment’s Grounded and Rare’s Sea of Thieves seeing a massive spike in popularity.

Xbox games Grounded and Sea of Thieves climb PS5 sales chart

This information comes from Mat Piscatella from the market research company Circana. “Sea of Thieves was the 4th best-selling game of April, following its launch on PlayStation platforms during the month,” said Piscatella. “The title ranked 55th on the March best-selling titles chart. Sea of Thieves was the #3 best-selling game on PlayStation platforms in April.”

Grounded didn’t break the top ten but arguably saw an even more impressive jump. Xbox’s co-op survival game climbs from #167 in March to #12 in April. Circana reports it was the 9th best-selling game on PlayStation 4 and 5.

The success of Grounded and Sea of Thieves may bode well for more Xbox Game Studios games coming to PlayStation. It was one of four Xbox games ported to Sony consoles, alongside Grounded, Hi-Fi, Rush, and Pentiment. However, a report from early April suggests that Microsoft was looking particularly closely at Sea of Thieves to gauge whether it’s worth porting more games to PlayStation and Switch.

In February, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer didn’t rule out bringing Starfield and the New Indiana Jones game to PS5. The popularity of Bethesda’s sci-fi action RPG fell off quickly post-launch, but MachineGame’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle still has a chance to impress. Halo Infinite is another Xbox game that’s not off the table for PS5.

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Rare has rolled out Sea of Thieves update 3.0.0.1 across all platforms including PS5, the patch notes for which reveal a fix for passive Megalodons. The hotfix weighs 0.56 GB on the PS5, and also includes general gameplay fixes.

Sea of Thieves PS5 update 3.0.0.1 patch notes (May 7, 2024)

Complete patch notes for all platforms are as follows:

Gameplay

• Crews engaging a Megalodon should no longer find that it suddenly becomes passive and leaves the encounter. Be prepared to fight!
• Players are no longer able to get into a state where they can rapidly throw many throwing knives faster than intended.
• Shooting a ranged weapon at a player holding a Gunpowder Barrel should now consistently hit and detonate the barrel first, rather than sometimes hitting the player behind it.

The War Chest

• Players firing a Bone Caller at Skeleton Ships should now progress the Skeleton Squared Commendation.

Pirate Emporium

• The Blow Bubbles Emote has now had its price corrected from 249 to 149 Ancient Coins. Players who purchased the emote at the incorrect price will be reimbursed 100 Ancient Coins.

Performance and Stability

• Players on Xbox attempting to play Sea of Thieves before the full game package has been installed should no longer experience instability during play.

For known issues not addressed in this patch, head over to Sea of Thieves support site.

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PS5 players who pre-ordered Sea of Thieves can now access the Sea of Thieves beta ahead of the full release at the end of the month.

Sea of Thieves beta sails in

The Sea of Thieves beta will run until 9 AM UTC on April 15, 2024 and is open to anyone who pre-ordered any version of the game for PS5.

All beta participants can earn Renown, currency, and cosmetic rewards from the Season 11 seasonal progression track. This will also be carried over to the full game when it releases on April 30, 2024.

As a bonus, beta players can receive 10 Renown levels that go toward their Season 12 progression.

The beta is already proving popular, with the Sea of Thieves social media account warning of longer wait times due to the sheer number of new players.

trophies are not currently supported in the Sea of Thieves beta, but progress towards them will be counted when players play the full game.

When everyone is free to sail the seas of thieves, monsters, and more, it’ll be alongside other console and PC players. Let’s hope there are no warring factions born of this, eh?

Sea of Thieves is the latest Microsoft-owned title to rock up on other consoles after Pentiment and Hi-Fi Rush. Survival game Grounded is also set to make the jump next week with a pS4 & PS5 release on April 16, 2024.

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Rare has announced the release date for Sea of Thieves‘ PS5 closed beta alongside details of the test. The beta will take place this weekend, between April 12 and 15, starting 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT. Closed beta access is available to those who pre-order any version of the game, and participants will earn the PS5 exclusive Dauntless Adventurer Sails and Title.

Sea of Thieves PS5 closed beta progress will carry over to the full game

Closed beta participants will earn Season 11 Renown, currency and cosmetic rewards — all of which they will be able to keep. These items will be immediately accessible when Sea of Thieves launches on the PS5 on April 30. In addition to this, Rare will reward beta participants with 10 levels of Renown towards their Season 12 progression track.

This closed beta is limited in that there will be no cross-play, and participants will be playing with fellow PS5 players only. Pirate Emporium will not be accessible either. As far as trophies are concerned, Rare has said that while trophies will be deactivated during the beta, the progress made towards earning them will be taken into account and will carry over to the full game.

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According to a new report, Sea of Thieves‘ sales on the PS5 may be a litmus test for other Xbox exclusives to release on PlayStation. This report comes amid another executive-level shuffle at Xbox, with 26-year veteran Kareem Choudhry departing last week. Choudhry spearheaded xCloud among other key developments at Xbox.

Microsoft keeping an eye on Sea of Thieves PS5 performance

Microsoft announced four first-party games for the PS5 this year: Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and Pentiment. According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, it’s Rare’s Sea of Thieves that the company particularly has its eye on. The website’s sources claim that “Sea of Thieves will be a key test for whether other games might make their way to PS5 or Nintendo Switch.”

We continue to hear reports that Microsoft is already considering bringing more of its exclusives to other platforms, including rival PlayStation. Bethesda’s Starfield and Indiana Jones game are two of the titles that insiders repeatedly claim are headed to the PS5. There have also been rumblings of Microsoft bringing Gears of War to PlayStation.

Rumor has it that Microsoft will be unveiling Gears of War 6 and Call of Duty 2024 at a showcase on June 9.

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Longtime Xbox and PC exclusive Sea of Thieves finally comes to PS5 on April 30. In addition to taking advantage of the PS5’s DualSense controller, the game also has an exclusive pre-order bonus. Developer Rare also has additional rewards for participants in Sea of Thieves closed PS5 beta.

Rare explains Sea of Thieves PS5 pre-order bonus, beta rewards, and cross-play

Rare detailed Sea of Thieves’ pre-order bonus and beta rewards, among other things, in an FAQ. Players who pre-order the game have access to the exclusive Ruby Viper weapon skins, the Scarlet Storm Parakeet, and two Parakeet Costumes. It also grants access to the closed beta, and beta participants can unlock the Dauntless Adventurer Sails and an exclusive title. These cosmetics are all PS5 exclusive and non-transferable, so pre-ordering is the only way to get them. The PS5 port also offers a unique Sail as an early adopter bonus, though that item is still in development.

The FAQ also touched on things like cross-play and transferring characters between devices. Cross-play between PS5, Xbox, and PC are enabled by default. However, PS5 players can turn off cross-play or set it only to allow controller users. Additionally, Sea of Thieves will allow players to invite friends from both their PlayStation and Xbox friends list, making it easier to set up cross-play sessions.

Fans who already have Sea of Thieves on Xbox or PC can choose to transfer their characters and items to PS5. However, they will still need to buy a separate PS5 copy. Multiplayer users will also need to pay the subscription for their chosen console, PS Plus for PlayStation, and Game Pass for Xbox. Finally, as previously confirmed, PS5 players must still sign in to or create a free Microsoft account to play the game.

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The previously Xbox and PC-exclusive pirate game Sea of Thieves comes to PlayStation 5 at the end of April. Interestingly, the PS5 version will feature one thing that the Xbox releases can’t. According to developer Rare, the game’s PS5 port will take advantage of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback.

Rare is adding DualSense support to Sea of Thieves

“[We’re giving] different identities to different objects,” Sea of Thieves director Mike Chapman told GameSpot.

Unfortunately, he didn’t provide specific examples of how the game will take advantage of the DualSense’s unique features. The interviewer also came away with the impression that these features were still works in progress. However, it’s clear Rare is trying to take advantage of a unique opportunity that bringing Sea of Thieves to PS5 offers.

While controllers have featured some degree of haptic feedback for decades, the PS5’s DualSense controller has some unique features. These include force feedback from the controller’s adaptive triggers. Meanwhile, the voice coil actuators in the palm grips allow for a broader range of physical feedback than typical controller rumble. It’s easy to see how these features could add to the immersion of a swashbuckling adventure like Sea of Thieves.

Released for PC and Xbox One in 2018, Rare’s game is one of several first-party Xbox games going multiplatform. The game’s timing also isn’t bad. Ubisoft’s pirate MMO Skull and Bones was released last month to mixed reviews and unimpressed players. While a better version of Skull and Bones could have been a real competitor, its disappointing release might push some players into Sea of Thieves’ waiting arms.

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A PlayStation Store page for Sea of Thieves PS5 version has confirmed that players will need a Microsoft acount to play. Following months of rumors, the popular Xbox exclusive was recently announced for the PS5, making Sea of Thieves developer Rare’s first PlayStation release in its 39 years of existence.

Sea of Thieves PS5 players can link their PlayStation and Microsoft accounts

“Microsoft account registration, acceptance of Microsoft Services Agreement and Privacy Statement required to play,” reads the Sea of Thieves’ PS Store page. According to journalist Stephen Totilo, players can link their PlayStation and Microsoft accounts. Logging into the latter will enable cross-platform play, crew voice chat, proximity chat, etc.

This is all understandable, but a rare sight nonetheless.

“Sea of Thieves is a smash-hit pirate adventure game, offering the quintessential pirate experience of plundering lost treasures, navigating intense sea battles, vanquishing sea monsters, exploring sunken kingdoms, raiding forts and more,” reads an official description on the PS Store. “In a world that’s rich with stories, quests and eccentric characters, you’re free to use any tool at your disposal to live the pirate life however you see fit.”

Along with Sea of Thieves, Microsoft announced Pentiment (out now), Hi-Fi Rush, and Grounded for the PS5.

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After what seems like forever, Microsoft finally confirmed the titles of four former Xbox excusive games headed to the PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Narrative adventure Pentiment (PS5, PS4) will be available today, Hi-Fi Rush (PS5) will release on March 19, Grounded (PS5, PS4) will release on April 16, and finally, Sea of Thieves (PS5) will be available on April 30. Reaction from the Xbox community has been mixed, with many expressing their disappointment at the move.

Players brace for more Xbox exclusive games launching on PS5

A number of prominent Xbox “influencers” and fan accounts bemoaned the move, claiming that the aforementioned games are just the start. They’re of the view that more and more Xbox games will release on rival platforms, leaving them little reason to invest in Microsoft’s hardware. Even those who aren’t Xbox players hold the same view, but see it as a necessary step for Microsoft to increase its revenue and player base.

Some Xbox players say that they don’t mind games going multiplatform as long as it’s reciprocal, while others pointed out that not only is Xbox losing its own exclusives, but a number of large companies are still skipping Xbox versions of their games. Yesterday, Monster Hunter Stories and Gundam Breaker 4 were both announced for all platforms except the Xbox.

Previous rumors suggest that Microsoft has also been toying with the idea of releasing Starfield and Indiana Jones on the PS5, with Xbox boss Phil Spencer declining to rule out the possibility.

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