New open-world pirate game is highly anticipated by players on Steam, but some of them must stay ashore for now

Crosswind is a highly anticipated pirate game, which has climbed to the 51st position among the most wishlisted games on Steam. Alpha version tests have been ongoing for some time, but due to fairly high system requirements and limited availability, not everyone will be able to enjoy it.

What is Crosswind?

Crosswind is a free survival game in a pirate setting with elements of fantasy, developed by the independent team Crosswind Crew. In the game, we play as a mercenary captain who gets caught in the middle of a conflict between empires, pirate clans, and mysterious dark forces after a failed mission.

From the TPP perspective, the gameplay can be divided into two main segments: land and sea. This first one focuses on exploration, doing quests, and fighting opponents, including powerful bosses. As befits a survival game, there could not be a lack of a building and crafting system.

We also become the full-fledged captain of the ship and set out to explore the open waters. Crosswind offers a variety of ships - from small cutters to large galleons - and as we progress, we recruit an increasingly larger crew. This is extremely important during naval battles, which can be crowned with an exciting boarding.

In Crosswind, you can play solo or in multiplayer mode, where you can cooperate or compete with other players.

Details of the alpha version and high system requirements

Crosswind is exclusively heading to PC, and the release date is not yet known. Closed tests of the alpha version have been ongoing since June 25, which anyone can sign up for - but that doesn't mean everyone will get access to them. The devs said that there are very few spots available for now.

The alpha version includes:

1. three diverse biomes, each with unique resources, enemies, and environmental conditions;
2. three bosses with several difficulty levels;
3. three playable ships and one NPC trading ship;
4. ground, sea battles and boarding;
5. total content of about 30 hours.

Survival games like these usually have low system requirements, so they can be played by a wide range of players. However, in the case of Crosswind, the situation looks a bit different. Although the title doesn't require an incredibly powerful rig, the specifications for the alpha version are not the lowest.

The developers on Steam have stated that for testing, they recommend "using high-end systems and SSD drives to ensure smooth gameplay." However, they noted that over time the optimization will be improved.

1. Crosswind on Steam

Crosswind - minimum PC system requirements

1. Operating system: Windows 10 (64-bit)
2. Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K / AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
3. RAM: 16 GB
4. Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 6800
5. DirectX: version 12
6. Storage: 30 GB of available space

Crosswind - recommended PC system requirements

1. Operating system: Windows 11 (64-bit)
2. Processor: Intel Core i7-10700 / AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
3. RAM: 32 GB
4. Graphics: Nvidia RTX 3080 / AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
5. DirectX: version 12
6. Storage: 30 GB of available space

Crosswind

2026

Want It!

• Overview

• indie games
• system requirements
• survival
• alpha-tests
• TPP action games