Choose Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas
Choose Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas if you want a Free To Play experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas launched in 2018.
Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas vs BadLads
Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas and BadLads both land in Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam. Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas (2018) is 2 years older than BadLads (2020). Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than BadLads (69.7% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose BadLads
Choose BadLads if you want an Action, Simulation, and Early Access game with Online Co-op and Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. BadLads launched in 2020.
Both Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas and BadLads sit in Strategy, Indie, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, MMO, and Online PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas |  BadLads | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2020 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Free To Play, Casual | Action, Strategy, Indie, Adventure, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Casual, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, Linux |
| Steam Deck | Unrated | Unrated |
| Price | Free to play | Price unknown |
| Steam reviews | 73.6% positive (443 reviews) | 69.7% positive (99 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Grey Havens | CHEMICAL HEADS STUDIOS |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas (2018) is 2 years older than BadLads (2020).
- Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas scores higher on Steam reviews (73.6% positive) than BadLads (69.7% positive).
- Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas is free; BadLads is paid (Price unknown).
- BadLads has co-op; Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas does not.
Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas vs BadLads — FAQ
- Should I play Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas or BadLads first?
- If you want chronology, Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas (2018) came out before BadLads (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas and BadLads similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Is Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas free?
- Yes — Puzzle Pirates: Dark Seas is a free-to-play Steam title. BadLads is paid (Price unknown).