Windward is a naval sandbox that's sailed out of Early Access

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Windward was first spied by our indie scout Tom Sykes, circling off the shores of Desura, en route to Steam Early Access. It's now docked in... er... no, sorry, let's abandon this sinking analogy. The top-down naval adventure has now left Early Access. The above launch trailer explores some of the things you can achieve in the procedurally generated pirate paradise.

In Windward, you're able to help towns, gather resources and fight pirates. Fulfil a town's resource request and it can grow, offering you more quests and items—eventually letting you upgrade to bigger and better ships. Essentially, it's a big naval sandbox. Or the water-based equivalent of a sandbox. It also supports co-op, letting you travel with a flotilla of friends.

Normally £11/$15, the game is 15% off until May 19.

Phil Savage
Editor-in-Chief

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.