Sea of Thieves Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S upgrades revealed

Sea of Thieves
(Image credit: Rare)

The Sea of Thieves Xbox Series X upgrades have been confirmed by Rare, and they'll make the open ocean an even lovelier place to spend your time.

The upgrades laid out on the official Sea of Thieves Twitter account detail the specific improvements you can expect to see if you're playing on Xbox Series X as well as on Xbox Series S. Sea of Thieves running on either console will offer improved load times and 60 frames per second performance, while Xbox Series X will run at 4K resolution and Xbox Series S at 1080p.

The improvements line up neatly with the Xbox Series X backwards compatibility impressions we got from some early hands-on time with the console. Here's some of what GR's Josh West had to say about his experience:

"Be it old favourites or games I had once abandoned because the uneven framerate made the game feel sticky to play, all have been improved – they play better than ever. Now, with thousands of games in backwards compatibility I certainly can't say if that's true for everything, but my time with some of the most demanding games of the Xbox One generation has been a net positive. I wouldn't usually begin a new generation dipping back into the last, but the Xbox Series X is casting the Xbox One era in a brand new light."

Sea of Thieves was first released back in March 2018, but Rare has kept the game steadily growing since then. Most recently it celebrated the Halloween season with an update that added skeletal pets to collect (in a fun way, not a sad way) and a set of new voyages to embark upon.

If you're planning on jumping aboard when the next generation arrives, make sure to check out the new Sea of Thieves Pirate Academy and learn the ropes while you wait.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Latest in Action
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
The titular Bayonetta in Bayonetta 2
Devil May Cry and Bayonetta veteran Hideki Kamiya is still leaning on Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's wisdom at new studio Clovers: "I have always made decisions based on his teachings"
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"
Beyond the Ice Palace 2
After 37 years, this Commodore 64 classic returns with a new Metroidvania sequel that gives serious old-school Castlevania vibes
Fortnite's Lara croft skin in front of a building
Fortnite has had Tomb Raider's Lara Croft locked away in battle pass exclusivity jail for almost 4 years, but she's reportedly getting a new skin very soon
Latest in News
A AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being put into it's socket by a reviewer
AMD's new Ryzen 9 X3D processors launch today, here's the stock I've found so far
GTA 3 Mobile screenshot showing claude running away from police near a casino
The fan-made Dreamcast version of GTA 3 is looking way better in the latest look, introducing tech that "would’ve previously been a slideshow"
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Deltarune
Undertale creator Toby Fox's tomfoolery leaves Deltarune testers thinking an intentional nerf was actually a bug after they "independently" discovered it
Pokemon Go player trying to catch a Croagunk
Pokemon Go developer Niantic has been bought for $3.5 billion, CEO says it'll help its games be "'forever games' that will endure for future generations"
A Minecraft Movie
Minecraft movie's popcorn bucket is an explosive, game-accurate continuation of a cinema trend that shows no signs of slowing down