DailyPirate

Smoking pipe and wooden leg

A daily puzzle game at sea. Each day one ship comes for you, with one puzzle, the same for every captain. Win it, keep your streak, and sail on.

Play today’s puzzle

Free, in your browser. No account, no download. About 10 minutes a day.

The game on a phone: a merchant captain draws alongside with the day’s puzzle

A day at sea

Every captain sails the same archipelago and meets the same ship. Come back tomorrow for the next one.

  1. Set sail

    Tap the sea to sail. Each day gives you so much wind; spend it charting new islands.

  2. Meet the day’s ship

    A navy frigate, a merchant or a pirate appears on the horizon and gives chase.

  3. Beat its puzzle

    Win doubloons and keep your streak. Lose and it costs a heart; lose all three and the voyage is over.

Nine puzzles, one a day

Each kind of ship brings its own puzzles. Some you’ll know from elsewhere, all with a pirate twist.

The merchants

  • Ship’s Log

    Guess the five-letter word in six tries.

    Inspired by Wordle, by Josh Wardle.

  • Ship’s Wheel

    Make as many words as you can from seven letters, always using the hub.

    Inspired by Spelling Bee, from The New York Times.

  • Cargo Sort

    Sort sixteen items into four crates of four that share something.

    Inspired by Connections, from The New York Times.

The pirates

  • Strongbox

    Crack the four-dial lock in eight tries, from the pegs each try earns.

    Inspired by Mastermind, and the older Bulls and Cows.

  • Treasure Map

    Trace the hidden theme words through a grid of letters.

    Inspired by Strands, from The New York Times.

  • Parley

    Five questions about pirates and the sea, from a rival captain.

    Inspired by the good old pub quiz.

Between ships, the sea is yours

The puzzle is the heart of the day. Around it, a voyage to build.

  • Trade goods between ports, buying where they’re cheap and selling where they’re wanted.
  • Dig for treasure from notes washed up on beaches, and crack the chests they point to.
  • Collect the Piratedex: 55 tales of real pirates, ports and battles (and a few legends), found on beaches across the map.
  • Make the ship yours with sails, flags and upgrades, and open a business in port.
A Ship’s Log puzzle: guessing a five-letter word
The Piratedex: a timeline of pirates, places and events

Questions

Is it free?

Yes, all of it. The adverts in the game are jokes, for things that never existed.

Do I need an account?

No. Your voyage is saved in your browser, on this device. Accounts may come later, to carry it across devices.

What does it run on?

Phones first, and computers too, in a recent Chrome, Edge or Safari. The sea is drawn with WebGPU, which some older devices and browsers don’t have yet.

Is the puzzle really the same for everyone?

Yes: every captain gets the same ship and the same puzzle on the same day, so you can compare results with friends. Each puzzle has a Share button that gives nothing away.

What happens if I miss a day?

Your streak resets and the ship you missed costs a heart. Lose all three hearts and the voyage ends; the Piratedex and what you’ve unlocked for good stay with you.

What do you collect?

Anonymous play data, to see how the game is played and where it breaks: no name, email or IP address, nothing sold or shared. You can turn it off from the About page in the game.

Today’s ship is waiting

One puzzle, a few minutes, every day.

Play today’s puzzle