Rare officially launched the Sea of Thieves Custom Seas feature as the centerpiece of the game’s Season 20 update on June 19, 2026, per an announcement published to the Xbox Newsroom.
The update adds a fully developer-supported private sandbox mode that eliminates the need for players to rely on unapproved third-party mods to customize private pirate session rules, with no additional cost for any player holding an active Sea of Thieves license on Xbox or PC.
All Custom Seas tools are restricted to private sessions, with no changes to standard public or unmodified private game modes, and the update rolled out globally on the same date as the full Season 20 content launch. Official Xbox News: Sea of Thieves Custom Seas Launch Details
What administrative controls do hosts get in Custom Seas sessions?
Hosts of private Custom Seas sessions receive granular, toggleable control over core game mechanics, with the ability to adjust creature spawn rates, time of day, player loadouts, and item availability for all participants. They can also on-demand summon enemies, treasure, and ships, or teleport individual players to specific coordinates on the game map to streamline event setup. For large group sessions, hosts can assign co-hosts with identical administrative permissions to reduce management bottlenecks, and share unique Join Codes to invite participants without enabling random matchmaking. This configuration enables setups such as 24 pirates sharing a single sloop, a layout impossible in unmodified standard game modes. Official Xbox News: Custom Seas Admin and Crew Configuration
How does the 24-player crew cap work for Custom Seas?
Custom Seas raises the per-crew player limit to 24, a cap 12 times higher than the standard 2-player maximum for a sloop in public or unmodified private sessions. This higher limit applies to all vessel types, not just sloops, and is available to any host running a private Custom Seas session with a valid Join Code. The expanded cap is designed to support large community events, group content creation shoots, and competitive tournaments that would be impossible to run in standard Sea of Thieves matchmaking. Official Xbox News: Custom Seas Admin and Crew Configuration
How does custom scoring work in private Custom Seas matches?
Custom Seas uses the in-game Silver currency exclusively for custom scoreboard tracking in private sessions, with no ability to spend earned Silver on in-game transactions during these matches. Hosts can assign custom point values or point deductions to nearly any in-game action to reward or penalize specific behavior, including handing in treasure, landing a hit on a ship’s mast, or a player’s vessel sinking. Hosts can also set custom score or time limits to declare match winners, enabling game formats such as deathmatch, capture the flag, or time-attack treasure runs that are not natively supported by base Sea of Thieves. Separate scoreboards track individual player and crew performance for both competitive PvP and cooperative PvE use cases. Official Xbox News: Custom Seas Scoring and Match Rules
What creator tools are included with the Custom Seas update?
The update includes a Free Camera tool built for content creators, with support for adjustable field of view and cinematic camera angles to capture custom pirate footage. The tool also grants access to normally locked Legendary Locations that are inaccessible in standard public or private sessions without Custom Seas enabled. To reduce setup time for new hosts, Rare has published public “recipe sheets” on the official Sea of Thieves website with pre-built rule sets for popular community-requested modes, including PvP deathmatch and cooperative treasure hunts. Official Xbox News: Custom Seas Creator Tools | Official Sea of Thieves: Custom Seas Resources
What other content is included with Sea of Thieves Season 20?
Beyond Custom Seas, Season 20 includes a revamped Season Pass that rewards players with Seasonal Renown for completing in-game activities. Unlockables range from cosmetic ship and player skins to valuable in-game Voyages that grant rare rewards. The season will also feature recurring community events, including the standard Community Weekend and Bilge Rats Weekender, throughout its runtime. These events offer limited-time rewards and challenges for all players, regardless of whether they have access to Custom Seas sessions. Official Xbox News: Season 20 Feature Breakdown
What other major gaming releases launched on June 19, 2026?
The Custom Seas update launched concurrently with three additional major gaming industry releases on the same date. The first is the “Ghost at Dawn” release, which centers on fear and empathy themes per the official Xbox newsroom. The second is a hands-on preview of “End of Abyss” combat and exploration content. That same day, the Official PlayStation Podcast released Episode 544, featuring coverage of the “Vesper Underground” project, per the Official PlayStation Blog. PlayStation also launched its June 19 “Share of the Week” feature, spotlighting community-generated content tied to the Saros update. Official Xbox News: June 19 2026 Gaming Releases | Official PlayStation Blog: June 19 2026 Updates
