This Month in Sea of Thieves: January 2026

Another year on the seas is upon us, and it's all set to be a busy one. January offers Fortress-based threats and discounted pets, Twitch Drops and mic drops, contests and cosmetics and of course 2026's first Community Weekend, so read on to get prepared for the latest leg of our ongoing journey!

#SoTShot: The Devil's Roar - until Wednesday, January 7th

As we gear up for another year of social channel screenshot challenges, there's still time to get your pics in for 2025's final fiery theme. Send us your best Devil's Roar-inspired shots on Instagram, Twitter/X or Bluesky, tagging your art with #SoTShot and @SeaOfThieves to enter. A cache of Golden Hour Sails will be given away to our favourites!

The first full #SoTShot competition of 2026 will arrive shortly after this one ends, so stay tuned to our social channels for the next theme...

'Sanctuaries of Stillness' Release - Monday, January 12th

The official Sea of Thieves streamable soundtrack continues to grow, and the first new melody added to the collection in 2026 is a haunting piece that soundtracks Season 18's exploration of Sanctuaries of the Banished. Find 'Sanctuaries of Stillness' on all major streaming services from January 12th.

Sea of Thieves Season 18: Act 2 - Thursday, January 22nd

Season 18: Return to The Devil's Roar continues this month, as does the three-Act structure of our recent Seasons. And when Act 2 arrives on January 22nd, its headline feature is a rousing new challenge at Molten Sands Fortress! Word on the seas claims there's a rare and precious Orb of the Banished locked away in its Vault, and this is one challenge that the Trading Companies will only entrust to their proven Emissaries...

The Pirate Emporium and Outpost shops are also anticipating their first new stock of the new year. In the Emporium you'll be able to pick up the Lone Night Wulf ship set, costume and weapons, while owners of Captained ships could be tempted by the shimmering Lodestar Cabin Bundle. Over at the Outposts, there's a new addition to the recent run of Resolute ship sets in the form of the leafy Palm Resolute Sails, Hull and Flag.

Twitch Drops - Friday, January 23rd - Friday, January 30th

2026's first flurry of Twitch Drops will be up for grabs from Sea of Thieves Partnered streamers following January's monthly content update, containing a bounty of free gold, Renown, Voyages and cosmetics including the Gilded Phoenix Spyglass, Thunderous Fury Flag and the new and exclusive Amethyst Mercenary Sails.

As always, if you want to share in these spoils you'll need to make sure your Twitch and Microsoft accounts are linked via our Twitch Drops page, then tune in to a participating Sea of Thieves streamer on Twitch while the Drops are live. If you're not sure who to watch, check our Partner Directory to see who's online!

Pirate Emporium Perfect Pet Sale - Wednesday, January 28th - Wednesday, February 4th

It's all about the animals in January's sale, with an enormous range of pets available to adopt at big discounts. Ship's deck looking a bit lifeless? Part with some of those Ancient Coins and bring a new companion along for the adventure! Cats, dogs, parrots, monkeys, foxes, owls, toucans, pigs - it's getting rowdy in those aisles, and the shopkeepers are keen to kick off the year by rehoming some of their animal inventory.

Season 18 Community Weekend - Saturday, January 31st - Monday, February 2nd

Mark your calendars: our next Community Weekend is set for the last Saturday of the month! Reward boosts powered by the Community Emissary Grade return alongside a suite of shenanigans including Pop-Up Plunder, the traditional free flag and emote, and opportunities to score rewards via various methods of participation.

Learn more about the full feature set of this Seasonal community celebration later this month, when we'll be back with another news article to catalogue all the brilliant bonuses and activities available...

So that's January - it's all gone at the end of the month, but if you're still up for more as the dust settles on another Community Weekend, check back here in the first week of February when our next look ahead will be ready and waiting. Sea of Thieves' social channels are the place to be in the meantime, especially if you want to intercept those Pop-Up Plunder clues!