Puzzle Pirates is a historical-social MMORPG that casts the player as a pirate in an ocean town. To advance, one must play minigames that are patterned after traditional pirate and sailing tasks or games.

Through playing on-board games, a group may sail a ship out to earn in-game gold pieces, which may then be exchanged for goods and services. Players may also wager on many of the minigames, as well as engage in several forms of PvP through them.

While the basic game is free, there are certain places and opportunities off limits to free accounts. Also, some of the minigames and competitions only run one or two days a week for non-subscribers/premium customers. There are two forms of paid upgrades - subscriptions cost $9.95 a month, or an a la carte option (doubloons) may be purchased indvidually.