Fishing. It’s one of the worlds’ oldest past times, mainly because it’s the thing that we’ve used for untold millennia to try and get fish to eat, and it’s only grown more advanced as time has advanced. And that includes putting it…into video games. We’ll who you 10 of them for PC.
#12 DREDGE
Platform: PC PS4 Xbox One PS5 XSX|S Switch
Release Date: March 30, 2023
When you pledge DREDGE, you might think it’s just “a simple fishing game” at first. But don’t be fooled by the fishing gameplay you’ll partake in. You’ll be going into waters with a dark history, and there are things underneath the surface that you might not expect.
Start your adventures in the day and attempt to catch certain fish to finish quests and get new options for your boat.
But be careful! Certain kinds of “fish” come out to play at night, and if you’re not careful, they might do something to your boat. Will you be able to find out the mysteries of the deep?
#11 Dinkum
Platform: PC
Release Date: July 14, 2022
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to make a home in a place like Australia? If so, then you’ll feel right at home with Dinkum!
The game has you going to an island like the Outback in Australia and trying to set up a village where people can live happily in! Everything that goes on in the village is based on your creations. So make a place that is lively, fun, and attractive. The better you do, the more people will come and visit and possibly make a new home there!
As people move in, you’ll have to work hard to keep them happy, so be ready for all sorts of tasks!
#10 Professional Fishing
Let’s start out with a game that tries to be a fun experience for all who play it. In Professional Fishing, you’ll start off by customizing your own special angler. Then, you’ll jump into the world solo or with friends and seek to catch as many fish as possible.
One of the benefits of this game are the massive fisheries that you can go to in order to catch all sorts of fish. Some of them will only be active in the day, others at night, and some will be really hard to catch via their powerful AI!
So if you want to both have fun and test your fishing skills, here is the game for you!
#9 Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2
When it comes to video games as a whole, developers often times try and rush out sequels so they can cash in on the buzz and love for the previous one. For Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2, that wasn’t the case, they spent years developing the game and listening to player feedback in order to make sure the title was exactly what fans wanted it to be.
The game’s demo is out now, and it showcases a lot of what you can experience. Including being in environments that are able to be affected by the elements, realistic fish models, being able to use an underwater camera, and so much more!
Get a taste of the game now, and then see what the game is like in full later this year.
#8 Fisher Online
It’s always appreciated when a game tries to make it as simple as possible to jump in and have fun. And that’s exactly what Fisher Online is aiming to do.
Long story short, the game puts you in a vast fishing space…and just wants you to fish. You have various ways to fish to be sure, but that’s not the focus. The focus is just going wild and catching as many fish as you want without any restrictions like other games would impose.
People seem to like it, so why not go into Fisher Online and see if you can catch you some great stuff?
#7 Fishing: North Atlantic
Not unlike many hobbies in life, there are all kinds of fishing that people partake in across the world. One that you no doubt know about is that of commercial fishing. Those who catch fish in order to sell them to markets so we can have all sorts of seafood all over. Fishing: North Atlantic is a game that allows you to be the captain of a vessel whose role is just that.
Here specifically, you’ll go up to Nova Scotia in Canada, and have open access to the oceans and all the fish that border and dwell within the country’s waters. Pick the ship you want, then decide if you want to go Harpooning, Deepline, Lobster, Crabbing, Longline, Net, or Trawling fishing.
You have a job to do, get to it.
#6 Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour
While it’s nice to know that many of us can just go fishing “when we want to”, there are those out there by which fishing is a lifestyle and a job. Fishing Sim World: Pro Tour is a way to experience that kind of job. Because in this title, you’ll be able to embark on a career as a pro angler, and have to go through various competitions and do well in them in order to advance through the ranks.
You’ll be put up against 100 of the best anglers in the world, and have to use your wits and your skills to get the fish, earn sponsorships, and more.
And when you’re done with that, you can bring in your friends to setup custom matches to see who is the best fisherman between you all.
#5 Fishing Planet
Fishing Planet is a little different from other games on this list for a very basic reason, it’s a free-to-play online multiplayer title. Yep, it’s free AND you can play it with friends, and that’s just the start of all that it has to offer.
This is a game that endeavors to be accurate by going full-tilt into the variety of fishing you can do. For example, you have the three main modes available via float, spinning and bottom. But then, you have to look at all the fish you can get in the game. There are over 170 types of fish you can catch, and each one has its own unique AI based on accounts with the fish to make sure it feels real.
Add that to dozens of locations to fish at, and plenty of DLC, and you’ll be beyond happy to fish on this planet.
#4 Russian Fishing 4
You know you have a good fishing game when the team states that it was made, “By Anglers, For Anglers”. Meaning that they wanted to bring their real-life experiences of fishing into a fishing video game, and Russian Fishing 4 is the result of that.
In the game, you’ll be able to travel to 15 different areas, each of which have their own special environments and fish you can catch. How many fish? Over 110 different types. And naturally, there are all sorts of rod and reel combinations in order to make sure you have the “perfect setup” to catch the fish.
Adding to the variety, you can fish from the shore or on a boat. You might just want to try out Russian Fishing 4 to see all that you can do in the game.
#3 Euro Fishing
As you’ve hopefully noticed by now, these fishing games aren’t just fishing games, they’re meant to be full-on experiences for you to enjoy. And to that end, Euro Fishing does a great job of taking you on a grand fishing adventures across the continent.
More specifically, you’ll be able to go across some of the greatest lakes of Europe in order to catch fish. Something many of you will no doubt enjoy.
But to be clear, you’ll have the challenge of this adventure as well. You’ll have to learn how to use your rod, reel, and bait in order to not just hook the fish, but reel them in. It’s meant to be a realistic experience, so be ready for that as you set out.
#2 Sea of Thieves
These last two games are a bit of a stretch in some ways as their “main focus” isn’t about fishing. In the case of Sea of Thieves, that’s true because this is a pirate game. You’ll get to make your own pirate and then set sail across a vast sea of islands and waters in order to do battle, get treasure, explore, and more!
The irony here is that there is fishing, it’s just that sometimes you’ll be fishing for actually treasure! So that’s even better than typical fishing, right?
The game continues to evolve as well, Season 7 was even revealed recently by Xbox. So if you’re in the mood for the pirate kind of fishing, jump (or dive) on in.
#1 Red Dead Redemption 2
Ok, yes, we’re cheating a bit with Red Dead Redemption 2, but there IS fishing in the game, it’s just not the main focus of the game, obviously. Rather, this is one of the best cowboy/wild west games out there, and for good reason.
The game is packed with not just lots of activities to do (like fishing!), but it features a very gripping story of a set of outlaws on the run from just about everything, and your character having to decide what is best for the future, and what path to take.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is just so darn grand that if you haven’t played it yet, you really need to fix that. Do it for the fish!
