10 Best Fishing Games of 2026

Fishing Planet takes the top spot because it gives anglers a full simulator without a purchase price. Its Steam page describes a first-person online multiplayer fishing simulator with more than 300 fish species whose behavior shifts with season, climate, time of day, water current, bottom type, water and air temperature and wind. There are 27 waterways, ocean yachts that carry 2 to 5 friends, fishing clubs with chat, and events and competitions with leaderboards. A recent Back to Basics update reworked the first lake, Lone Star Lake, and added a Trophy Room for catches. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux through Steam, and Fishing Planet LLC also publishes it on the US App Store, so the same game is free on a phone. 84% of 29,654 English Steam reviews are positive. The trade-offs: the game sells boats, gear and region packs as in-app purchases and DLC, and the PC minimum calls for 8 GB of RAM and a broadband connection.

Call of the Wild: The Angler is the open world option for anglers who want to wander a reserve and choose their own spot. The Steam page from Expansive Worlds lists float fishing, lure spinning and bottom fishing, a wide range of rods, reels, tackle and lures, and fish behavior shaped by time of day, location and your actions. Each reserve has Legendary fish to hunt, and you can choose morning, day, evening or night to raise the odds of catching a target species. Online play supports you and up to 11 friends, which is the largest group of any paid game here. It costs $29.99 on the US Steam store, and extra reserves such as Norway, Spain and Japan are $9.99 each. English Steam reviews are 71% positive across 3,149, and the 30-day figure is higher at 89%. It is Windows only and asks for 8 GB of RAM.

DREDGE has the strongest player reception of any game on this list: 96% of 33,128 English Steam reviews are positive. Black Salt Games calls it a fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. You captain a trawler around a remote archipelago called The Marrows, sell your catch to locals, complete quests and research equipment to reach deeper water and over 125 deep sea creatures. Time matters, because the night-time fog brings threats. The base game costs $24.99 on the US Steam store, and the Complete Edition with three add-ons was on a 50% promotion ending November 19 when we checked. It needs only 4 GB of RAM and 2 GB of storage, runs on Windows and macOS, and offers adjustable difficulty and a keyboard-only option. The limits are clear: it is single-player, and fishing is a timing minigame rather than a simulation of rods, reels and line tension, so anglers who want realism should look at Fishing Planet or Call of the Wild: The Angler.

Russian Fishing 4 is the second free simulator on this list and the one with the most room to grow as an angler. FishSoft's Steam page lists more than 230 species, 18 reservoirs with their own weather, and float, bottom, spinning and marine fishing from the shore or a boat. Fish behavior varies with weather and time of day, and the skill system goes beyond casting: you can make your own lures, harvest bait and cook. Players compare results in ratings and qualifications and enter competitions and tournaments with prizes. 79% of 7,762 English Steam reviews are positive, and the last 30 days read 82%. It suits patient players: the minimum PC spec is 8 GB of RAM and 40 GB of storage, it runs only on Windows with a broadband connection, and Steam does not list controller support. In-app purchases are part of the model, so the free entry point does not mean everything is free.

WEBFISHING is the cheapest paid game here at $4.99 on the US Steam store, and it has the largest positive review count of any pick: 97% of 50,091 English reviews. The developer, lamedeveloper, describes it as a multiplayer online casual fishing game where you relax, hang out and make friends. There are nearly 100 creatures to catch, a journal to complete, baits, lures and rods to upgrade, and cosmetics and props to collect. Much of the appeal is social: players meet in a shared camp, play a real guitar, draw with chalk and catch fish together. That focus is also the limit. There is no realistic tackle, fish behavior or weather modeling, it runs only on Windows, and Steam lists no controller support. Anglers who want to learn real techniques should pick a simulator, while groups who want a cheap game to chat over will get the most from it.

Cast n Chill is the relaxing pick, sold for $14.99 on the US Steam store with 95% of 5,352 English reviews positive. Wombat Brawler's page describes a laid-back game where you fish lakes, rivers and salt water, sell your catch and buy better rods, reels and upgrades. There are 16 spots to discover and 50+ fish, including 16 legendary catches. Its most practical feature is the choice of pace: Active Mode has you casting and reeling, while Passive Mode lets the game fish on its own so you can leave it on a second monitor and check your haul later. Co-op has been added, with split screen and Remote Play Together listed on Steam, and a dog companion helps spot fish. It runs on Windows and macOS with 4 GB of RAM and 256 MB of storage. Players who want realistic tackle or online leaderboards should look at the simulators instead.

Fishing Clash is the most popular phone pick here by App Store ratings: 4.8 from 159K ratings on the US store. Ten Square Games describes a free multiplayer fishing game where you tap Cast, then tap Strike to keep the line tension indicator centered. The draw is competition. You play real-time duels against other anglers, enter championships and fishing world cup tournaments, and earn packs of lure cards that you upgrade to catch bigger fish and open new spots, which include the Florida Coast, the Kenai River, Lake Biwa, Galapagos and Loch Ness. The model is the main caveat. The App Store page lists in-app purchases from $0.99 to $49.99, and its 13+ age rating notes loot boxes and simulated gambling. Players who want realistic tackle choices should try the free Fishing Planet app instead, while players who want fast duels on a phone will find Fishing Clash the more direct fit.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is the newest simulator here, released on May 9, 2025, and it sells for $19.99 on the US Steam store. Its page lists four fishing styles (float, bottom, spinning and casting), 60+ species from roach to tiger sharks, an underwater camera, functional sonar and a Trophy Room with aquariums. The mode choice is the strongest feature: sandbox mode opens everything from the start, normal mode adds progression, and realistic mode strips away all assists. You can play solo or online, with daily quests, tournaments and ranking events, and controllers get vibration feedback. The reception holds it back. Only 62% of 701 English Steam reviews are positive, and the last 30 days read 47%, so it ranks below the free simulators. It also covers fewer species than Fishing Planet or Russian Fishing 4. It runs on Windows with 8 GB of RAM and 10 GB of storage.

Fishing: North Atlantic covers a side of fishing none of the other games touch: running a commercial boat. Misc Games sets it off Canada's Nova Scotia and lists 29 ships and seven methods, from harpooning swordfish and tuna to deep lines, lobster pots, snow crab, longlines, nets and trawling. You plan a career across the whole year, face rain and snow, use GPS and sonar to follow fish that move with weather and season, and must stay within catch quotas. Buying larger boats and better gear raises your skills over time. The Enhanced Edition costs $34.99 on the US Steam store, the highest base price on this list, and 77% of 1,507 English Steam reviews are positive. It is single-player and Windows only, with a modest 4 GB RAM minimum. Sport anglers who want rods and lures should skip it, but players who enjoy truck or farming simulators will recognize the business loop.

Ace Fishing: Wild Catch is the simplest game on this list to pick up. Com2uS built it around one-touch controls, says you can be in the action within 3 seconds, and adds a Practice Room so beginners can learn the fight before tournaments. The world map holds hundreds of fish native to different regions, and you can tune rods with lines of varying length and tension. Competitive players get hourly tournaments, global rankings and a League Ranking, plus a Lure Crafting System, rod accessories and a Fever Mode that maxes your stats for a short burst. It is free on the US App Store with a 4.6 average from 4.9K ratings and a 9+ age rating. The catch is the store: in-app purchases run from $0.99 up to a $99.99 cash pack, and the listing notes loot boxes. It has been on the App Store since 2014 and received an update in October 2026.