How to Fish · Co-op fishing game
How to Fish Wiki
Boss strategies, fish and lure locations, gear and current patch fixes for the physics fishing game by Dazed Games.
- Co-op for 1–8 players
- 5 islands
- Steam Deck Verified
About the game
What is How to Fish?
How to Fish is a co-op fishing game where you catch fish using firearms and physics-based combat. Released on August 20, 2026, the game combines relaxing fishing with intense boss battles across 5 unique islands.
Play solo or with up to 7 friends in online co-op. The game is available on PC via Steam and is officially Steam Deck Verified. Regular updates continue to add content, with Patch 1.1.3 being the latest release.
Fish, fight, sell
Cast your line, battle fish with firearms, and sell your catches to upgrade your arsenal. The core loop is simple but endlessly satisfying.
Boss trophy progression
Defeat island bosses to earn trophies that unlock new areas. Each boss requires strategy, preparation, and the right equipment.
Island exploration
Explore 5 distinct islands, each with unique fish, challenges, and secrets. From tropical beaches to frozen tundra.
New player
Your first hour in How to Fish
Talk to the islanders first
Quests tell you where to go next, and they also tell you which drops are hand-in items rather than loot to sell.
Learn the cast on common fish
Tap the hook key instead of holding it — holding it on a larger fish snaps the line. Cheap catches are the safe place to build that timing.
Keep a weapon ready between casts
Hooking something is only half of it. Creatures fight back, and fights go better when you hold your distance instead of standing on top of them.
Sell the ordinary, keep the odd
Common catches fund your first upgrades. Set aside anything shaped like a skull, tail, fin or trophy until you have checked your active quests.
Buy the upgrade that fixes your bottleneck
A weapon you can actually control if fights drag on, a boat engine if travel eats the session. One focused loadout beats a little of everything.
Enter a boss with room to spare
Bring a weapon you can control, healing if you have it, and free inventory space for the drop — trophies are easy to lose to a full bag.
Compiled from community guides and still being checked against the current patch. The full walkthrough lives in Getting Started.
Walkthroughs for the questions players ask first
Start with the pages people open right after launching the game.
All bosses hub
The run in order — Spider Crab, Giant Piranha, Pufferfish, Albatross, then the whale. Which bait spawns each one, and the trophy hand-in that opens the next island.
Read guide GuidesGetting started
The first hour: learning the cast on cheap catches, your first upgrades, and what to have in the bag before a boss.
Read guide FishFish and lures
Catches by island, the rod and lure each one needs, and the rare Drip variants that share bait with their ordinary counterparts.
Read guide GearGear hub
Weapons, rods and lures, boat engines and attachments — what each slot does and when an upgrade is worth the money.
Read guide IslandsIsland progression
All five islands and the order they open in, plus what changes about the fishing once you get there.
Read guide FixesTroubleshooting
Crashes, saves, performance and co-op connection problems, with the current patch noted against each.
Read guideCommon questions
How to Fish FAQ
Does killing a boss unlock the next island?
No. The boss drops a trophy, and handing that trophy to the NPC who asked for it is what opens the next island. Sell it by mistake and the quest stays open.
Why is nothing biting?
Almost always the lure. Each island pool is tied to its own lure, and a higher tier is not a universal substitute.
How many fish are in the game?
Thirty-eight regular catches across the five islands, plus eleven boss and mini-boss encounters — 49 in total, which matches the figure the larger guide sites publish. Patch 1.1.0 added more creatures and a new mini-boss around the mini islands, which are not in this count yet.
Does the game save when it crashes?
No, and that is deliberate — Patch 1.0.6 removed it. Saves are written on the Save button, on returning to the Main Menu, on Quit, and by an autosave roughly every minute.
How many players is co-op?
One to eight. Patch 1.0.4 raised the limit from four, and 1.0.5 added invite-only private lobbies.
Why will my friend not join my game?
Mismatched patch versions refuse lobbies, which looks like a network fault but is not. Make sure everyone is on the same build and restart Steam after a hotfix.
Is there friendly fire?
Yes. Given everyone is holding a firearm on a small island, a co-op wipe is not always a bug.
Is it Steam Deck Verified?
Yes, since Patch 1.0.11, which also added GeForce NOW support.
More questions, including the ones we have not been able to answer →