Elyndarin Kryvak 
Perhaps inspired by the droves of drama-laden fishing shows and extreme challenges like River Monsters and Deadliest Catch, fishing has become a popular theme in entertainment. Maybe it’s the ever-increasing desire for relaxed escapism, but right now, people want to experience fishing without casting out a line.
Despite how simple the popular pastime is, making fishing compelling as a feature in a game or as the premise of a whole game is tricky. It needs to be straightforward in its execution, but with enough challenge to make the battle with the rod in hand compelling. Plus, it needs to reap more rewards than real fishing typically would.
So, where are players feeding their cravings to go fishing, and what’s the best fishing game out there in 2024?
Catching onto the Trend Swiftly
Fishing has long been seen as a somewhat dull pastime by those who don’t own a tackle box. They’d say that it’s just a day of sitting and waiting by the water, with few instances of excitement or challenge. Yet, if you power up fishing just a little, with the chance for big catches or multiple catches, people seem to love it.
This is what Reel Time Gaming looked to tap into with their 2014 release, Fishin’ Frenzy. Players were drawn to the hit fishing feature, where landing the fisherman symbol on the same spin as any number of fish symbols reap cash rewards. The core feature is wildly popular and the main selling point of so many of the leading 20 UK slots, including Big Bass Halloween II, Big Bass Splash, Big Bass Bonanza, Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe, Fishin’ Pots of Gold: Gold Blitz Extreme, and, of course, Fishin’ Frenzy. It’s in this corner of gaming that fishing is at its most popular.
The Right Catches in Fishing Gaming
One of the most easily recommendable games in the corner of fishing video gaming is Call of the Wild: The Angler. Upon release in August 2022, it was panned for being shallow and incomplete. Just as the developers, Expansive Worlds, did with their hunting game, though, they’ve continued to expand and greatly improve The Angler.
Looking on Steam, recent reviews are graded as Mostly Positive, which comes after the release of 12 total DLC and, in particular, the arrival of the Japan Fishing Reserve in November. It’s a grand addition to a game that’s now worth its price – which is already quite low for major games these days – as Version 2.0.
Beyond Call of the Wild: The Angler, which seeks outright realism and is a fishing experience to its core, we come to a few indie gems. Released in October 2024, Webfishing has earned Overwhelming Positive reviews for its casual, relaxing, multiplayer fishing fun, which gets it high in the 12 top-rated Steam fishing games.
The only games ranking higher than Webfishing at the time of writing are the excellent indie sensations Dave the Diver and Dredge, as well as the free-to-play fishing sim Fishing Planet. Also worth a go are the classic Sega Bass Fishing, the cute and chilled Cat Goes Fishing, and Luna’s Fishing Garden for some 2D platforming action. When you explore all the great ways to experience fishing in gaming, it’s not a surprise that it’s become such a popular subgenre of sorts.
About Author
Jynthoria Zoldak 
Steven Schuster 
Simone Reed 
Robert Mueller