How to Fish launch hub
How to Fish — Launch Guide for the 2026 Co-op Sim
How to Fish is a 1-4 player co-op physics fishing sim from Dazed Games, released on Steam for Windows on August 20, 2026. It broke one million sales within 48 hours with a 95% Very Positive rating. Start with release and platforms, the 5-island progression, or the co-op slap revive loop.
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How to Fish is a 1-4 player co-op physics fishing sim from Dazed Games that launched on Steam for Windows on August 20, 2026, broke one million sales within 48 hours, and held a 95% Very Positive rating at launch. Players progress through five hubs in order — Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano — and unlock a fists, knife, gun, sniper rifle, and explosives weapon tier path. The launch package covers 28 Steam achievements, slap revive co-op, trick shot bonuses, and a Casino ship with roulette and slots.
- Developer / Publisher
- Dazed Games
- Release date
- August 20, 2026
- Platform
- Windows (Steam); Steam Deck Verified
- Steam AppID
- 4001890
- Co-op
- 1-4 player with slap revive
- Achievements
- 28 Steam achievements
- Progression
- 5 islands (Lighthouse through Volcano)
- Weapon tiers
- Fists through explosives
What the How to Fish launch is and when it shipped
Dazed Games shipped How to Fish on Steam AppID 4001890 on August 20, 2026, and the launch landed squarely in the Steam top sellers, popular new releases, and new releases charts. The title crossed one million copies sold within 48 hours of release and settled at a 95% Very Positive rating across more than 12,000 user reviews by the launch window. The Steam store page is the canonical record of the release date, developer and publisher attribution, Windows platform tag, full controller support, and the Steam Deck Verified badge. The launch build is Windows-only on Steam. Console support for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch is not announced as of 2026-09-01. See the [How to Fish release and platform status](/release/) page for the launch window, the Steam Deck Verified badge, and what is confirmed versus what is unannounced.
How to Fish 5-island progression at a glance
The five-island progression is the spine of the campaign. You start at the Lighthouse Island tutorial hub, then unlock Forest Island, Desert Island, Rocks Island, and finally Volcano Island where the final Boss waits. Each island closes with a Boss fight that acts as the gate to the next hub, and you cannot skip ahead — the per-island Boss check refuses to start until you match the island's required weapon tier. Inside each island the loop is the same: cast with your current weapon, yank and slam fish for cash, bank the cash for the next weapon tier at the island shop, and clear the catch list to spawn the gate Boss. The full island order and gate logic are detailed on the [How to Fish 5-island progression](/islands/) page, and the first-island walkthrough lives on the [Lighthouse Island](/lighthouse-island/) guide.
Weapon upgrades from fists to explosives on the How to Fish islands
How to Fish weapon upgrades follow a fixed five-tier path that lines up with the 5-island progression. Fists on Lighthouse Island give way to the knife on Forest Island, the gun on Desert Island, the sniper rifle on Rocks Island, and explosives on Volcano Island. Each tier is gated by the island it appears on, so the gate Boss at the end of an island refuses to start until you have at least reached the matching tier. Trick shot kills stack on top of every weapon tier and scale in reward value as you climb the chain. The knife is the cleanest setup for early trick shots, the gun is the cleanest setup for chain shots during the desert Boss, the sniper is the cleanest setup for distance trick shots on the rocks Boss, and explosives deliver the largest payouts on the Volcano finale. The full per-island unlock chain and trick shot interactions are detailed on the [How to Fish weapon upgrades](/weapons/) page and the [trick shots](/trick-shots/) guide.
How to Fish co-op and slap revive at a glance
The launch supports 1-4 player co-op through Steam Remote Play and invite codes. Slap revive lets a teammate bring a stunned player back to their feet during any knockout, including the ones triggered by aggressive seagulls that swoop in to steal stunned catches in the middle of a revive. Co-op is the intended way to handle the harder Boss phases because the slap revive chain removes the most common solo failure mode. The Casino ship on the boat acts as a social hub between island runs, with roulette and slots mini-games that let a party redistribute currency before the next Boss. The full co-op loop, slap revive rules, seagull mitigation tips, and the cross-play status call-out live on the [How to Fish multiplayer and co-op](/multiplayer/) page.
Achievements, press, and the launch-week reception
How to Fish ships with 28 Steam achievements spanning progression, combat, collection, and speedrun categories. The Bean speedrun is one of the named speedrun achievements and several entries require 1-4 player co-op completion. The full category split, the co-op achievement rules, and the hidden-achievement status call-out live on the [How to Fish achievements](/achievements/) reference. Press coverage from Game8, ingamenews, and gamingpromax frames the title as a short-session physics co-op with a clear 5-island progression ladder, a generous slap revive safety net, and a trick shot retention loop. The 95% Very Positive Steam rating held through launch week and the curated round-up of Steam Community, Game8, ingamenews, and gamingpromax quotes sits on the [How to Fish press coverage](/press-coverage/) page.
Where to start if you just installed How to Fish
If you have the game installed but have not yet opened the Steam store page, the most useful first stop is the [How to Fish release and platform status](/release/) page so you know exactly what is confirmed and what is unannounced. From there, check the [How to Fish system requirements](/system-requirements/) page to confirm your hardware, then head straight to the [Lighthouse Island](/lighthouse-island/) walkthrough to learn the cast, slam, and trick shot basics that the rest of the campaign builds on. The five-island progression stays intentionally linear so new arrivals always know where to head next: finish the current island, beat the gate Boss, sail to the next hub, and repeat until you clear the Volcano finale. The full Boss lineup and recommended weapon tier for each encounter live on the [How to Fish Boss fights](/bosses/) reference.
Recent updates
FAQ
When did How to Fish release?
How to Fish released on Steam on August 20, 2026, on Steam for Windows (AppID 4001890, Dazed Games). The release was Windows-only at launch and Steam Deck Verified status was confirmed on the Steam store page on the same day.
How many islands are in How to Fish?
How to Fish has five islands: Lighthouse, Forest, Desert, Rocks, and Volcano. They appear in that fixed order, and each one ends with a Boss fight that unlocks the next hub.
What are the weapon tiers in How to Fish?
The weapon tier path is fists, knife, gun, sniper rifle, and explosives. Each new weapon unlocks as you clear islands and beat the gate Boss at the end of each hub.
How many players does How to Fish multiplayer support?
How to Fish multiplayer supports 1-4 player co-op parties on Steam at launch, per the Steam store page description.
Who developed and published How to Fish?
How to Fish is developed and published by Dazed Games. No co-publisher or external partner is listed on the Steam store page as of 2026-09-01.