Idle Fishing
Released May 2024
Relax and catch fish in beautiful environments while your crew works for you, even offline. Hire crewmates, collect pets, sail ever-bigger boats, and uncover layer after layer of progression. Simple to start, surprisingly deep.
82% positive · 1,974 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Idle Fishing launched on May 24, 2024 and has been actively developed ever since. The developer has shipped four major content updates visible in the current data: Update 1.9 - Rebirth (December 1, 2024), Update 2.2 - Excavation System (October 17, 2025), Update 2.5 - Excavation Expansion (March 26, 2026), and Update 3.0 - Rebirth Expansion (September 12, 2026). Between these major drops, the developer has maintained a consistent stream of feature patches — including crew squad systems, auto-play for excavation, key bindings, and quality-of-life improvements — right up to the most recent post on September 12, 2026, just five days before today's date.
Major updates have arrived roughly every 4–7 months since launch, and the developer is clearly still engaged. A December 2025 developer post committed to no new Steam achievements going forward, but explicitly noted that new in-game achievements would continue — this was a narrow policy statement, not a signal that overall development is ending. Each major update has substantially expanded the game's systems (Rebirth, Excavation, then expansions to both), indicating ongoing investment in new content rather than pure maintenance. No statement of completion or end-of-support has been made.
Evidence
Update 3.0 ships the Rebirth Expansion with infinite upgrades, crew promotions and rehire system, and extensive balance reworks — the most recent major content release.
Update 2.5 - Excavation Expansion ships 313 new upgrades, infinite upgrade tracks, and new excavation levels.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
AO Games
Achievements
1215
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player
About this game
Key Features
- Idle and Active Fishing - crewmates fish automatically while you're away, or jump in with a skill-based mini-game for bigger rewards.
- Offline Progress - earn silver, ascension gold, seagull rewards, and more while the game is closed. Come back to a full haul.
- 1200+ In-Game Achievements - with real stat rewards, not just badges.
- Pets - collect, evolve, and bond with pets that provide powerful passive bonuses. Upgrade star levels and unlock unique abilities.
- Hire Crewmates - recruit crewmates with unique stats and bonus slots that directly multiply your income.
- Ascension & Rebirth - ascend to grow a permanent upgrade tree, then rebirth for a meta-prestige layer with its own shop. The loop goes deep.
- Excavation Mini-Game - dig a tile grid with chisels, shovels, bombs, and scanners to uncover fossils, treasure chests, and timed bonuses in a fully separate economy.
- Seagull Events - catch random seagulls for diverse rewards including currencies, eggs, pet food, temp boosts, and more. Pile up offline, release on return.
- 11 Unique Fishing Zones - from Ocean and Swamp to Moon and Mars, each with its own fish pool across 6 rarities to discover and collect.
- Fishing Contest - weekly challenge mode with skill-based levels. Earn medals, climb packs, and claim legendary rewards.
- Chest Hunt - a risk/reward mini-game where streaks build multipliers and gem savers keep you in the game.
- 31 Buildings - buy and upgrade a full tier of income generators that scale your passive earnings and offline haul.
- Weekly Trader - spend gold on rotating rare currency deals that change every week.
- 52 Weekly Holiday Events - a fresh themed event every week of the year.
- Daily Quests - recurring objectives with chest rewards to keep every session meaningful.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Sep 17, 2026
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