How to Fish Beginner Guide: Core Loop and First Hour

What is How to Fish?

How to Fish is the 2026 physics-based fishing game developed by Dazed Games and released on Steam as App 4001890. After a boating accident leaves you stranded, you catch creatures, fight them, sell your haul and spend the money on stronger fishing gear, weapons and equipment — solo or in online co-op lobbies of up to 8 players since patch 1.0.4.

What is the core gameplay loop?

The official Steam description lays out one loop, and everything in the game hangs off it:

1. Fish — catch creatures out of the water.
2. Kill — your catches fight back; this is a physics action game, not a relaxing angler.
3. Sell — turn the haul into money.
4. Upgrade — spend money on better fishing gear, weapons and equipment.
5. Quests — quest lines point you at your next objective.
6. Bosses — boss encounters gate your progress, starting with the Pufferfish.
7. New Islands — beating a boss opens the way to the next island; see island progression.

On top of the loop, the Steam description confirms three extra systems that affect your income and collection: rare fish, trick shots and gambling.

What should you do in your first hour?

Everything below is framed only around mechanics the developer has confirmed — no guessed stats.

• Follow the quests. They are the game’s built-in tutorial and its progression spine. If you are ever unsure what to do next, the current quest is the answer.
• Sell early and often. Money you hold is money that is not yet a better rod or weapon. The money guide covers what is known about maximizing each sale.
• Upgrade as soon as you can. Better fishing gear, weapons and equipment are the only confirmed power curve — every loop runs faster with better kit.
• Treat your first boss as a checkpoint, not a wall. Bosses are part of the normal quest chain, and patch 1.0.4 (August 22, 2026) nerfed both confirmed bosses, the Pufferfish and the Whale.
• Check a catch’s worth before you sell. Use the Sell Value Calculator to see what a base value becomes after multipliers once trick shot, cooking and gambling bonuses are verified.

Which bosses should you know about?

Two bosses are officially confirmed via the patch 1.0.4 notes: the Pufferfish and the Whale. Both were nerfed in that patch. The Pufferfish boss guide covers what is confirmed about the fight and how it fits the progression loop, and the fish database tracks every confirmed creature.

One honest caveat: How to Fish launched on August 20, 2026, and the community is still mapping exact numbers. Where a detail is not yet verified, this wiki says so instead of guessing — that is our editorial policy.