Is How to Fish worth buying: the numbers, not the vibes
Contents
Instead of a score out of ten, here is a set of numbers you can verify yourself, plus an honest list of what the game does not have.
The numbers as of 31 August 2026
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total reviews | 43,629 |
| Positive | 41,401 |
| Negative | 2,228 |
| Positive share | 94.9% |
| Steam rating | Very Positive |
| Price | $7.99 |
| Release date | 20 August 2026 |
Separately: one million buyers in two days — that is not an estimate, it is the developers’ own announcement from 23 August.
What the game is praised for
Going by facts rather than sentiment:
- Eight-player co-op. Launch shipped with four; eight arrived in patch 1.0.4 on day two.
- Sixteen languages with full voice-over. That is rare for an indie release at this price.
- Patch speed. Six patch notes between 20 and 27 August, taking the build to 1.0.10. Not promises — near-daily fixes.
- Low hardware bar. Minimum spec is a GTX 1050 with 8 GB of RAM and 1 GB of storage.
Who should skip it
These are not hidden downsides, they are stated facts from the store page:
- Windows only. No macOS, no Linux, no consoles.
- Co-op needs a constant connection — the requirements list broadband explicitly.
- The developers left the recommended spec blank. That Steam block contains only the boilerplate line about a 64-bit processor, so the minimum spec is all you have to plan around.
- It is still rough around the edges. Six patch notes in eight days is both a plus and a sign of how much broke at launch: black screens, corrupted saves, items falling through the level.
What we cannot tell you
- How many hours it takes to finish — the developers have never said.
- How many people are playing right now — we measured purchases, not concurrents.
- Whether a discount is coming soon — nothing has been announced.
- What the press thinks: the Metacritic field on the store page is empty.
The bottom line
For $7.99 you get a physics-driven fishing game with eight-player co-op, sixteen dubs, and an unusually active developer. If you are on Windows and have people to play with, the numbers are on the game’s side. If you want a forty-hour single-player story campaign, this is not that.
Frequently asked questions
How many reviews does How to Fish have?
43,629 as of 31 August 2026 — 41,401 positive and 2,228 negative, which is 94.9%.
What is the Steam rating for How to Fish?
Very Positive. That is Steam's aggregate score across all reviews.
How many people play How to Fish?
One million buyers in the first two days, per the developers' own announcement on 23 August. We have not measured concurrent players.
Is it on consoles or Mac?
No. The Steam page lists Windows only.
How long is the game?
The developers have never stated a campaign length, and we have not measured it.