Fishing has been an incredibly popular theme and setting in two distinct corners of entertainment for a good couple of decades now. While not a huge draw on the big screen or an activity that’s often sung about in popular music, anglers continue to take centre stage in TV shows and in hit online and indie games.
Mainstays like Deadliest Catch and Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing either have or will have new seasons released in 2025, but perhaps more than ever, they’ll have more new competitors. In gaming, now-classics like Dave the Diver and Dredge have charted the course for even more hit fishing games to rise to the surface.
For anyone who wants to watch fishing adventures or cast a digital line out themselves, the summer of 2025 has been teeming with options. Here’s a look at some of the highlight releases and trends that have helped to make these last few months a true fishing frenzy!
Leaning into the Serenity and Sudden Reel-Screams
Kicking off the summer, FusionPlay launched what would prove to be a wildly popular new fishing game on Steam. Best described as a 2D adventure RPG, Nice Day for Fishing caught the eye with its retro graphics, mix of fishing with action sequences, and the comedic trailer featuring human actors.
Since its launch, gamers across all platforms have wanted to dive into the action, so its publisher, Team17, has rolled Nice Day for Fishing across all major platforms. To complete this romp, they took to the Gamescom 2025 stage to announce that the indie fishing game would finally land on Xbox later this year.
Shortly after Nice Day for Fishing released, Cast n Chill made waves as another distinctly eye-catching 2D fishing game. As emphasised in its trailer, Cast n Chill is much more of an idler that leans into the relaxing side of angling. That indie hit launched in June – the same month that live service game Fallout 76 tried to reel in more players with its Gone Fission expansion. It was also this month that the horror-fishing simulator Out Fishing was revealed.
In online gaming, fishing has long been among the most popular themes, standing side-by-side with the lucky Irish and mythology themes. This summer, catching the wave of interest in fishing games, the bingo sign up bonus features two of the most popular fishing slots. Now, new players can get 200 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, Big Bass Vegas Double Down Deluxe, and Big Bass Splash.
Splashing About on Your TV Screen
Broadcasters have long had a knack for tapping into the inherent drama of fishing, both for private anglers and professional sea vessels. It’s why Deadliest Catch hit the Discovery Channel with its 21st season in August this year. One of the most intriguing entries this summer, however, was The Waterfront on Netflix.
The show is apparently inspired by true events and set in North Carolina with a coastal backdrop. In it, a family has built up a small fishing enterprise in their home town, but as the show kicks off, it’s being taken away from them. It’s one of the few new dramatised fishing shows out there, so it naturally drew in many an entertainment-seeking angler.
Elsewhere, Cape Carnage: Killer Catch aired just before the summer got underway fully, in which, hand-line anglers are followed off of the dangerous northern Australia coastline. In late June, The Yacht Life offered up a mix of opulent luxury with big-time sports fishing on the open ocean. Then, to top it all off, The Weather Channel dove into the scene with its lobster-centric show Claw Hunters.
For anyone who likes their entertainment to feature rods, reels, the open water, and the occasional battle with a fish, the summer of 2025 has certainly delivered the goods!
