2017 is the break out year for fishing games on the Playstation 4. After a long drought, PS4 is finally receiving some love, with 4 official fishing games releasing this year. Fishing Planet, Dovetail Games Euro Fishing, Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV and Rapala Fishing Pro Series have already been released. I figured it was time to create an updated top list of the best PS4 fishing games released so far.
NOTE: This article was last updated on November 3rd, 2017.
1. Fishing Planet
– Available For Free on the PlayStation Store
Fishing Planet is currently my favorite fishing game on the PS4. This is a fantastic addicting free to play simulator. Once you learn how to catch fish for money and experience efficiently, you will probably become addicted to buying upgraded gear and traveling to new locations. There is optional in-game purchases (real money) of Bait Coins that allow you to buy special gear faster and unlimited licenses. I loved the game so much I ended up buying some Bait Coins here and there to help me progress a bit faster (Paid for a few unlimited advanced licenses and Lucky Starter pack). Currently there is over 70 species of fish to catch and 12 different locations to unlock and fish at. The graphics are amazingly realistic considering the game was created using the Unity game engine. Playing in first person view is very satisfying, and gives you that realistic feel, being able to see your rod and reel while you fish your bait or lure. The gameplay is amazing. Different lures and baits presented in certain ways catch different species of fish at different times of the day. So the gear you need to bring before heading out to a location is very important. The scheduled online competition events are fun and if you manage to rank in the top 3 the pay off for you will be huge. It’s not perfect, grinding money to pay travel fees will bother players that are not patient enough. However the system works well enough to keep most players happy. The developers have mentioned more locations, lures and deep sea fishing update is possibly coming in the near future.
Gameplay Trailer:
2. Dovetail Games Euro Fishing
– See It On Amazon
In many ways Dovetail is similar to Fishing Planet. It’s a great fishing simulator that focuses on realism. Features a 3rd person view with great graphics using the Unreal 4 Engine. If you like these sort of games you should pick this one up also along with Fishing Planet. I can’t say which one you will like better between the two. Some people prefer Fishing Planet, while others prefer Euro Fishing. I personally enjoy Fishing Planet more just because the amount of gear, locations, and North American fish species to catch. Fishing Planet is a bit more addicting and fun to me and overall an beefier game than Euro Fishing. One of Euro fishing’s biggest strong points is the gameplay and fish spawn points. The fishing patterns are random and more technical then other games. Going after massive boss fish is also really fun. I just hope the developers continue with new locations and fish species to further my interest in the future. As of right now updates are fairly frequent and DLC is priced reasonably so I am pleased with that.
Gameplay Trailer:
3. Fishing Master (PS4 VR)
– Available on the PlayStation Store
A full fledged PS4 VR fishing game featuring over 200 fish species to catch, over 50 lure combinations to try and 9 locations to fish at. The graphics are very realistic. The fish and water all look amazing, and the VR makes it all feel as real as possible. This one might take a little bit of time to get used to, as the areas you fish at seem a little restricted at times. It also lacks a little bit of strategy and depth. Trying to catch all the fish species might become a little boring and the tournaments don’t add too much to the gameplay. It’s kind of simple to hook up and catch fish, but if you are into arcade style fishing gameplay, you won’t mind it at all. If you have PS4 VR and love fishing, this is a must pick though!
Gameplay Trailer:
4. Final Fantasy XV
– See It On Amazon
Yes Final Fantasy is not considered a fishing game, it’s a Japanese Role Playing Game. However there is a number of lakes, rivers and ocean areas you can go fishing at. The arcade style fishing gameplay is surprisingly fun, with many different species to catch and gear to buy. Keep catch fish to upgrade your characters stats. If you are trying to master angling in this game there is a bit of strategy to it. In Final Fantasy XV fishing is a bonus addition added to an already great game.
Gameplay Trailer:
5. Rapala Fishing Pro Series
– See It On Amazon
Oh a new Rapala fishing game built from the ground up for PS4 and Xbox One. I am very excised about this one. I loved the Xbox 360 version of Rapala Pro Bass Fishing. It was a perfect combination of simulator and arcade style gameplay. Very fun to play and the fishing guide announcer was cool most of the time also. Too bad this one won’t be receiving a fishing controller though. I loved reeling in the big ones and using more power strike with the fishing controller.
Updated Mini Review: Rapala Pro Series was released on October 24th, 2017. The game is a big flop. I am disappointed. No cool announcer, boring gameplay, weird controls when trying to land fish that force you to use D-Pad directions and clay like graphics. This really reminds me of the phone game they released. On PS4 or Xbox One much more is expected though. The fish look stiff but are designed ok. Overall it seems very rushed. For now I guess you should probably stick to Rapala Pro Bass Fishing on Xbox 360 or PS3 for a better Rapala fishing games series experience.
* Fishing Games Coming Soon To PS4 *
– Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV (PS4 VR)
– Release Date: November 21, 2017
– See It On Amazon
The fishing in Final Fantasy XV was so great I guess Square Enix decided to create a mini fishing game dedicated to PS4 VR. From the early looks of the gameplay, this one looks like it will be a blast to play.
* Bonus * Other PS4 Games You Can Go Fishing In
These games also have a little fishing in them (Click the following links To See fishing gameplay videos), including Stardew Valley, NieR Automata, Everybody’s Golf, Ark: Survival Evolved, YAKUZA 0, Persona 5, Minecraft and Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag.
What’s your favorite released or upcoming fishing Game On PS4? Please let me know in the comments below!
