13 Games Like Dave the Diver: Dive, Fish and Run a Shop

Good games like Dave the Diver have to pull off a double act. Dave’s charm is the switch: tense, oxygen-limited dives into the Blue Hole during the day, then a hectic sushi service at night that pays for a better harpoon and a bigger tank, all wrapped in a goofy story full of oddball characters. Few games copy that exact recipe, so the picks below each nail one or two of its ingredients, and a couple manage most of them.

What makes Dave the Diver so hard to put down?

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DAVE THE DIVER, from developer and publisher MINTROCKET, came out on Steam on Jun 28, 2023. It is single-player with full controller support, on Windows and macOS. Its store page calls it an adventure, RPG and management hybrid, and that mix is the whole point.

• The dive. You head into the Blue Hole with a harpoon, catching fish and gathering materials while watching your oxygen. Run out and you leave most of your haul behind. The Blue Hole shifts between dives, which gives it a light roguelite feel. (A roguelite is a game where each run is a bit different and you keep some progress between runs.)
• The restaurant. At night you help the chef Bancho serve sushi made from what you caught. Good service earns money and reputation, which feeds back into better diving gear.
• The silliness. Quirky characters, spoofs and constant new mini-games keep throwing surprises at you, so the routine rarely feels like a routine.

When you look for games like Dave the Diver, decide which of those three you miss most. The sections below are grouped that way: the loop, the ocean, the cozy routine, and the risk of the run.

Games like Dave the Diver with a catch-and-sell loop

These four keep Dave’s core rhythm: go out, gather, come back, sell or cook, upgrade, repeat.

DREDGE

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If the part you loved was hauling in a strange catch and turning it into upgrades, DREDGE is the closest match on Steam. You captain a small fishing trawler around a remote archipelago, selling fish to the locals, completing quests and fitting your boat with better gear so you can reach deeper trenches and farther islands. The store page counts over 125 deep-sea creatures to find.

The big difference is mood. Where Dave is goofy, DREDGE has a sinister undercurrent: the fog at night is dangerous, the islands have troubled pasts, and someone wants you to dig up things best left buried. You still get the “one more trip out” pull, just with a shiver. It suits players who liked the Blue Hole’s mystery and want more of it. Single-player with full controller support, released Mar 30, 2023 by Black Salt Games and published by Team17, on Windows and macOS. If the mystery hooks you, our mystery games like Outer Wilds list is a natural next stop.

Moonlighter

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Moonlighter is Dave’s loop moved to a fantasy village. You play Will, a shopkeeper who dreams of being a hero. At night you raid dungeons behind ancient Gates; by day you put your loot on the shelves, set each price carefully, recruit assistants and upgrade the shop. Price something too high and customers walk away, which is a satisfying little puzzle of its own.

It is an action RPG with rogue-lite elements, so dungeons change between runs, and the current version adds mini-bosses, companions, over 100 new room layouts and a New Game+ mode. Combat asks more of you than Dave’s harpoon, so it suits players who wanted the fights to bite a little harder. Single-player with full controller support, released May 29, 2018 by Digital Sun and published by 11 bit studios, on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Chef RPG

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For players who were secretly there for the sushi bar, Chef RPG puts the restaurant front and center. You are a young chef reviving Le Sequoia, a once famous restaurant in a seaside town called White Ash harbor. You hunt, harvest and shop for ingredients, cook for customers, befriend locals and grow your culinary business however you like: as a master chef, as an adventurer who serves rare ingredients, or through charm and connections.

The hunting-for-ingredients side echoes Dave’s dives, and the pixel art seaside setting has a similar warmth. Note that Steam lists it under Early Access, meaning it is still in development and may change. Single-player with full controller support, from World 2 Studio, released Sep 12, 2024 on Windows and macOS. If you want restaurant chaos with friends instead, see our co-op games like Overcooked.

Graveyard Keeper

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Graveyard Keeper shares Dave’s sense of humor and its habit of stacking jobs on top of each other. You manage a medieval graveyard, then branch into other ventures, gathering materials, crafting items, exploring dungeons for alchemy ingredients and cutting corners wherever profit allows. The jokes are darker (the store page cheerfully suggests selling spare organs to the butcher), but the tone is playful rather than grim.

It suits players who enjoyed how Dave the Diver kept adding systems, like the farm and the staff, and want a game built entirely around that juggling act. Expect more grinding and crafting chains than Dave asks of you. Single-player with full controller support, released Aug 15, 2018 by Lazy Bear Games and published by tinyBuild, on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Underwater games for the diving half

If the restaurant was a pleasant extra and the ocean was the real draw, these games go deeper, sometimes literally.

Subnautica

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Subnautica is what Dave’s dives would look like stretched into a full survival game. You crash-land on an alien ocean planet and the only way forward is down: shallow coral reefs, kelp forests, cave systems, lava fields and deep trenches. You manage oxygen, scavenge resources, craft diving gear and submarines, and build underwater bases where you can refill air and store loot.

The feeling of pushing a little deeper than is safe is very familiar from the Blue Hole, but the scale is far bigger and the tone is more tense. It is first-person and has no restaurant to run; the “management” is your base and your supplies. Great for players who wanted Dave’s ocean to feel truly vast. Single-player with full controller support and VR support, released Jan 23, 2018 by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, on Windows and macOS. More like it lives in our best survival games on Steam guide.

Subnautica: Below Zero

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Below Zero returns to the same planet two years later, in a freezing arctic region. You arrive investigating what happened to your sister, piecing the story together from abandoned research stations, logs and databanks. You still build habitats, craft tools and dive deeper, now through crystal caverns, thermal vents and snowy peaks you can climb.

Its story is more personal and character-driven than the original’s, which makes it a good fit if Dave’s cast mattered to you as much as the fishing. Play the first Subnautica before it if you can. Single-player with full controller support, released May 13, 2021 by Unknown Worlds Entertainment, on Windows and macOS.

Another Crab’s Treasure

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This one keeps Dave’s ocean setting and jokey spirit but changes the action completely. You play Kril, a hermit crab whose shell gets repossessed, on a treasure hunt through a crumbling undersea kingdom. You wear trash as shells to survive enemies far bigger than you and learn Umami Techniques, attacks borrowed from sea creatures like the mantis shrimp.

It is a soulslike, meaning tough, deliberate combat where learning enemy patterns matters, so it is a big step up in challenge from Dave’s casual harpoon fights. Pick it if Dave’s boss battles were your favorite part. Single-player, gamepad recommended, released Apr 25, 2024 by Aggro Crab, on Windows only.

ABZU

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ABZU is pure diving with no oxygen meter nagging at you. You swim through a vibrant ocean with graceful controls, meet hundreds of species based on real creatures, and drift alongside schools of thousands of fish that react to you and to predators. There is a quiet mystery in the depths, but no crafting, no shop and no menus to manage.

It is a short, calm palate cleanser, ideal after a long Dave the Diver run when you just want to enjoy the sea. Single-player, gamepad recommended, released Aug 2, 2016 by Giant Squid and published by 505 Games, on Windows only.

Games like Dave the Diver and Stardew Valley: cozy life and shop sims

Dave’s calendar of days, events and townsfolk overlaps a lot with life sims, where the joy comes from settling into a routine and watching your little world grow.

Stardew Valley

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If you loved the daily rhythm of Dave the Diver, Stardew Valley is the classic version of that feeling. You inherit your grandfather’s overgrown farm and turn it into a thriving home: growing crops, raising animals, crafting machines, and improving your skills over time. Fishing, mining and getting to know the townsfolk fill your days, and restoring the old community center gives everything a goal.

Unlike Dave, it supports co-op: the store page says you can invite 1 to 7 players online, and Steam lists LAN co-op, shared/split screen co-op (two people on one screen) and Remote Play Together. Released Feb 26, 2016 by ConcernedApe, on Windows, macOS and Linux. Already finished it? Our farm sim games like Stardew Valley list picks up from there.

Coral Island

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Coral Island is the strongest answer for anyone who wants games like Dave the Diver and Stardew Valley rolled into one. It is a laid-back island farm sim, but the sea is part of the deal: you can help revitalize the surrounding coral reefs and dive into a magical Merfolk Kingdom, while also farming, raising animals and getting to know a community of more than 70 people.

It is far gentler than Dave’s dives, with no oxygen panic, and suits players who liked the Blue Hole’s beauty more than its danger. Steam lists online co-op and cross-platform multiplayer, and the store page says up to four farmers can play together. Released Nov 14, 2023 by Stairway Games and published by Balor Games, on Windows. For more gentle island life, try our games like Animal Crossing.

Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator

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Potion Craft takes the hands-on cooking part of Dave’s sushi bar and builds a whole game around it. You physically grind ingredients, stir your cauldron and plot routes on an Alchemy Map to hit the right effects, then sell potions to townsfolk who come in with requests. You can play as an honest artisan or a greedy weasel.

There is no exploring or diving; the satisfaction is in experimenting and serving customers well. It suits players who looked forward to the VIP orders more than the dives. Single-player, released Dec 13, 2022 by niceplay games and published by tinyBuild, on Windows only.

Runs, risk and a base to come home to

These two keep the tension of Dave’s oxygen meter: go out, grab what you can, and get home before things fall apart.

Dome Keeper

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Dome Keeper captures the “should I go a little deeper?” gamble better than almost anything. You dig beneath your dome for resources and relics, haul them back for upgrades, then defend the dome against waves of alien monsters. Every minute underground is a bet against the next attack, much like squeezing in one more fish before your air runs out.

Each run has a procedurally generated map, so it plays like a roguelike. It suits players who liked the pressure of the dives more than the restaurant. Steam lists online, LAN and split screen co-op, PvP, cross-platform multiplayer, Steam Workshop and Remote Play Together. Released Sep 27, 2022 by Bippinbits and published by Raw Fury, on Windows, macOS and Linux.

Cult of the Lamb

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Cult of the Lamb splits its time like Dave does: venture out into randomly generated regions to fight and gather, then return home to manage your community. Here the “restaurant” is a cult of woodland followers you feed, preach to and build structures for, all in a cute art style with a dark sense of humor.

Combat is faster and harder than Dave’s, so expect more challenge. Steam lists single-player plus shared/split screen co-op and Remote Play Together. Released Aug 11, 2022 by Massive Monster and published by Devolver Digital, on Windows and macOS. Our games like Cult of the Lamb list goes further down this path.

How to pick your next game after Dave the Diver

The common mistake with games like Dave the Diver is picking the one that looks most similar instead of the one that matches what you enjoyed. An underwater screenshot does not mean the same feel: Subnautica and ABZU are both ocean games, but one is a tense survival climb and the other is a calm swim.

A quick way to choose:

1. Name your favorite moment. A rare catch? A packed sushi service? A boss fight? Laughing at a cutscene?
2. Match it to a group above. Catches point to DREDGE; service points to Chef RPG or Potion Craft; bosses point to Another Crab’s Treasure or Moonlighter; daily routine points to Stardew Valley or Coral Island.
3. Check the challenge. Dave is casual. Another Crab’s Treasure, Cult of the Lamb and Dome Keeper ask more of your reflexes.
4. Check who you are playing with. Dave is solo only. For co-op, look at Stardew Valley, Coral Island, Dome Keeper or Cult of the Lamb.

A worked example: say you loved the Blue Hole’s mystery and the upgrade grind, but the restaurant felt like a chore by the end. Skip the cozy sims. DREDGE gives you the catch-sell-upgrade loop with a stronger mystery, and Subnautica gives you a much bigger ocean to push into once you finish it. If you then want something lighter, ABZU makes a nice cooldown.

Trade-offs to keep in mind: the closest loops (Moonlighter, Graveyard Keeper) can feel grindier than Dave, the deepest oceans (Subnautica, Below Zero) drop the humor, and the coziest picks drop the danger. No single game replaces everything, which is why trying two from different groups works well. For more ideas by playstyle, browse our games like the ones you love hub or the best indie games on Steam.

Questions and answers

What games are most like Dave the Diver?

DREDGE and Moonlighter come closest. DREDGE has you fish an archipelago, sell your catch and upgrade your boat, with a creeping mystery underneath. Moonlighter splits each day between dungeon runs and setting prices in your shop, which mirrors Dave's dive-then-sushi rhythm. If the restaurant half is what hooked you, Chef RPG has you gather ingredients and run a seaside restaurant.

Is Dave the Diver a difficult game?

Not really. Its own store page calls it a casual adventure RPG with casual combat. The main pressure comes from your oxygen meter: if it runs out, you leave most of your haul behind. Bosses and busy sushi services can get hectic, but upgrades to your gear and restaurant steadily make both easier, so most players can finish it without much trouble.

What should I play after Stardew Valley if I also loved Dave the Diver?

Coral Island is the closest blend. It is a farm sim set on an island where you can also help restore the coral reefs and explore a Merfolk Kingdom, so it scratches the ocean itch too. It supports up to four farmers in online co-op. Moonlighter and Graveyard Keeper are good picks if you want more business management and less farming.

What games are most like Subnautica?

Subnautica: Below Zero is the obvious next step: same developer, same alien ocean planet, now in a frozen arctic region with a more personal story about a missing sister. You still craft gear, build habitats and manage oxygen. For underwater exploration without survival pressure, ABZU offers a calm, beautiful dive with no crafting and a focus on sea life.

Are there co-op games like Dave the Diver?

Dave the Diver itself is single-player only, but several similar games support co-op on Steam. Stardew Valley lets up to eight players farm together online and also has LAN and split screen co-op. Coral Island supports four farmers online. Cult of the Lamb has shared or split screen co-op, and Dome Keeper offers online, LAN and split screen co-op.