9 Fish Games You’ll Love

Fish games are an Aquarium Passion tradition! Get your fish fix when you’re away from your tank by playing these ready-to-go games online or in person with friends. Sometimes it can be tough to find games that are actually about aquariums (rather than fishing!) We’ve reviewed 9 games that are (mostly) specific to aquariums and fish enthusiasts, and given you what we love about each.

The aquarium and fish games available online really pack a punch. You can play for free on most of them, and they have complex worlds with lots of realistic layers to navigate and graphics that make you really feel like you’re in the aquarium world.

“Tycoon”-style games are common here, but we also cover some less conventional game styles that will keep you on your toes and provide hours and hours of entertainment (and learning!)

The one, the only, the original Fish Tycoon, rebooted to a second version. Here’s the premise of this and other aquarium “tycoon” games: You run your own aquarium business, starting small with the goal of growing the aquarium by breeding and selling your fish.

Fish Tycoon 2 has lots of intricacies to keep you engaged; You can even “renovate” your storefront and hire mascots to recruit visitors to your store. You can decorate your tank, and find ways to increase your revenue. There are over 400 unique species and the game has a gorgeous, reasonably realistic interface that is easy to use.

The colors and design of the fish and the aquariums have satisfying detail and will suck you in to continue playing and incorporating new and interesting species.

You can complete “goals“ to earn more coins and move through the incentives designed to help you grow your aquarium. You can create custom tanks and breeding tanks, and toggle between the birdseye view of the store and the individual aquariums themselves.

FishTycoon 2 has a multitude of species with pictures along with incentives to discover new species, and like other aquarium tycoon games, allows you to set prices of individual fish.

It’s worth noting that while the game is entertaining and beautifully designed, it is not absolutely realistic. It can’t be – it’s a game. For example, you can access a formula called “Instagrow” which, when applied, ages the fry in the tank to become adults immediately. Of course, this doesn’t happen in real life 🙂

If you’re looking for something entertaining, this game will absolutely do it! And it does help orient newbies to fish processes.

I do think this is a great game for beginners- And more advanced reviewers have called it “a real breeding puzzle.” It’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Also worth noting: Many people disliked the switch from the original beloved Fish Tycoon 1 to the sequel, Fish Tycoon 2. It’s free to play: Give it a shot yourself and see what you think!

Available on Steam.

Fish Farm 3 is SWEET! Like Fish Tycoon, it’s also a fish simulation game. The premise is the same: You’re breeding and growing fish to sell and fund your aquarium. There are realistic elements involved: If you don’t change the water, or you forget to feed your fish, there will be consequences!

It has super realistic graphics and visuals – more so than Fish Tycoon 2– and more detailed functionality such as very realistic fish movements (gills moving, fish growing) as well as the ability to cross-breed unlimited variations of fish. Nice!

It also has other types of marine animals such as whales, seahorses, and turtles- My personal favorite perk of this game.

It’s free to play, has over 275 realistic 3-D species of fish, and is available to play offline so you can get your aquarium fix even while traveling.

The ability to have open ocean aquariums really puts this one over the top for me!

Check it out:

You can decorate up to 20 tanks and customize decorations, corals, fish, and more.

By breeding and selling fish, you earn coins that allow you to reach higher levels, which allows access to more options (fish, inventory, decorations).

Available on Apple Store.
Available on Google Play.

This game is exactly what it sounds like: A mega aquarium tycoon game in which you’re tasked with managing and growing a giant public aquarium. It’s like the first two games on steroids- A little more like managing a theme park than managing an aquarium, but the density of it provides seemingly unlimited opportunities for engaging with the game.

It has around 100 species of (mostly saltwater) fish. Some people describe it as a “micromanagement“ game, which I think is accurate. This is going to be a plus for some people and a minus for others. The level of detail will challenge experienced aquarists; For example, if you forget to hire a fish manager when you need one and your fish die as a result, higher levels will restrict your ability to purchase new fish as a replacement (E.g., the fish will show as limited stock availability).

Megaquarium can also move fast, and combined with the ability to grow quickly it means there will be no shortage of challenges!

Like the other games, the realistic element is here too. For example: Fish 1 and Fish 2 are in the same tank and all is well until Fish 2 grows large enough to eat Fish 1 and then BAM: You have a problem, just like you would in a real aquarium.

I think the graphics are giving themselves away a little bit in terms of when they were made – it can look like you’re playing something from 2005– But nonetheless the game is endlessly entertaining and will appeal particularly I think to experienced aquarists, who will be challenged by the fast-moving pace of a growing public aquarium.

I do think it could use more species, and this is why I didn’t list it first. Nonetheless, it is beloved by many and will suck you in and keep you going for hours!

Available on Steam.

This is a simple little game that deserves a mention: It’s a straightforward virtual aquarium game in which the goal is taking care of the fish. Every action you take or don’t take affects the tank (such as water parameters) and this is a great way to educate the beginning aquarist since it’s a little simpler and less intimidating in its breadth.

Like the others, you have to manage your income and expenses in order to do well in the game.

Available on Google Play.

This game is a departure from the popular “fish tycoon” theme: It’s a survival-based game in which you are the fish, and you literally have to eat your way up the food chain to become bigger and bigger. It’s all very Darwinist.

You have to dodge getting eaten by other fish, kill time and survive while growing into adulthood as a fish, try not to get eaten, navigate breeding and hatching, and did we mention you have to try not to get eaten?

This game is unique because unlike other aquarium games in which you’re playing as a human, in this one you’re playing as a fish and from a survival perspective.

If you have ever wanted to live in a river as a catfish under a tree log eating smaller fish so you can grow to a great size and dominate the ecosystem, this game is for you. It has a solid dose of choose-your-own-adventure, and there may or may not be a megalodon involved (but we’re not telling…)

Available on Steam.

Nothing’s better than a good game night! Instead of playing solo on a computer, get a group together and enjoy a wide variety of in-person fish game mayhem!

These games are less oriented towards aquarism and more geared towards traditional game themes, but I love them all the same, and I think you will too!

Reef is a reasonably simple, family friendly, hybrid board game/card game. The goal of the game is to grow your reef by adding coral pieces and scoring patterns. Every player gets a player board, one piece of each color of coral, and two cards to start. Players play from a deck and score by matching patterns from their cards, among other things.

You have to figure out which cards to take vs. play and how to grow your coral reef, while dealing with what happens when other players pick up the cards you may have wanted. Because of the strategy component, it might be harder for young kids to play.

The game ends when all of the coral pieces of one color run out, or if the card deck runs out first.

Available on Amazon.
Available directly from the manufacturer.

Koi Pond is a gorgeous card game with a high level of visual appeal due to its unique and sophisticated art centered around koi (yes, the respectable relative of the goldfish).

The goal of the game is to collect different colors of koi fish and keep them balanced between your cards in hand (house) and cards in play (hand). During a turn, players draw from a deck or from the “lake“ until all players have three cards. Then, a player will decide which cards go into their pond and which are discarded into their “river.”

Players win by having the most of each suit of koi in their own individual ”river.”

I think the quality of this game is reflected in the overwhelming number of positive reviews on the manufacturer’s site (link in “Available through” section below) and people also enjoyed the lovely art.

It was developed by Daniel Solis and is available through Drivethrucards. Daniel the creator has posted a YouTube video describing and simplifying how to play:

Available through Drivethrucards.

Sounds Fishy is a clever card game reminiscent of Balderdash that requires excellent bluffing in order to win. It’s a trivia game in which a player presents multiple answers to the group. One of them is the real one, and rest are false; The group has to decide which one is true.

It combines trivia, acting, and creativity and is beloved for both how fun it is to play and how easy it is to get started. You can spend less time digging through a rulebook trying to figure it out, and more time actually playing and having fun. It’s portable so you can take it with you while you travel or to a park, etc.

It’s a great party game, family game, or game night game, and it’s easy for anybody to pick up and start playing. Since it’s family friendly you can play it with kids, teens, etc. and not have to worry about the cards’ content. It’s affordable and beautifully designed. Definitely a top pick!

Available on Amazon.

While we’re on card games, we should mention Happy Salmon! It’s a fast-paced, creative card game in which all players have certain cards in their hand that match each others’. During a round, players have to find the other player with a card that matches their own by calling out the action on their card and completing that action, (for example, a high-five).

You can also play the game in “silent mode“ if all the shouting is too noisy, and this leads to some pretty comical gestures as well.

Once the actions are completed, the cards are discarded and you start again by picking up a new card.

This is a super easy game to play that’s great for including kids, yet is still funny enough to get laughs from all ages.

Here’s the promo video from the manufacturer:

Available on Amazon.