Both are boat games about fishing between islands, but they want you to feel very different things. Dredge (Black Salt Games, 2023) is a fishing game with a horror story: calm days, tense nights, strange fish and things in the fog. A Short Sail is a cozy errand game: you are a tabby cat with a sailboat who delivers mail, fishes by day and by night, and makes friends across the islands. Pick Dredge for a tense, eerie mystery; pick A Short Sail for a calm, friendly island routine.
Short answer first: if you want a tense fishing mystery with a horror edge, play Dredge. If you want fishing as part of a calm island routine with friends, try A Short Sail. We make A Short Sail, and we love Dredge, so we tried hard to be fair. Here is the honest comparison.
Who makes each game
Dredge is by Black Salt Games, a small studio in New Zealand, and published by Team17. It came out in March 2023 on PC and Mac, and it is also on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS and Android. Two paid expansions followed: The Pale Reach, an icy new area, in November 2023, and The Iron Rig in August 2024. It is Verified for Steam Deck, rated Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, and takes about 9.5 hours for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat.
A Short Sail is made by Yos Riady, a solo developer. It is still in development and coming to Steam and itch.io in Q1 2027, for PC (Windows), Mac, the web and Steam Deck. The free demo plays in your browser now at play.ashortsail.com.
What is alike
A small boat between islands. In both games, your boat is your home and your job. You sail it between little islands, tie up at docks and head back out.
Fishing by day and by night. Both games care about when and where you fish. In Dredge, some fish only come out at night. In A Short Sail, different fish bite in different waters and at different hours, so you try again after dark.
A hold you pack on a grid. Dredge is famous for its grid hold, where you fit each catch by its shape. A Short Sail has an inventory grid too: you pack letters, parcels and fish into your hold before you set out.
Upgrades for your boat. Dredge lets you upgrade engines, rods, nets and lights to reach new waters. In A Short Sail, you customize your boat with new sails, hulls and more.
A mystery under the sea. Dredge has a dark secret that you uncover piece by piece. A Short Sail has the secrets of the islands. We will not spoil either.
What is different
The mood. This is the big one. Dredge is a horror game with a fishing loop: the fog, the panic meter and the twisted fish build a real sense of dread. A Short Sail is a cozy game from start to finish. Its nights are for the island lights and a quiet line in the water.
Danger. In Dredge, sea monsters can hit your boat and you can lose cargo, and you have to get home before the night gets to you. A Short Sail has no fighting on foot, only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves, and there are no timers.
Mail and friends. Dredge has a small cast of odd, haunted people with requests. A Short Sail is built around the island post: you pick up letters and parcels, sail them out and deliver them to folks. The islanders become your friends when you help them, shown as hearts, and there is no romance or dating for the player.
A home and a calendar. Dredge is about the sea and the next dredge. A Short Sail gives you a home island to name as you like, where you build up your home island. A weekly calendar brings a fishing contest, a regatta, a lantern festival and a night market.
More to do on land and under the sea. In A Short Sail, you can also lend a hand in the shops for coins, dig up treasure with the maps you find, bring beach finds to a little museum, find instruments and tunes, and get a snorkel to swim over reefs and old ruins.
Alone or together. Dredge is single-player. A Short Sail plays alone or online with friends.
Out now or coming soon. Dredge is out now, with two expansions. A Short Sail comes in Q1 2027, and only its demo is out now.
Side by side
| Dredge | A Short Sail | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Black Salt Games | Yos Riady |
| Release | 2023 | Q1 2027 (in development) |
| You play | A fisherman with a small trawler | A tabby cat with a sailboat |
| Main thing you do | Fish, dredge and uncover a dark secret | Deliver mail between islands, fish and make friends |
| Mood | Calm days, tense horror nights | Cozy all day and all night |
| Danger | Sea monsters, panic at night | Gentle sea battles only, no timers |
| Hold | Grid hold for fish | Grid hold for mail, parcels and fish |
| Home base | Life at sea | Your home island and its old cottage |
| Multiplayer | Single-player | Alone or online with friends |
| Length | About 9.5 hours main story (HowLongToBeat) | Not shared yet |
| Platforms | PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, iOS, Android | PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
Who should play which
Play Dredge if you want a short, gripping game with a creepy edge, and you like the idea of a fishing trip that goes wrong. It is one of the best-reviewed boat games out there, and its grid hold and night runs are a joy. If you love it and want something softer next, see our cozy games like Dredge.
Play A Short Sail if you like Dredge’s boat, fishing and packed hold, but not the dread. It is for players who want a gentle routine: the post, a line in the water at night, animal friends and a home to fix up. It is also the pick if you want to sail with friends online. Try the free demo first: it runs in your browser, and your save carries over to the full game.
Play both if you love boats and fish. Dredge is a tense weekend; A Short Sail is a calm place to come back to. Our best cozy sailing games and cozy fishing games lists have more.
Our own game
We make A Short Sail. Dredge is one of our favorite boat games, and we tried to be fair to it. You can get it on Steam.
Questions
Is A Short Sail like Dredge?
Partly. In both games you sail a small boat between islands, fish at different hours and pack your hold on a grid. Dredge turns that loop into a horror story with tense nights. A Short Sail keeps it calm: you deliver mail, fish and make friends, and your lantern glows after dark.
Is Dredge scary?
It can be. Days are calm, but at night fog rolls in, your boat's lights matter, and your captain starts to panic if you stay out too long. The story is a Lovecraft-style horror tale with strange, twisted fish. It is not gory, but it is not a gentle game.
Does A Short Sail have scary parts?
No. A Short Sail is a cozy game. There is no fighting on foot, only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves, and there are no timers. Night is for fishing and seeing the island lights, not for panic. Rain and storms roll in over the sea, but they are part of the mood.
Which has more fishing?
Dredge's whole game is built on fishing: you dredge and fish, sell your catch, and upgrade your boat to reach new waters. In A Short Sail, fishing is one of several main things you do. Different fish bite in different waters and at different hours, and a few are rare shiny ones.
Can I play Dredge or A Short Sail with friends?
Dredge is single-player. A Short Sail plays alone or online with friends: host a lobby or join one by its code or from a list of public lobbies, chat, ride along in a friend's boat and play flag tag. Its sea battles are single-player only.
Are Dredge and A Short Sail on Steam Deck?
Dredge is Verified for Steam Deck. A Short Sail comes to Steam in Q1 2027 for PC (Windows), Mac, the web and Steam Deck, and its free demo plays in your browser now at play.ashortsail.com. Demo saves carry over to the full game, so nothing you do in the demo is lost.
