The best games like Dave the Diver are Moonglow Bay, Shelldiver and Beyond Blue: a calm fishing and cooking game, a short dive-and-upgrade loop, and a calm dive with no combat. For the restaurant, play Chef RPG. Below are 8 games, grouped by what you loved most, with honest notes on combat. We checked every game on October 31, 2026.
At a glance
| Game | Best for | Length | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beyond Blue | Players who loved just swimming around and looking at the fish | About 2.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch |
| Shelldiver | Players who loved the loop of dive, sell and upgrade | About 3.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Xbox |
| Moonglow Bay | Players who want Dave's catch-and-cook loop with no fighting | About 19 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox |
| Chef RPG | Players whose favorite part was the sushi bar | Still growing in Early Access | PC, Mac |
| Bear and Breakfast | Players who loved the silly cast and the busy hosting | About 22 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 |
| Cast n Chill | Players who want fishing, selling and upgrades with zero stress | About 16 to 18 hours | PC, Mac, Switch 2 |
| Dredge | Players who loved the sea's strange side and the gear upgrades | About 9.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, iOS, Android |
| A Short Sail | Players who want the sea and its fish, without the restaurant | Not shared yet | PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck |
| Coral Island | Players who loved how much there was to do | About 56.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X |
What makes Dave the Diver special
In Dave the Diver, you are Dave, a chubby, easygoing diver. By day, you dive into the Blue Hole, a strange sea that changes shape each time. You catch fish with a harpoon and other tools, pick up ingredients and find odd things on the sea floor. By night, you serve your catch at a sushi bar. You pick the menu, hire staff and run between tables. A large, goofy cast keeps adding new side games, and you upgrade your gear as you go. Dave the Diver has a 95.2% rating on SteamDB, from about 164,000 Steam reviews (October 31, 2026).
Developer: MINTROCKET | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 25 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
It is warm and funny, but it is not always calm. Sharks and other sea life fight back, and there are boss fights. So we grouped this list by the part you loved most: the dives, the sea by day and the shop by night, running a restaurant, fishing and upgrades, or a goofy cast with lots to do. For each game, we say plainly how much fighting there is. For more games set in the sea, see our list of cozy ocean games.
The best games like Dave the Diver
- Closest cozy match: Moonglow Bay
- Best short dive with upgrades: Shelldiver
- Best calm dive: Beyond Blue
- Best restaurant game: Chef RPG
- Best fishing with upgrades, no stress: Cast n Chill
- Our own game: A Short Sail (a cozy sea game on top of the water, with a snorkel for reefs; not ranked)
If you loved the dives
Beyond Blue
Who it is for: players who loved just swimming around and looking at the fish.
Beyond Blue is a calm ocean diving game. You are Mirai, an ocean scientist on a small research team. You dive in a real-feeling ocean, scan whales, sharks and fish, and follow a pod of sperm whales. Between dives, you talk with your crew on the boat. Nothing attacks you, and short films about real ocean science unlock as you go. It is the calm side of Dave’s dives, without the harpoon.
The downside: it is short, the story is thin, and there is no shop or upgrades.
Developer: E-Line Media | Year: 2020 | Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | Length: about 2.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Shelldiver
Who it is for: players who loved the loop of dive, sell and upgrade.
Shelldiver is a short dive-and-upgrade game. A senior turtle wants to start a business selling jellyfish. You take a little submarine down, catch jellyfish with a bubble gun, break up rocks and trash for parts, and sell your catch in a small shop. Then you spend the coins on a big skill tree: more oxygen, a bigger shop, little helpers that catch for you. Each dive feels faster than the last. There are no enemies to fight, though some jellyfish zap you or pop when you get close.
The downside: it is very short, and the last half hour has a lot of screen flash and shake.
Developer: Gagonfe | Year: 2025 | Platforms: PC, Xbox | Length: about 3.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
If you loved the sea by day and the shop by night
Moonglow Bay
Who it is for: players who want Dave’s catch-and-cook loop with no fighting.
Moonglow Bay is a calm fishing and cooking game. You move to a quiet fishing town that has lost its spark. You learn to fish from your boat, catch many kinds of fish, cook them into dishes and sell them to the town. As you go, the town comes back to life, and you uncover old sea legends. It is gentle and warm, with a voxel look, and there is no combat. You can also play it with a friend on the same screen.
The downside: the cooking and selling can feel repetitive, and it is only Playable on Steam Deck, not Verified.
Developer: Bunnyhug | Year: 2021 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox | Length: about 19 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Playable | Steam page
If you loved running the restaurant
Chef RPG
Who it is for: players whose favorite part was the sushi bar.
Chef RPG is a restaurant life sim. You are a young chef sent to revive Le Sequoia, a once famous restaurant in a seaside harbor town. You fish, forage, farm and hunt for ingredients, cook from more than 240 recipes, and run your restaurants your own way. You also befriend the locals and help bring tourists back to town. Like Dave, the best dishes need the best ingredients, so you go out and find them.
The downside: it is still in Early Access, hunting means some light fights with creatures and a few hidden bosses, and it is only Playable on Steam Deck.
Developer: World 2 Studio | Year: 2024 (Early Access) | Platforms: PC, Mac | Length: still growing in Early Access | Steam Deck: Playable | Steam page
Bear and Breakfast
Who it is for: players who loved the silly cast and the busy hosting.
Bear and Breakfast is a cozy hotel management game. Hank is a bear who opens a bed and breakfast in the woods. You build and decorate rooms, cook for your guests, gather supplies and expand to new spots. The guests are odd and the jokes are dry. There is no combat. It feels a lot like Dave’s restaurant nights, but at a slower pace.
The downside: the building tools can be fiddly, and the story ends a little suddenly.
Developer: Gummy Cat | Year: 2022 | Platforms: PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 | Length: about 22 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
If you loved the fishing and the upgrades
Cast n Chill
Who it is for: players who want fishing, selling and upgrades with zero stress.
Cast n Chill is a relaxing pixel-art fishing game. You fish from a little boat on lakes and rivers, with your dog beside you. You sell your catch, buy better rods and boats, and reach new waters. The pixel art is lovely, and you can also just idle and let the fish come to you. There is no combat at all. For more like it, see games like Cast n Chill.
The downside: there is no diving and no shop to run, and the goals are light.
Developer: Wombat Brawler | Year: 2025 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch 2 | Length: about 16 to 18 hours | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Dredge
Who it is for: players who loved the sea’s strange side and the gear upgrades.
Dredge is a fishing game with a horror story. You captain a small fishing boat around remote islands. By day, you fish, sell your catch and upgrade your boat. By night, the fog brings strange things, and the story gets darker the further you sail. There is no fighting, but odd creatures can damage your boat. For calmer games like it, see cozy games like Dredge.
The downside: it is a light horror game, so the nights are tense, not cozy.
Developer: Black Salt Games | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, Mac, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, iOS, Android | Length: about 9.5 hours (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
A Short Sail
Who it is for: players who want the sea and its fish, without the restaurant.
A Short Sail is a cozy sailing game where you are a little tabby cat with a sailboat. Like Dave the Diver, it is about the sea, the fish in it and a cast of odd friends. You fish by day and by night, get a snorkel and swim over reefs and old ruins under the sea, and lend a hand at the bakery for coins. You also deliver letters and parcels and make friends across the islands. But you do not run a restaurant, and most of the game is on top of the water, not under it.
There are no timers, no fighting on foot, and only gentle sea battles against storms and living waves. If no combat is a must for you, see our cozy games with no combat on PC. The full game also plays in a web browser. It comes out in Q1 2027, and you can play the free demo at play.ashortsail.com.
Developer: Yos Riady | Platforms: PC (Windows), Mac, Web, Steam Deck | Length: not shared yet | Free demo at play.ashortsail.com | Play the demo
If you loved the goofy cast and all the side games
Coral Island
Who it is for: players who loved how much there was to do.
Coral Island is a big farming and island life game. You move to a tropical island town. You farm, fish, raise animals and make friends with a large, friendly cast. You can also dive in the sea to clear trash and bring a damaged reef back to life. Festivals and events fill the calendar, so there is always something new. It is much bigger and slower than Dave, but it has the same feeling of many small games in one.
The downside: it is very long, and the mines have light combat with monsters.
Developer: Stairway Games | Year: 2023 | Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S | Length: about 56.5 hours for the main story (HowLongToBeat) | Steam Deck: Verified | Steam page
Related guides
- Cozy ocean games
- Cozy fishing games
- Cozy games like Dredge
- Games like Loddlenaut
- Cozy job games
- Cozy games with no combat on PC
Questions
What is the closest game to Dave the Diver?
Moonglow Bay is the closest cozy game to Dave the Diver. You catch fish from your boat, cook them, and sell the dishes in your town, and there is no combat.
Is there a game like Dave the Diver without combat?
Yes: Moonglow Bay, Beyond Blue, Bear and Breakfast and Cast n Chill have no fighting at all. Shelldiver has no enemies to fight, though some jellyfish can zap you.
Is Dave the Diver cozy?
Dave the Diver is only partly cozy. The art, the jokes and the sushi bar feel cozy, but you hunt fish with a harpoon and guns, sharks fight back, and there are boss fights. It is not a calm game the whole way.
How long is Dave the Diver?
Dave the Diver takes about 25 hours for the main story, according to HowLongToBeat. The side quests, minigames and content packs add many more hours, so most players keep diving well past the end.
Is Dave the Diver on Steam Deck and Mac?
Yes. Dave the Diver is Steam Deck Verified, and on Steam it runs on Mac as well as Windows. It is also on Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox.
Is Dave the Diver multiplayer?
No. Dave the Diver is single-player only. For a sea game to share, Moonglow Bay has local co-op on one screen, and Coral Island lets you farm, fish and dive online with friends.
Is there a game like Dave the Diver where you run a restaurant?
Chef RPG is the closest restaurant game: you run a seaside restaurant and gather, fish and hunt for its ingredients. It is still in Early Access. Moonglow Bay also has you cook your catch and sell it.
