Games Like Dave the Diver

Updated June 2026 · data via IGDB

Dave the Diver's secret is its dual-loop structure: every session is split between real-time underwater action — dodging eels, harpooning fish, hunting sea monsters — and the calm satisfaction of running a sushi bar, upgrading staff, and watching your restaurant rating climb. Neither half overstays its welcome because the other is always waiting.

When players go looking for games like Dave, they're really searching for one of two things: that same gather-by-adventure, sell-by-management rhythm, or that specific joy of the ocean as a layered, living space to explore. The best recommendations deliver both — or nail one so completely they're worth it anyway.

Top pick: Stardew Valley is the single closest pick: it runs the same clock-driven dual loop of active resource gathering (farming, fishing, mining) and incremental business building, wraps it in charming writing and deep progression, and has kept players hooked for hundreds of hours — if you loved the rhythm of Dave's days, Stardew will feel immediately familiar.

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18 games like Dave the Diver

92%

Stardew Valley 2016

Stardew Valley splits every day between active resource gathering (farming, mining, fishing) and building up a business, mirroring Dave's dive-then-serve loop almost exactly. Both layer RPG progression onto a calendar-driven life sim with charming characters.

Key difference: No action combat; slower, more pastoral pacing.
Best for: Players who want the management loop deeper and longer.
Skip if: You need real-time combat thrills.

PlayStationPCNintendoMobileXbox

Official Steam GOG

90%💎 Gem

Moonglow Bay 2021

Moonglow Bay is the most direct Dave the Diver parallel: you fish a coastal town's waters by day using arcade mechanics, then cook and sell dishes to the townspeople at your restaurant each night, with RPG progression throughout.

Key difference: Retro voxel art; quieter, more melancholy narrative tone.
Best for: Dave fans wanting the exact same loop in a cozier package.
Skip if: You want high-action combat in the water.

XboxPlayStationPCNintendo

Official Steam Epic

88%

Dredge 2023

Dredge has you sail out to fish by day and upgrade your boat/sell catches between trips, echoing Dave's dive-gather-monetize rhythm. Its Lovecraftian dread layer adds tension that Dave's cheerful diving lacks.

Key difference: Horror atmosphere replaces Dave's upbeat charm.
Best for: Dave fans who want more narrative mystery and dread.
Skip if: You disliked Dave's darker sea-creature moments.

XboxPlayStationMobilePCNintendo

Official Steam Epic GOG

85%

Subnautica 2018

Subnautica puts you underwater full-time, diving to gather alien fish and resources and returning to manage and upgrade your habitat — the closest thing to Dave's underwater-exploration-plus-base-management loop in a survival package.

Key difference: Survival horror tension; no restaurant or cooking business.
Best for: Dave fans who want the dive loop expanded into a full game.
Skip if: You hated Dave's scarier deep-sea moments.

XboxPlayStationNintendoMobilePC

Official Steam Epic

74%

Rune Factory 4 2012

Rune Factory 4 alternates dungeon-crawling action combat with farming, cooking, and building relationships in a fantasy town, mirroring Dave's pattern of adventurous resource gathering followed by domestic management.

Key difference: Fantasy JRPG romance and farming; no ocean or restaurant.
Best for: Dave fans who want more story, romance, and RPG depth.
Skip if: You want modern visuals or underwater environments.

Nintendo

Official

72%

Spiritfarer 2020

Spiritfarer mixes exploration across a beautiful waterway with managing a boat-based home for spirit passengers — cooking, farming, and crafting for others mirrors Dave's resource-to-restaurant pipeline, wrapped in an emotional story.

Key difference: No combat; deeply emotional narrative about death and letting go.
Best for: Dave fans who loved the cooking/care loop and want to cry.
Skip if: You need action combat to stay engaged.

PlayStationPCXboxNintendo

Official Steam itch.io Epic GOG

68%

Persona 5 2016

Persona 5 runs on a strict day/night dual loop: daytime social management and nighttime dungeon action, structurally identical to Dave's dive-by-day, restaurant-by-night rhythm. Both reward optimising every slot of your schedule.

Key difference: Urban high-school JRPG setting, no fishing or food sim.
Best for: Dave fans who loved the schedule-juggling more than the ocean.
Skip if: You want relaxed gameplay; Persona 5 punishes poor time use.

PlayStation

Official

66%

My Time at Portia 2019

My Time at Portia blends real-time exploration, crafting, and light combat with a town-building management layer, giving it the same dual-mode feel as Dave. Resource runs feed your workshop business much like fish feed Dave's sushi bar.

Key difference: Crafting/construction focus instead of fishing and food.
Best for: Dave fans who want the loop in a sunny fantasy setting.
Skip if: You want underwater environments or cooking mechanics.

PlayStationMobilePCXboxNintendo

Official Steam itch.io Epic GOG

65%

Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2020

Animal Crossing: New Horizons shares Dave's loop of daily island tasks—fishing, bug catching, selling at Nook's Cranny—and the same cosy compulsion to improve your little patch of the world.

Key difference: No action combat; fully open-ended with no story urgency.
Best for: Players who want Dave's relaxed gathering without any stress.
Skip if: You liked the arcade tension of Dave's diving sequences.

Nintendo

Official

60%💎 Gem

Graveyard Keeper 2018

Graveyard Keeper sends you out to explore, gather, and fight by day, then run a dark-comedy graveyard (and eventually a tavern) business at night — the same alternating-mode structure as Dave, with deadpan humour throughout.

Key difference: Grim medieval dark comedy instead of tropical charm.
Best for: Players who want Dave's loop with darker, stranger writing.
Skip if: You dislike slow early unlock pacing.

PlayStationPCMobileXboxNintendo

Official Steam GOG

58%

Slime Rancher 2017

Slime Rancher has you explore alien biomes collecting resources (slimes) and returning to manage and monetise your ranch, replicating Dave's satisfying gather-then-sell feedback loop in a colourful sci-fi wrapper.

Key difference: No restaurant or cooking; pure ranch management.
Best for: Younger players or those wanting Dave's loop in first-person.
Skip if: You need underwater environments or narrative depth.

PlayStationPCXbox

Official Steam Epic GOG

58%

Animal Crossing: New Leaf 2012

Animal Crossing: New Leaf introduced town-mayor management on top of the classic daily gather-and-sell loop, feeling much like Dave's incremental business upgrades wrapped in a cosy daily-task structure.

Key difference: No combat; slower unlock pace on older hardware.
Best for: Players who want the coziest possible version of the loop.
Skip if: You need modern visuals or meaningful story progression.

Nintendo

Official

52%

Abzu 2016

Abzu is a wordless underwater exploration game where you glide through stunning coral reefs and interact with sea life — it shares Dave's love of the ocean as a living, beautiful space to lose yourself in.

Key difference: No management, no combat, no progression; pure contemplation.
Best for: Dave fans who just want to be underwater with zero pressure.
Skip if: You need mechanical depth or business loops.

PlayStationPCXboxNintendo

Official Steam Epic GOG

50%💎 Gem

Palia 2023

Palia combines gathering, fishing, crafting, and community tasks in a shared-world life sim, offering a gentler version of Dave's resource-collection and social-upgrade loops without the sushi-bar pressure.

Key difference: Free-to-play MMO-lite; very slow progression pacing.
Best for: Dave fans who want multiplayer cosy gathering.
Skip if: You want solo narrative focus or action combat.

XboxPCPlayStationNintendo

Official Steam Epic

48%💎 Gem

Core Keeper 2024

Core Keeper has you mine, fish, craft, and build underground, managing resources and gradually expanding a base — the same satisfying gather-improve-repeat loop Dave uses, just underground instead of underwater.

Key difference: Top-down survival roguelite feel; no restaurant or customers.
Best for: Players who loved Dave's resource loop and want it co-op.
Skip if: You need story-driven motivation or cooking mechanics.

XboxPlayStationPCNintendo

Official Steam Epic GOG

45%

Minecraft: Java Edition 2011

Minecraft's survival mode has you explore and gather by day then return to build and manage shelter by night, loosely mirroring Dave's dual-mode rhythm, though it's fully open-ended rather than structured.

Key difference: Sandbox with no scripted story, goals, or business management.
Best for: Dave fans who want total creative freedom after the gather loop.
Skip if: You need clear progression goals and narrative payoff.

Official

42%💎 Gem

The Movies 2005

The Movies lets you build and run a film studio, managing staff, sets, and productions — a business simulation with the same desk-work satisfaction as running Dave's sushi bar, though without any exploration component.

Key difference: No exploration or action; pure studio tycoon.
Best for: Players who loved Dave's restaurant management most.
Skip if: You need adventure or combat alongside the business sim.

Official

40%

Game Dev Tycoon 2012

Game Dev Tycoon is a clean, approachable business simulator where you grow a studio and optimise for profit, scratching the same itch as Dave's sushi-bar upgrades and staff management.

Key difference: Pure tycoon loop; no exploration, combat, or fishing.
Best for: Dave fans who want the management loop distilled and expanded.
Skip if: You need action or outdoor exploration to stay engaged.

PCMobileNintendo

Official Steam itch.io

At a glance

Game	Match	Shared DNA	Biggest difference	Platforms
Stardew Valley	92%	Role-playing (RPG), Simulator	No action combat; slower, more pastoral pacing.	PlayStation, PC, Nintendo, Mobile, Xbox
Moonglow Bay	90%	Role-playing (RPG), Adventure	Retro voxel art; quieter, more melancholy narrative tone.	Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo
Dredge	88%	Role-playing (RPG), Simulator	Horror atmosphere replaces Dave's upbeat charm.	Xbox, PlayStation, Mobile, PC, Nintendo
Subnautica	85%	Adventure	Survival horror tension; no restaurant or cooking business.	Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Mobile, PC
Rune Factory 4	74%	Role-playing (RPG), Simulator	Fantasy JRPG romance and farming; no ocean or restaurant.	Nintendo
Spiritfarer	72%	Simulator, Adventure	No combat; deeply emotional narrative about death and letting go.	PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo
Persona 5	68%	Role-playing (RPG), Adventure	Urban high-school JRPG setting, no fishing or food sim.	PlayStation
My Time at Portia	66%	Role-playing (RPG), Simulator	Crafting/construction focus instead of fishing and food.	PlayStation, Mobile, PC, Xbox, Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New Horizons	65%	Simulator	No action combat; fully open-ended with no story urgency.	Nintendo
Graveyard Keeper	60%	Simulator, Adventure	Grim medieval dark comedy instead of tropical charm.	PlayStation, PC, Mobile, Xbox, Nintendo
Slime Rancher	58%	Simulator, Adventure	No restaurant or cooking; pure ranch management.	PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Animal Crossing: New Leaf	58%	Simulator, Business	No combat; slower unlock pace on older hardware.	Nintendo
Abzu	52%	Adventure, Action	No management, no combat, no progression; pure contemplation.	PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo
Palia	50%	Role-playing (RPG), Simulator	Free-to-play MMO-lite; very slow progression pacing.	Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Nintendo
Core Keeper	48%	Role-playing (RPG), Adventure	Top-down survival roguelite feel; no restaurant or customers.	Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo

What makes a game feel like Dave the Diver?

The key ingredient is the alternating-mode loop — an active, slightly tense "gathering" phase and a calmer "managing/selling" phase that feed directly into each other. Dredge nails this on the water itself: you fish anxious night waters and then dock to sell, upgrade, and plan your next run. Graveyard Keeper does the same on land, sending you into caves and forests before returning to tend your bizarrely dark business empire.

The second ingredient is incremental unlock satisfaction — every dive or run should feel like it moved something forward. My Time at Portia and Slime Rancher both deliver that drip-feed of upgrades that makes "just one more trip" impossible to resist, the same compulsion Dave sustains across dozens of hours.

Best picks for the fishing and ocean theme specifically

If what you loved most was being underwater, Abzu is an essential palette cleanser — a purely contemplative ocean exploration with stunning marine environments and zero management pressure. For something with real mechanical teeth, the missing-from-this-list Subnautica is indispensable: it fills the entire game with underwater exploration and base-building, pushing Dave's best-loved environment into a full survival experience.

Moonglow Bay (also not in this pool) is arguably the most direct parallel of all: fishing with arcade mechanics, then cooking and selling dishes at your own coastal restaurant each evening — it is, structurally, Dave the Diver in a quiet retro-voxel wrapper, and most "games like Dave" lists overlook it entirely.

If you loved the restaurant management side more than the diving

Game Dev Tycoon and The Movies strip away the exploration entirely and go deep on the business optimisation loop — staff, upgrades, chasing the next rating milestone. They lack the variety Dave offers but are excellent for players who found themselves rushing through dives just to get back to the sushi bar.

For a game that keeps the cooking and caring-for-others angle with emotional storytelling attached, Spiritfarer (in the additional list) is a remarkable choice: you cook, farm, and craft for a boatload of spirit passengers, and the management of their needs feels surprisingly close to keeping Dave's restaurant staff and menu balanced.

More games to explore

Frequently asked questions

Is there any game that combines fishing and restaurant management like Dave the Diver?

Moonglow Bay is the closest direct match — you fish a coastal bay with arcade mechanics by day and run a restaurant by night. Stardew Valley also combines fishing with selling food products from your farm, and its overall rhythm mirrors Dave's very closely.

What should I play after Dave the Diver if I loved the dual-loop gameplay?

Stardew Valley is the most popular next step for Dave fans: same day-night structure of active gathering followed by business management. Sakuna: Of Rice and Wine is a lesser-known gem that nails the same alternating-mode design, pairing action combat with a demanding rice-farming sim.

Are there any games like Dave the Diver set underwater?

Subnautica is the gold standard for underwater exploration and base management. Abzu offers a more peaceful, story-free dive through beautiful ocean environments. Dave's underwater combat and horror fish also have echoes in Dredge, which keeps you on the water with Lovecraftian sea tension.

Is Dave the Diver similar to Stardew Valley?

Yes — both use a calendar-driven dual loop where you gather resources through active gameplay and then spend the other half of each day on social/business management. Stardew replaces diving with farming and mining, and a sushi bar with selling crops and artisan goods, but the underlying rhythm and compulsion are almost identical.

What games have the same 'one more day' feeling as Dave the Diver?

Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Dredge all produce that same 'just one more trip' compulsion through incremental unlock loops. Persona 5 does it through a strict daily schedule where every in-game hour spent feels meaningful toward building your character's strength and social life.