Fishing: Barents Sea

About

Fishing: Barents Sea is a single player open world simulation game with a business theme. It was developed by Misc Games and was released on February 7, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Fishing: Barents Sea" is a realistic fishing simulation game where players start with a small inherited boat and work their way up to a successful fishing empire in the Norwegian sea. The game features various fishing methods, officially licensed equipment, and the need to stay within yearly fishing quotas. With its beautiful graphics and attention to detail, it offers an immersive and challenging experience for fishing and simulation enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,259 reviews

graphics53 positive mentions

stability51 negative mentions

Fun and simple fishing game that offers a relaxing experience.
Great graphics and immersive atmosphere, especially with dynamic weather and the Northern Lights.
Engaging progression system that allows players to upgrade their boats and hire crew members.

Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay, particularly during key activities like hauling in nets.
Repetitive gameplay loop that can become tedious, especially with the need to travel long distances to unlock new boats.
Lack of depth in content, with limited fish species and minimal narrative or varied missions.

graphics
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the beautiful visuals and atmospheric effects, particularly in weather and environmental details. However, several users note that the graphics feel dated, suffer from optimization issues, and are plagued by bugs and glitches, detracting from the overall experience. While some find the graphics enjoyable and fitting for a relaxing gameplay style, others criticize them for lacking polish and modern standards.
- “The graphics are beautiful, from the sunrises and sunsets, to storms at sea, to viewing the northern lights, or aurora borealis, while you're fishing, to whale watching while at sea.”
- “The graphics are very nice although the crew members are very minimal in their animations, and they are rather poor, but this is a minor fault.”
- “This game is absolutely amazing and the graphics and scenery are beautiful.”
- “The graphics and physics do feel dated compared to their newer games but still quite enjoyable to play.”
- “Playable for sure, but lots of bugs, unpolished/buggy graphics and lack of content variation; this feels like a beta or demo.”
- “The ocean is basically just a flat 'wavy' surface you drive the boat across, and whatever they did to 'upgrade' the graphics engine a while back was terrible; the game looks too washed out now.”
gameplay
132 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
70%
6%
The gameplay in this fishing simulator is characterized by a deliberate pacing and a strong core simulation, allowing players to engage in activities like sailing, fishing, and upgrading vessels. However, many users find the gameplay loop can become repetitive over time, with a lack of meaningful environmental challenges and limited progression options. While the mechanics are generally intuitive and the game runs smoothly, there are calls for more content and variety to sustain long-term interest, as well as improvements to certain mechanics that feel underdeveloped or frustrating.
- “There is a deliberate pacing to every aspect of gameplay—sailing between fishing zones, using sonar to locate schools of fish, deploying equipment, and hauling in your catch.”
- “While it may not appeal to players looking for fast-paced gameplay or rich storytelling, it’s an excellent choice for those who enjoy slow-burn progression, technical realism, and the serene beauty of open water.”
- “The gameplay is interesting, and I found myself wanting to throw out one more net or do one more crabbing voyage, keeping me up late some nights.”
- “While the core simulation is strong, the gameplay loop can eventually become repetitive, especially once you’ve unlocked most of the vessels and mastered the fishing techniques.”
- “There's also a lack of environmental feedback or challenge—for example, weather can look dramatic but rarely affects your operations in a way that changes gameplay meaningfully.”
- “The gameplay loop is kind of boring and not that rewarding.”
stability
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the experience. While some players have noted minor issues and continued to enjoy the game, the overall consensus is that it feels unfinished and lacks adequate development support, leading to a frustrating experience for many. Despite ongoing patches from the developers, the game remains plagued by stability issues that hinder gameplay.
- “Stable, bug-free with well-developed mechanics, Fishing Barents Sea is a relaxing and well-executed game.”
- “The game runs great the rest of the time, providing a smooth experience overall.”
- “I am running a mid-grade PC that plays most other games at medium to high settings, and this game performs well on my machine.”
- “What you see is what you get, and what you get is a buggy, unfinished experience that no longer has any development support.”
- “This game is impossible to play and is extremely buggy.”
- “I didn't get through a single play session without at least half a dozen crashes or freezes.”
grinding
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
The grinding aspect of "Fishing: Barents Sea" is a polarizing feature among players; while some find the immersive, realistic grind satisfying and akin to other simulation games like farming or trucking simulators, others view it as tedious and repetitive. Many players appreciate the depth it adds to career progression, but the necessity of grinding for upgrades and the repetitive nature of certain tasks, such as trawling and filleting, can detract from the overall enjoyment. Ultimately, the game's appeal hinges on one's tolerance for grindy gameplay and appreciation for simulation mechanics.
- “What is work if not grindy?”
- “This is so repetitive and tedious.”
- “It's certainly not for everyone, but as someone who likes simulators (farming simulator, etc.), this one is really fun.”
- “It is actually entertaining at first, but it will become needlessly grindy in no time because of the progression system, which is the main flaw with the game.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
84%
9%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engaging narrative, with many players feeling that the missions are repetitive and uninspired. While some appreciate the open-ended simulation style, others find the absence of a compelling storyline or varied mission types makes the experience feel flat and tedious. Overall, the game seems better suited for those who enjoy technical realism and slow progression rather than players seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “While it may not appeal to players looking for fast-paced gameplay or rich storytelling, it’s an excellent choice for those who enjoy slow-burn progression, technical realism, and the serene beauty of open water.”
- “It may not be for someone who wants a storyline to follow, but I tend to like this sort of game.”
- “The promise of the game is to put you behind the helm of small to large fishing vessels in a quest to catch, gut, sort, and deliver a variety of types of fish using longlines, nets, and trawlers.”
- “Another area that could use more depth is the storytelling or career progression.”
- “For players who thrive on open-ended simulation, this is fine, but for others, the lack of narrative stakes or varied mission types may make the experience feel flat.”
- “Also thought there would be storms you'd have to navigate through and maybe even a storyline about living in a fishing village, visiting different bars, etc. Nope.”
music
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
54%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the soothing electronic soundtrack, which complements the fishing simulation, although some express a desire for the option to add their own music. While the in-game music is described as beautiful and immersive, a few reviewers note that it can become repetitive over time.
- “The music is absolutely amazing, and sets such an incredible mood and tone that I can't imagine playing the game without it.”
- “A nice, relaxing game with atmospheric visuals and music.”
- “Doing this to the soundtrack of your choice, be it the in-game music or a streaming internet radio station, will help you melt all of your daily stresses away.”
- “The ambient music can put you to sleep.”
- “The music fits the chill mood, but it's not really my thing.”
- “Graphics/music etc. is okay.”
optimization
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
71%
20%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including frame drops, crashes, and overheating even on high-end systems. While some users experience smooth gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial updates to improve stability and graphical performance. Many reviewers express hope for future optimizations, indicating that the game's potential is overshadowed by its current technical shortcomings.
- “In return, you get intuitive controls, straightforward mechanics, and reliably smooth performance even on mid-range PCs.”
- “I have had no performance issues and frame rates are smooth as silk even when maneuvering in a fast boat with a lot going on around me.”
- “Game keeps the 2080ti working pretty hard at 75 fps with max settings, but runs smoothly with no crashes on my system.”
- “It's so poorly optimized that my 1070 ti maxes out in the opening menu and starts spewing out hot air, making this very large room uncomfortably hot, even in a Canadian February.”
- “This is the most unstable, unreliable, unpolished, unoptimized, and frustratingly fickle game I've played in recent memory.”
- “The performance and optimization is absolutely horrible though.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its serene and convincing visuals, effectively immersing players in a relaxing environment that enhances the simulation experience. Users appreciate the beautiful graphics and atmospheric sound design, which contribute to a tranquil gameplay experience, making it stand out among other fishing and boating simulators. Overall, the developers have successfully created a captivating atmosphere that complements the game's focus on realism.
- “Developed by Misc Games, this title sets itself apart from the usual simulation fare by narrowing its focus to one occupation and doing its best to replicate that profession with realism and atmosphere.”
- “Visually, the game delivers a serene and convincing atmosphere.”
- “A nice, relaxing game with atmospheric visuals and music.”
- “They aren't too difficult, but some of them don't seem to fit in with the atmosphere of the game.”
- “But in terms of atmosphere, visuals, and gameplay, I haven't enjoyed any fishing and/or boating simulator as much as this one.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable and moderately replayable, others criticize it for lacking significant replay value. The consensus suggests that it may appeal to niche interests, such as commercial fishing, but does not offer enough variety to encourage repeated play for most users.
- “The game is good and has a great replay value if you're into commercial fishing.”
- “I will continue to enjoy this simulator, and in my opinion, it has decent replay value.”
- “☑ mildly replayable”
- “The only downside I can see is the lack of replayability.”
- “It's a good product but lacks any replayability.”
- “There is no replay value whatsoever.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by its absurdities, such as the ironic depth requirements for fishing boats and the ability to walk around the ship while lacking similar freedom in other games. Players find the comedic elements enhance the overall experience, making it both entertaining and time-consuming, despite some frustrations like crashes. Overall, the game is described as very funny, particularly for those who enjoy fishing-themed humor.
- “Very funny game, you should buy it and try it.”
- “Isn't it funny that I can get out of my chair and walk around my ship in this game, but I still can't in Elite?”
- “This game is very funny and time consuming.”

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76%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Fishing: Barents Sea PC Review
Fishing: The Barents Sea, brings commercial fishing into a game and its awesome!
Impulsegamer.com
76%

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27h Median play time

32h Average play time

8-51h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 19 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Fishing: Barents Sea is a open world simulation game with business theme.

Fishing: Barents Sea is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 32 hours playing Fishing: Barents Sea.

Fishing: Barents Sea was released on February 7, 2018.

Fishing: Barents Sea was developed by Misc Games.

Fishing: Barents Sea has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its stability.

Fishing: Barents Sea is a single player game.

Similar games include Fishing North Atlantic, Ships At Sea, Seafarer: The Ship Sim, Deadliest Catch: The Game, Car Dealer Simulator and others.

Fishing: Barents Sea

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