95
Dave the Diver is an excellent, enormous title that is best left as vague as possible. Go in without looking too deeply into it and be ready for dozens of hours of some of the best that video gaming has to offer.
90
Dave the Diver is an eventful experience where every new dive is an adventure of its own that always come hand in hand with an unexpected plot developments.
90
In a world full of fear and uncertainty, Dave the Diver is here to offer a lighthearted story and engaging gameplay. It doesn’t try to follow trends or emulate big AAA titles. It doesn’t have an in-game shop to try to get you to spend more money. It’s simply a silly, fun game about a diver named Dave, and I can’t put it down.
8
Somehow made with the same amount of love as every single one of Bancho's amazing dishes, DAVE THE DIVER meshes the serene and gorgeous act of diving into an ever-changing ocean and the panic-inducing jobs of fighting dangerous sea life and an always overcrowded sushi restaurant into one fantastic experience. As any other great management game, DAVE THE DIVER's progression system allows the player to progress from a scared explorer that can barely catch a few fish to essentially having almost every single part of your sushi enterprise be automated for you as you lay back and mix **** for your clientele. The pixel art is fantastic, the OST and animations are gorgeous, and the game constantly keeps you on your toes, seeing as how basically any boring side quest can turn into a memorable one in the blink of an eye. To me, the game's unpredictability is somehow its greatest weakness and its biggest strength at the same time. Because you never really know what to expect, I found it very difficult to establish a good rhythm with the game. One dive would see me catching a couple dozen fish and finishing a quest in the span of five minutes. The next would see me deeply embroiled in a spy-thriller stealth section with multiple bosses, hidden collectibles, and even a few puzzles thrown into the mix, all the while pausing the gameplay at every possible opportunity to tutorialize completely banal gameplay mechanics, turning what I assumed would be a quick five-minute dive into an hour-long section. After which, I still had to do all of the busywork of tending to my farm, tending to my underwater farm, deciding whether to sell or keep certain things, go seahorse racing, you know, the usual. In moments like these the game felt genuinely overwhelming and like it had no desire to be paced in a fun or coherent way, which made my time with it feel a lot worse than it probably should have. Luckily the pros far outweigh the cons in this one. DAVE THE DIVER is fantastic and an absolutely necessary buy for anyone that enjoys the occasional casual management game.
7
I find this game really addictive, enjoyable and fun. Once I start playing I don't want to stop.I enjoy trying to find fish and sort out the Sushi shop.However I felt the Sea People content was the weakest and kind of boring, annoying and game would be better without it compared to everything else. I don't like them and wish we could have a option to nuke them out of the ****'s also annoying that there is a limited save. Can only save when not diving. I ended up in the glacial passage, it was taking too long and you can't just exit the game so had to close it in task manager as I had other things to do and don't like leaving games running.I disliked having a 2nd branch of sushi shop to organise. No thanks, I just ignored it as I prefer to focus on one.Because of content I don't like I'd rate this game 7/10 and not 8 or higher.
9
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
DAVE THE DIVER
Released On:
Jun 28, 2023
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
90
User score
Generally Favorable
8.2
My Score
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
90
100% Positive
44 Reviews
44 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Sep 4, 2023
100
This is demanding work, but the game’s distinct but complementary loops of playful labour are highly compelling. The satisfaction of completing a challenging dive without needing to be rescued, then watching the rave reviews on “Cooksta” pour in, is profound. Stylish, witty and exquisitely designed, Dave the Diver uses several hooks to achieve its goal, while establishing the relationship between the food we eat and the world from which its harvested with useful urgency.
Jun 28, 2023
95
Whether you're diving into the depths or managing a sushi restaurant, Dave the Diver is full of ideas and engaging from start to finish.
User score
Generally Favorable
8.2
79% Positive
966 Ratings
966 Ratings
16% Mixed
199 Ratings
199 Ratings
5% Negative
62 Ratings
62 Ratings
Apr 26, 2026
10
you would think diving for fish and then operating a sushi restaurant would get bored quickly. but nope 20 hours in and i'm stil having fun,. this is one of the best casual games i've ever played. even bought it twice, one for ps5 and again for switch
Aug 21, 2023
90
Dave the Diver is a surprisingly excellent game. Its beautiful pixel art is joined by plenty of activities, not very deep, but fun all the same. The weird underwater world is charming and invites discovery. The characters are interesting, with memorable quests. The tempo is a bit unequal sometimes, but the game offers plenty of content nonetheless.
Jul 12, 2023
90
There’s basically nothing to find fault with in Dave the Diver. Did I have trouble mastering a few of the cooking minigames, and an easy mode for the rhythm games would have been appreciated – but that’s a drop in the ocean compared to what it does right. Filling out the fish index, sneaking through a secret base, gambling in a merfolk casino – everywhere I turned there was something new to try, and all of it was built with care and wit. There’s a shocking amount to do here, all of it is worth sinking time into.
Jun 26, 2023
90
Dave The Diver will end up being one of those fundamental titles that people talk about in the same breath as Stardew Valley, where it achieves on nearly every front.
Jul 21, 2023
85
Games are often referred to as mixing the right ingredients and mixing the best recipe. But in the case of Dave the diver, the ingredients and recipes on the plate are the most important thing, not metaphorically, but completely practically. And the resulting food tastes so good that you will lick your fingers.
Jun 28, 2023
80
Every moment in Dave the Diver feels unique the first time through. The constant changing of side-missions, the cutscenes when upgrading weapons or fish dishes, and the eccentric cast of characters, all blend together so well into a game that, when viewed just from the surface, might seem shallow. But players willing to dive into the meat of the game will find even more enjoyment than they bargained for, especially with its official 1.0 release. It’s a single-player adventure with heart, good music (‘Hot Pepper Tuna’ will likely end up on a lot of people's personal playlists), and a cast of characters that feel right at home around The Blue Hole. Its eccentricities make it memorable, and Dave might be the kindest and most fun adventuring protagonist players encounter in the world of video games this year.
Jun 29, 2026
7
I find this game really addictive, enjoyable and fun. Once I start playing I don't want to stop.I enjoy trying to find fish and sort out the Sushi shop.However I felt the Sea People content was the weakest and kind of boring, annoying and game would be better without it compared to everything else. I don't like them and wish we could have a option to nuke them out of the ****'s also annoying that there is a limited save. Can only save when not diving. I ended up in the glacial passage, it was taking too long and you can't just exit the game so had to close it in task manager as I had other things to do and don't like leaving games running.I disliked having a 2nd branch of sushi shop to organise. No thanks, I just ignored it as I prefer to focus on one.Because of content I don't like I'd rate this game 7/10 and not 8 or higher.
Mar 10, 2026
7
La verdad muy bueno, lo jugué porque estaba desesperado por jugar algo y me gusto mucho. El único problema que tiene para mi es que ya llegando al final se me hizo pesado de hacer siempre lo mismo y ya cuando lo termine me faltaron un montón de cosas que hacer pero no cambia que sea muy divertido y muy disfrutable. Los jefes están re piolas y ir descubriendo las cosas da mucha satisfacción, las demás mecánicas por ejemplo, plantar semillas, criar peces o el restaurante adicional que te dan casi ni las use pero por mi forma de jugar no por que sean malas. Pero nada en general me gusto mucho, muy divertido :).
Apr 10, 2025
4
Very nice and relaxing game that fits on Steam Deck, I played at a friend's and I liked it very much. Unfortunately, I regret it and I will not buy it myself, because there is no Polish language version and even though I know English, playing such games is very tiring in the long run.
SummaryWelcome to 'DAVE THE DIVER', a marine adventure set in the mysterious Blue Hole. Explore the sea with Dave by day, and run a sushi restaurant at night. Uncover the secrets of the Blue Hole, and unwrap this deep sea mystery involving 3 friends, each with distinct personalities. New adventures await.
