From short games like A Wonderful Day for Fishing to full experiences like Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia, fishing horror has become a popular subgenre.

According to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 80% of Earth's ocean remains unexplored. Because of this, it's no surprise that there're plenty of video games that explore the potential unknown horrors that possibly exist deep within the underwater darkness.

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While most of these games have players either traveling by boat, exploring underwater facilities, or swimming within the water, the one activity that tends to be left out is fishing. But, some indie developers have recently realized that there's a certain terror to fishing in solitude and catching something that should've been left alone.

One of the earliest examples of this growing subgenre is the 2018 experimental title A Wonderful Day For Fishing, which is one of the many great indie horror games available on Itch.io. This short 15 minute experience was made in one weekend and centers around a man fishing alone on a boat in the middle of the sea.

Each time the constantly smiling man catches something, a menu pops up that gives a short description about the creature, and the player can choose to either eat it or release it. But, before deciding to eat something, the player needs to remember that they are what they eat, and this game takes that saying literally.

Released in late 2021, Gone Fishing is a mystery game about the disappearance of two teenage girls on Oct. 30, 1964, and it's rumored that a local cult might have kidnapped them. Since the cult lives in an area where there's no radio connection across a foggy river, the main character is sent by boat to try to find them.

Similar to the popular survival game Raft, the player uses their fishing rod to grab items floating in the water. While the protagonist is simply hoping to find some evidence in the water before reaching the other side of the river, they may encounter more than they could have imagined.

Created for the 2020 Fishing Horror Jam on Itch.io, Brine Flow is a PS1-styled horror game about an unnamed protagonist who is fishing for body parts. As the player moves around the different parts of the small, secluded island, they will slowly find all the parts necessary to reassemble a humanoid creature.

While the player can choose to fish anywhere on the island, they will have to visit all the areas to find all the pieces. Although the gameplay is a bit tedious, the game has an excellent atmosphere that can put players on edge, which is an important aspect of all the best obscure horror games.

It was initially created for the Scream Jam 2021 on Itch.io but wasn't made on time, the game Lure is a short retro-inspired horror game where the protagonist tries to fish at an abandoned Shinto shrine. After an old man parked outside the shrine promises to pay a large amount of money for the fish, the protagonist immediately walks into the small area to hunt for the prize.

While fishing in the small stream, the protagonist finds the work incredibly easy. But, there's a reason why the old man refuses to fish there despite having the materials.

Another submission for the 2020 Fishing Horror Jam is The Thing in The Lake, which is a pixelated horror game about a familial curse that is tied to a local lake. Recently, the main character's uncle died, and the authorities decided that the man accidentally drowned. But, the protagonist isn't convinced because his uncle died with his face ripped off, and his uncle's uncle died in a similar way.

To uncover the mystery, the protagonist decides to visit Nu Trees Park, which is where they both fished before they died. But, he has also fished in the lake, and recently he has started having nightmares about a creature that may exist in the water's depths.

Created by Airdorf, who is best known for the iconic retro-inspired survival horror Faith: The Unholy Trinity, and Torple Dook, who has created many unique horror games for the Dread X Collections, EARL'S DAY OFF is a fishing horror game that was also submitted for the 2020 Fishing Horror Jam. Inspired by the beloved Sega Bass Fishing series, the game follows a fisherman named Earl who has to spend his day off fishing in the lake to find his lost wedding ring.

Although it begins like a regular arcade fishing game, things start becoming more strange as Earl heads deeper into the lake, and it seems like something sinister may be lurking in the water. Despite this game being a demo, the experience feels complete on its own.

Created for the Haunted PS1 Wretched Weekend 1 Game Jam in early 2020, Rottenwood Lake is a short horror game that follows an unnamed protagonist who is spending a long weekend break to participate in their favorite activity: fishing. Even though the place is said to be cursed, the protagonist has been wanting to fish in Rottenwood Lake for a long time.

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At first, it seems like the lake might actually be the perfect fishing spot since the fish can be caught within seconds and without any bait. But, as the protagonist moves deeper into the lake, they slowly realize the dark secrets hidden in the area's past, and the fact that they might have been called by the lake itself.

Created to look and sound like an authentic retro Game Boy title, Fishing Vacation is possibly the best horror game released for the 2020 Fishing Horror Jam. After the protagonist's friend receives a letter from his uncle inviting the both of them to his cabin for a fishing vacation, the two friends travel to the remote place by the lake despite the uncle being strangely silent for years. When they arrive, the place feels off and the uncle is nowhere to be found, but they both decide to fish anyways.

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But, an odd patch of ground filled with worms, a locked cellar door, and a detailed book about the Inuit goddess Sedna all suggest that something bad is going on, and the protagonist and their friend may not survive their trip. Depending on the player's choices during the several in-game days, they will get one of four endings.

Made in 10 days for DreadXP's Dredge the Depths Jam, Lake Facade is a short eldritch horror adventure game released in late 2021. In this game, the unnamed protagonist arrives at Lake Facade so that they can fish, but they forgot to bring any equipment. While the player is allowed to borrow a fishing rod, they have to use a shovel to collect their own worms for bait.

Although that game initially has a relaxing and vibrant atmosphere that is reminiscent of '90s computer games, it quickly changes when the player resorts to using flesh from a gravesite for bait after all the worms are used up. As the player continues to fish, they slowly uncover the horrifying truth behind the seemingly idyllic lake.

Developed by Bryce Bucher, who also created an LSD: Dream Emulator-esque game called Fatum Betula, Mysteries Under Lake Ophelia is a fish collecting game that keeps its horror subtle until the very end. The game follows a young kid who decides to fish at the beautiful Lake Ophelia, which has over 30 unique fish to catch. While the player starts off with some basic equipment, they can find and buy many lures and rods that all have different stats.

Besides catching and selling fish, the player can also cook the fish, which will also boost the player's stats when eaten. With plenty of different areas filled with unique fish and an entire fishing scrapbook to complete, it's easy to forget that this game had content warnings at the start. But, even as the player happily collects the fish, the rumors of strange eyes in the trees and the mystery of the large crack at the bottom of the lake remain in the background.

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Anastasia Wilds is a freelance writer for Screen Rant. Because of her passion for video games, her main focus is writing video game listicles for the website. Along with writing, she also streams various video games on Twitch and uploads some of her highlighted streams onto YouTube. Before working at Screen Rant, she worked as the Senior Arts Editor for "The Spectrum" newspaper at the University at Buffalo.