What are games like Call of the Wild: The Angler?

Fishing Planet and Russian Fishing 4 are free realistic simulators. Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is a solo option. For a free online fishing game with a persistent world, The Fishing Lands runs in your browser.

Is there a free alternative to Call of the Wild: The Angler?

Yes. Fishing Planet and Russian Fishing 4 are free to play on PC. The Fishing Lands is free in any browser, including on phones, with no download.

Is there a fishing game like The Angler with a shared world?

The Angler has co-op sessions, but your world isn't shared with everyone. The Fishing Lands is an MMO: one world for all players, with live chat, a player market, crews and bosses.

Call of the Wild: The Angler alternatives: 6 games to try

Updated October 2026 · by the crew at The Fishing Lands

Rods, reels and lines in The Fishing Lands Tackle Shop

Call of the Wild: The Angler is the open-world fishing game. You drive boats across huge reserves, track down hotspots, fish with friends in co-op and slowly fill your collection. It's a one-time purchase, and the DLC reserves add new places to explore. Once you've fished them all, though, many anglers want something with a longer goal, a live economy, or something they can play away from their PC or console.

The Angler vs The Fishing Lands

	Call of the Wild: The Angler	The Fishing Lands
Price	Paid game, paid DLC reserves	Free, optional cosmetics and Angler Pass
Install	Large download, PC or console	None, runs in your browser
World	Open-world reserves, co-op sessions	One shared world for every player
Goals	Explore, collect and complete missions	Collect 340+ species, quests, bosses, crews and rankings
Economy	Sell fish for cash	Live player market: fish, tackle, crates and rare rods
Events	Competitions	Boss sightings, tournaments, duels, weekly crew challenges
Devices	PC, PlayStation, Xbox	Anything with a browser, including phones

What The Angler does well

Atmosphere. Few games make you feel like you're actually out on the water at dawn. The boats, sounds and wildlife make every trip feel like a holiday, and co-op sessions with friends are relaxing and fun.

Why players look for something else

Once every reserve is explored, there are fewer long-term goals.
There is no shared economy where other players' catches matter to you.
New reserves cost money.
You need your PC or console. There's no fishing on the go.

The six alternatives

The Fishing Lands

Browser MMO · Free

Full disclosure: this is our game. One persistent world with 12 waters, 340+ species, bosses that surface for everyone at once, crews with their own halls, and a player market. It's pixel art instead of photo-real, and it runs in a browser tab. Try it free.

Best for: Angler players who want a world that keeps going.

Fishing Planet

PC/PS/Xbox · Free-to-play sim

A free-to-play simulator with real species and licensed gear. More grind, but you don't pay up front.

Best for: Free realism with lots of waters.

Russian Fishing 4

PC · Free-to-play sim

If The Angler felt too simple, RF4 is the other extreme: detailed rigs, real-time days and serious trophy hunters.

Best for: The deepest tackle and trophy hunting.

theHunter: Call of the Wild

PC/PS/Xbox · Paid

The hunting sibling of The Angler, with the same slow, beautiful open-world style and huge reserves.

Best for: Fans of the same studio's open worlds.

Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2

PC · Paid

A calm single-player sim with plenty of waters and gear upgrades.

Best for: Relaxed solo fishing.

Webfishing

PC · Paid · Cozy

A cheap, silly multiplayer hangout. Great for the co-op crowd who mostly fish to chat.

Which one should you pick?

You want more open-world beauty

theHunter: Call of the Wild, or Fishing Planet for more water.

You want a fishing world with other players in it all the time

The Fishing Lands. Bosses, tournaments and the market keep going whether you're online or not.

You want a bigger challenge

Russian Fishing 4.

Frequently asked questions

What are games like Call of the Wild: The Angler?: Fishing Planet and Russian Fishing 4 are free realistic simulators. Ultimate Fishing Simulator 2 is a solo option. For a free online fishing game with a persistent world, The Fishing Lands runs in your browser.
Is there a free alternative to Call of the Wild: The Angler?: Yes. Fishing Planet and Russian Fishing 4 are free to play on PC. The Fishing Lands is free in any browser, including on phones, with no download.
Is there a fishing game like The Angler with a shared world?: The Angler has co-op sessions, but your world isn't shared with everyone. The Fishing Lands is an MMO: one world for all players, with live chat, a player market, crews and bosses.