THE FISHING
LANDS
Play

Fishing MMO: what actually counts, and which ones are worth your time

Updated February 2026 · by the crew at The Fishing Lands

"Fishing MMO" gets thrown around loosely. Some of what people call a fishing MMO is really a lobby-based multiplayer fishing game; some of it is a giant MMO where fishing happens to be one of the skills. Both are valid, and both are covered here — but it helps to be honest about which is which so you don't install the wrong thing.

What counts as a fishing MMO

A useful working definition:

  • One shared, persistent world. If you and your friend log in tomorrow, your gold, gear and journal are still where you left them, and so are everyone else's.
  • Fishing is the main verb. Not a side hobby, not a mini-game — the loop is cast → fight → land → sell → improve.
  • The world matters. Player-driven economy, rankings, chat, alerts. Other anglers should visibly change your game.

Dedicated fishing MMOs

The Fishing Lands
Browser · Free · Persistent

Runs in any modern browser. Ten waters, 281 species, a live player-driven market, crews, seasonal bosses and a shared world feed. Your account persists forever, and every catch shows up on the same server everyone else is fishing on.

Free at thefishinglands.com.

Best for: The dedicated fishing MMO experience without an install.
Fishao
Browser · Shut down
The 2D grandfather of the browser fishing MMO — big collection book, seasonal events, town chat. The game has now closed for good, which is why our Fishao alternatives page exists.

MMOs with strong fishing sub-skills

These aren't fishing MMOs, but they're often what people mean when they ask for one. If you enjoy them for the fishing specifically, you're a strong candidate for one of the dedicated games above.

Old School RuneScape
MMO · Free tier
Fishing is a full 1-99 skill with dozens of spots, tools and minigames (Tempoross, Fishing Trawler, Aerial fishing). Free-to-play covers a decent slice of it.
Final Fantasy XIV
MMO · Subscription
Fishing is a Disciple of the Land class with its own progression, big fish log and seasonal ocean fishing events. Beautiful, deep, but you pay to play.
World of Warcraft
MMO · Subscription
Fishing is a secondary profession — best played casually while you queue for other content. The fish list is enormous by now.
Sea of Thieves
Shared-world · Paid
Not really an MMO, but it is a shared world with dedicated fishing (10 species, cook-and-sell loop). Great on a Friday with friends.

Server-based multiplayer, not quite MMO

Fishing Planet and Fishing Sim World have online play but not shared persistent worlds — you fish in your own instance and compare results on leaderboards. If realism is the point, either is a strong pick; if you want other anglers on your dock, they aren't it.

How to choose

You want browser convenience

The Fishing Lands. See also our best browser fishing games.

You want fishing tucked inside a huge world

Old School RuneScape (free), FFXIV (paid).

You want a realistic sim with online play

Fishing Planet (free) or Fishing Sim World (paid).

Fishing MMO FAQ

Is there a free fishing MMO?

Yes — The Fishing Lands is free and runs in a browser. RuneScape's free tier includes fishing as one of its 1-99 skills. Fishao, once the go-to answer to this question, has shut down.

Do fishing MMOs work on mobile?

Browser-based ones do. The Fishing Lands runs on iOS and Android browsers with a touch-friendly fight bar.

Is fishing PvP a thing?

Not directly. The competition in every fishing MMO worth playing is over records, rankings and market prices — not knocking each other into the water.

Related reading