Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗The Wake: A Lovecraftian Fishing Tale
Playground Pigeon · Published by PlayWay S.A., Ultimate Publishing, Ultimate Games S.A. · Official site ↗
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Set sail on the dark waters of a forgotten archipelago. Catch mutated monsters with customizable gear, master eldritch magic, and fight for survival. Take up arms to fend off sea beasts in an unforgiving Lovecraftian world.
Action, Adventure, Indie · More free games
Embark on a perilous journey through the dark seas of The Wake. Customize your fishing gear to battle monstrous creatures and unravel the mysteries of an unforgiving, eldritch world.
About this game
Following a fresh trace to the whereabouts of your long-lost father, you are caught in a supernatural storm. Washed ashore on a mysterious island chain, sinister shadows watch your every move as you are confronted with your familiy’s dark past.
Remnants of ancient temples bear witness to outlandish rituals and a people long gone. The island is brimming with a primordial force, and you will have to tread lightly lest it be unleashed upon humanity.
The waters around the island are rich in unfamiliar fish species that have very different requirements. You will have to uncover their habitats, diets, and weaknesses. Use a multitude of unique fishing rods, hooks, and lures in order to drag these strange creatures to the surface.
Every fish has its unique attacks and powerful arcane energies they can channel to defeat you. While dodging your opponent’s attacks, you have to drain their energies with combat abilities, debuffs, and devastating finishers.
Driving your boat across the dark waters will attract ghastly sea dwellers, keen to tear apart your ship and flesh. Craft ingenious armaments and fight off the savage hordes. The Wake features a variety of enemy types, each with its own attacks and behaviors. These enemies evolve and adapt, forcing you to refine your combat strategies and target priority. Be dauntless, for their onslaught will know neither mercy nor end.
Dissect your catch for mutated parts and scavenge the islands for resources to upgrade your gear. Perform twisted, eldritch rituals to customize your fishing rod according to your playstyle. Forge deadlier weapons and craft useful tools to dominate in fights. Strengthen your ship to withstand both enemy attacks and the unforgiving sea.
Channel the primordial energy to your advantage. Unlock a variety of incantations to get an edge in fighting and fishing alike. Customize and upgrade them with powerful runes to bend the arcane powers to your will.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-9400F / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / AMD Radeon RX 560
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 3 GB available space
Supported Languages
*languages with full audio support
Latest news
Community & EventsOfficial
Captain's Log #3 - Shaping the Future & Next Fest
Hey everyone! The Wake is taking part in Steam Next Fest, and a demo is waiting for you to play right now! The festival runs from Monday, June 15 to Monday, June 22, 2026, so this is a great moment to dive in, explore, and tell us what you think. Development is going full steam ahead. We still have a long road in front of us, but the game is shaping up, and we cannot wait to share more of what we are building. While you wait for the full release, we wanted to give you a peek at some of the features and biomes coming to The Wake.Each map, or biome as we call them, is an open world you can explore, and every one feels heavily different from the rest. Unseen ShoresOne of those is Unseen Shores, a lush, alien environment with strange exotic plants growing everywhere and underground wells that branch into streams, rivers, and lakes across the islands. It looks wondrous, but we made sure it never loses its sense of dread. Dense green fog and a few other surprises will make certain you never quite feel at home there. Alien FaunaThe fish match the setting too, flashing wilder colors and patterns than anything in the first map, much like the bold shapes and hues you find in a rainforest. Bolster your ArsenalAn exotic biome also means ingredients for some wild new weaponry. We do not want to spoil too much, but get ready for a couple of heavy hitters: the Sharkbane and the Heartburn. Each has its own role in fighting the creatures of the deep, with some pretty crazy upgrades to craft along the way. Watchful Eye(s)And you will not be alone down there. While exploring Unseen Shores, you will get the unsettling feeling that something is watching your every move. Meet Argus, a relentless stalker that can surface at any moment to hunt you down and drain your sanity. You had better find a way to fight it off, because it always finds its way back. Thanks for playing and for all your feedback. It truly helps us make the game better.See you in the deep!Read full article on Community Announcements (PlaygroundPigeon)Community & EventsOfficial
🌊Ocean Fest is almost here!🌊
Ahoy fellow fishermen and -women! 🫧🐠The upcoming Ocean Fest, running from May 18 to May 25, is a great opportunity to celebrate and discover all kinds of ocean themed games. We’ll of course be joining the event, where you’ll be able to play the demo for The Wake: A Lovecraftian Fishing Tale.In The Wake, fishing is the heart of the experience🎣 You’ll explore dark oceans and mysterious islands in search of strange Lovecraftian fish, with every catch designed to feel like an intense boss fight. Choosing the right equipment for each fish is key if you want to survive the horrors lurking beneath the waves. Along the way, you’ll also encounter dangerous monster fish that may require more than just a fishing rod to take down🦈We can’t wait for you to try the demo during Ocean Fest. Are you hooked yet? 🪝Read full article on Community Announcements (PlaygroundPigeon)AnnouncementsOfficial
Captain's Log #2 - Full Version Features
We want to give you a better idea of what you can expect to see in the full version of The Wake in comparison to the demo. There are a lot of features, of course, that are not included in the current demo build. Let us start with a TLDR of the most important features you can expect to see in the full version. We provide an in-depth look further down this log. Features of the Full Version: 3 unique biomes each with many hand crafted island to explore24 fish to catch and harvest parts from 3 different fishing rods that have their unique skillsets and playstyles100+ fish parts to modify your fishing rods with7 devastating weapons to unlock and upgrade10+ types of sea monsters to fight4 arcane spells to upgrade and masterupgrade your boat for faster traversal and better survivabilitya fleshed out sanity system with dark twists and surprisestreasure hunting on the islands for big and impactful rewardsmore NPCs to meet, trade and to receive quests froman immersive, lovecraftian story to unravel with tons of lore to findExplore three vast biomesThe search for your father will take you across three unique biomes, each with their own flora & fauna. The scenery changes as you progress—the closer you get to your destination, the more outlandish your surroundings will become. Each biome has new ingredients to collect, new fish and stronger enemies. 24 unique fish to catchIn every biome you can reel in 8 different types of fish, each with their own attacks, characteristics and parts you can enhance your fishing rod with. No fish fight feels the same and you have to learn their quirks, patterns, strengths and weaknesses. We took care that the look of our fish match the biome that they come from. For example, the second biome is lush and alien. The fish you find there have very imposing colorings and exaggerated features. Craft new fishing rods and switch up your playstyleRight now, there are three different fishing rods planned for the full game. They have unique skill sets and m...Read full article on Community Announcements (PlaygroundPigeon)Patch NotesOfficial
Demo Update | 04-05-2026
Explore other islandsFor all the explorers out there who want to visit other islands, we marked the approximate areas where to find them. Only a few are explorable in the demo, as we don't want to spoil the surprise for the full game! Changelog:Fixed a few translation errorsFixed pathing on some islands to navigate them more easilyChanged the anti-aliasing method to produce a clearer imageFixed a rare bug that occurred when using a consumableSmall UI changesRead full article on Community Announcements (PlaygroundPigeon)Patch NotesOfficial
Demo Update | 26-04-2026
Changelog:Fixed a bug that prevented the player from changing the language to Chinese. Fixed a rare bug that could make the player stuck in an empty dialogue screen. Some minor UI improvements.Read full article on Community Announcements (Raintek)
