Overview
Fishing is an upcoming mini-game for Outbound, the cozy open-world camper van game from Square Glade Games (PC and Xbox launched on May 11, 2026; PS5, Switch, and Switch 2 followed on May 14, 2026). It is not part of the 1.0 launch build. The studio has confirmed fishing as the headline feature of the free Summer update (version 1.1), the first major content drop on the post-launch roadmap. This page describes what has been announced so far and how the feature is expected to fit into the game; it will be expanded with concrete mechanics once the Summer update ships.
One detail matters up front: in Outbound, fish are decorative collectibles, not food. You catch them to fill a journal and to display them in fish tanks, not to cook or eat them. That fits the game's core design, where no animal is ever killed or harvested. There is no hunting, no fishing quota, and no penalty for ignoring the activity entirely. Like everything else in the game, fishing will be optional.
Coming in the Summer Update (1.1)
Square Glade Games shared its seasonal update plan around the 1.0 launch. The Summer update is the next planned drop and centers on fishing. Three connected pieces have been confirmed for it:
Feature | Description |
|---|---|
Fishing rods | A new tool used to fish at water bodies. Consistent with the rest of the game, rods are expected to be made through the crafting system from gathered resources rather than bought. |
Fish tanks | Decorative aquariums that display the fish you catch. They are furniture for the camper van interior, reinforcing that fish are kept as showpieces rather than consumed. |
Fishing journal | A log that tracks the species you have caught, in the same spirit as the discovery journal added during the beta. It turns fishing into a collection activity built around completion rather than survival. |
Beyond these three pillars, the studio has not published a species list, rod tiers, bait types, or the exact catch mechanics. Those details are deferred until the update is live and can be verified in play. Anything written here about specific fish, drop rates, or how the catch loop feels would be speculation, so it has been left out on purpose.
Why Fish Are Not Food
Outbound has no combat, no enemies, and no mechanic that rewards harming wildlife. The developers describe it as a survival game about trying your best to live rather than one about desperately trying not to die. Animals such as the game's signature bunnies can be fed, petted, and observed, but never hurt; the camper van will not even let you run them over. Fishing slots into that same philosophy. Rather than turning fish into a protein source for the cooking system, the feature treats them as living decorations to admire. Food in Outbound comes from farming, foraging, and beekeeping instead.
Kickstarter Stretch Goal History
Although fishing did not ship at launch, it has been on the wishlist since the crowdfunding campaign. It was added to the plan after backers of the Kickstarter campaign pushed funding well beyond the original 30,000 EUR goal. The campaign closed with 265,679 EUR raised from 5,197 backers, nearly nine times the initial target, and every publicly revealed stretch goal was unlocked.
The stretch goals were revealed and unlocked in this order during the August and September 2024 campaign:
Order | Stretch Goal | Date Unlocked |
|---|---|---|
4 | Fishing | August 21, 2024 |
So fishing was the fourth stretch goal unlocked. The corresponding backer update framed it as a proper fishing mini-game rather than a passive button press, and stressed that it would be built in a way consistent with the studio's peaceful, no-combat values. That promise is what the Summer update is set to deliver.
Where You Will Fish
Both confirmed biomes already contain bodies of water, so both are natural homes for fishing once it arrives. The Outdoors is the inland biome with forests, mountains, and river systems running down from the peaks. The Coast is the shoreline biome with rocky cliffs and open ocean. Rivers and lakes were added to the interactive world map back in alpha patch v0.5.8, which means players can already see where the water is and plan a route there as part of the exploration loop.
Water Body | Biome | Notes |
|---|---|---|
A Calm, Optional Activity
Fishing is being designed as a low-pressure pastime rather than a survival chore. Outbound supports up to four players in Multiplayer and Co-Op sessions, and fishing fits that group context well: friends can set up camp along the same shoreline and pass the in-game time together while the world drifts by. Because there is no PvP and no hostile encounter, any competition is entirely player-invented. The activity is meant to sit in the same relaxed category as shared cooking, kite flying, and sitting around a campfire.
Until the Summer update is out, the practical advice is short: there is nothing to fish yet in the 1.0 build. When the feature lands, this page will be updated with the species list, rod and journal details, and tips drawn from the live release. For broader guidance on getting started in the meantime, see the beginner's guide and the general tips and tricks page.