Frequently Asked Questions

Dave the Diver is a hybrid adventure/RPG/management game. By day you dive into the ocean to catch fish and explore; by night you run a sushi restaurant serving your catch. The game blends action, strategy, and simulation elements into a unique, addictive loop.

The main story takes about 25–30 hours. For 100% completion including side quests, all upgrades, and endgame content, expect 40–50 hours. The recently released In the Jungle DLC adds another 8–12 hours of content on top.

Dave the Diver has 7 main chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1 (Deep Blue), Chapter 2 (Marlin's Request), Chapter 3 (The Abyss), Chapter 4 (Glacial Passage), Chapter 5 (Thermal Vents), Chapter 6 (The Control Room), and Chapter 7 (The Final Dive). An epilogue chapter unlocks after the credits roll, adding post-game content and side quests. See the full chapter walkthrough.

Dave the Diver was developed and published by MINTROCKET, a creative subsidiary of Nexon Korea. The game started as a small internal project and became MINTROCKET's breakout hit, winning multiple awards including the "Sit Back and Relax" award at The Steam Awards 2023. The development team is led by director Jaeho Hwang.

It's complicated. MINTROCKET is a subsidiary of Nexon (a major publicly-traded publisher), so technically Dave the Diver is not indie — it's from a AAA publisher. However, MINTROCKET operates as an independent creative studio within Nexon, and the game has the spirit, pixel-art aesthetic, and experimental design of an indie title. This has sparked significant debate in the gaming community. Read our beginner's guide to see what makes the game special.

Yes — overwhelmingly so. Dave the Diver holds a 96% "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam from over 135,000 reviews. Critics praise its addictive dual gameplay loop, surprising story depth, charming pixel art, and constant stream of new mechanics and mini-games. It won multiple Game of the Year nominations from major outlets and took home the Steam Awards 2023 "Sit Back and Relax" prize.

Yes, Dave the Diver has a definitive ending. The main story concludes after Chapter 7 with a full credits sequence and story resolution. After the credits, an epilogue chapter unlocks with post-game side quests, additional upgrades, and hidden content — but the main narrative has a clear, satisfying conclusion.

Yes, Dave the Diver auto-saves frequently. It saves at the start of each dive, after returning from a dive, at the beginning and end of each restaurant night, and at key story checkpoints. There is also a manual save option in the pause menu. You cannot save mid-dive — make sure your oxygen can get you back to the boat.

Best Taste is a restaurant rank that measures your overall performance. To increase it: serve high-quality dishes made from rare fish, enhance recipes by adding seasonings and ingredients, upgrade your kitchen equipment, train your cooking staff to higher levels, and maintain high customer satisfaction. The Cooksta app rating directly reflects your Best Taste score — aim for Diamond rank. See the restaurant management guide for detailed strategies.

When a customer orders beer during restaurant service, walk to the beer tap and hold the interact button. A pouring mini-game starts — you need to tilt the glass at the right angle until it's full without overflowing. Release the button when the beer reaches the fill line. Practice makes perfect — over-poured beer wastes time and lowers tips.

Weapons are upgraded through the iDiver app on your in-game phone after each dive. Go to the Weapons tab, select a weapon, and check the required materials. You need specific fish parts, ores (iron, topaz, amethyst, opal), and gold. Collect these during dives by breaking ore nodes, defeating bosses, and harvesting fish. Higher-tier upgrades require materials from deeper biomes. Check the weapons guide for full upgrade trees.

No, Dave the Diver is entirely single-player. There is no multiplayer, co-op, or online mode of any kind. The developers have stated they have no plans to add multiplayer — the game is designed as a solo experience where you personally manage both diving and restaurant operations.

Dave the Diver is available on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch / Switch 2, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One / Series X|S, and macOS. The game supports full controller play on all platforms.

Yes! Dave the Diver launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S in April 2025. It's also available through Xbox Game Pass for subscribers. The Xbox version includes all updates, DLC, and content parity with the Steam and Switch versions.

Yes. Dave the Diver launched on Nintendo Switch in October 2023 and received a free next-gen update for Switch 2 in 2025. The Switch version runs at 30fps with slightly reduced visual effects compared to PC, but includes all game content and DLC. A physical cartridge edition is also available.

Dave the Diver was previously available on PS Plus Extra and Premium as a monthly catalog title, but it was removed from the service in April 2025. Check the PlayStation Store for current availability — the game goes on sale regularly.

Yes, Dave the Diver has a native macOS version available through Steam. It runs on both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel-based Macs. Performance is good on recent hardware — M1 and above can run at 60fps on medium to high settings.

Yes, Dave the Diver has full controller support on all platforms. The game works with Xbox controllers, PlayStation DualSense/DualShock, Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, and most third-party gamepads. Many players prefer controller for diving sections and mouse/keyboard for restaurant management — you can swap on the fly.

Yes! Dave the Diver is Steam Deck Verified and runs great at 60fps. The game's controls map perfectly to the Deck's layout. Battery life is solid — expect 3–4 hours of play on a full charge.

Dave the Diver has received extensive post-launch support. Free DLCs include DREDGE (Dec 2023), Godzilla (May 2024), and Dave & Friends crossover (Oct 2024). Paid expansions include Ichiban's Holiday — a Like a Dragon crossover (Apr 2025, $6.99) — and In the Jungle (Jun 2026, $9.99), the biggest expansion adding a new jungle biome, village, and weapons.

In the Jungle (June 2026, $9.99) is the largest paid DLC for Dave the Diver. It adds an entirely new jungle biome with an underwater lake, a buildable village outpost, jungle-specific weapons and tranquilizer tools, exotic creatures like Red-Bellied Piranha, a guitar minigame, daily farming, and new story characters. It's available as a separate purchase on Steam.

To start any DLC in Dave the Diver, you must first own it on your platform (purchased on Steam, Nintendo eShop, etc.). Then progress through the main story until you receive an in-game notification or email on Dave's phone. For In the Jungle: reach Chapter 3 and you'll get a call from a new character. For Ichiban's Holiday: reach Chapter 4 and visit the Cobra Shop at night. DREDGE and Godzilla unlock organically during early-game diving. Visit the DLC page for full walkthroughs.

The Godzilla DLC is a free crossover event (May 2024) that adds Godzilla-themed content to Dave the Diver. A giant Godzilla silhouette appears in the Blue Hole during special dives, and you can collect Godzilla figurines hidden throughout the ocean. Completing the event unlocks exclusive Godzilla-themed restaurant decorations and a special sushi dish. The event content remains permanently accessible once unlocked.