Android
iOSAndroid and iOS mobile review
DAVE THE DIVER
The full deep-sea sushi sim for $7.99, with a free trial on iPhone and no trial at all on Android.
- Mobile release date
- Developed by
- MINTROCKET
- Play style
- Single-player day-and-night loop: timed diving runs for fish and materials, then evening service at the sushi restaurant
Game artworkThis is the easiest premium recommendation on mobile right now for anyone who has not already played it elsewhere, provided you accept two things. The first is precision: diving and dinner service both ask for accurate input, and named launch-day players split between one who hit 90 FPS with full controller support and others who called the touch controls fidgety or hard to learn. The second is hardware: a 4 GB Android phone struggled to hold 30 FPS in an independent port test, and neither store publishes a minimum Android specification. On iPhone, download it free, play the opening, and decide for yourself before the $7.99 unlock. On Android you are buying blind, so if you are unsure, buy before the launch discount ends on September 30 or wait for your own device evidence.
See why it got this score ↓On this page
Source-reviewed assessment by GamesRanker Editorial: GamesRanker did not claim a first-hand test for this score. We verified product facts and evaluated attributed mobile testing from the named reviewers below. Store details were last checked using the United States baseline on September 17, 2026; availability and prices may differ in your country. See how source-reviewed scores work.
The essentials
What is DAVE THE DIVER?
DAVE THE DIVER is the diving-and-sushi hybrid that sold more than ten million copies across platforms, and the mobile edition is the whole base game rather than a cut-down spin-off. MINTROCKET rebuilt the controls for touch, added tilt input, a three-stage zoom, and a fast-travel shortcut, and priced the unlock below the desktop version. The catch is the purchase route: the US App Store lets you download free and play the opening before paying, while US Google Play charges upfront with no trial. GamesRanker has not played this edition; this assessment combines the two live US store listings, dated first-person player reports, an Android port test, and the publisher's own launch material.
Why it stands out
- The complete base game plus the DREDGE collaboration content for less than half the Steam price
- No ads, no currencies, no timers, and only one optional paid expansion
- Genuine mobile work rather than a straight port: touch layout options, a three-stage zoom, tilt input and a fast-travel shortcut
- Named launch-day reports of 90 FPS and full Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and generic controller layouts with rumble
- An iPhone trial lets you play the opening before spending anything
What to consider
- Android charges upfront with no trial, so you cannot test the controls on your own phone before paying
- Several launch-day players found the touch controls fidgety or hard to learn, and launch coverage suggests a controller
- A 4 GB Android phone could not hold 30 FPS in an independent port test, and no minimum Android specification is published
- The App Store declares English only while players report unfinished Thai and Brazilian Portuguese text
- The $7.99 price is a discount that Google Play says expires on September 30, 2026
Is it for you?
Should you download it?
Players who have not already finished it on another platform, want a full premium game with no ads or currencies, and either own an iPhone where the opening is free to try or a recent Android flagship where the frame rate reports are strong.
You want relaxed one-thumb play, have an older or 4 GB Android phone, need a language other than English confirmed working, or already own the game elsewhere without cross-save. Tiny Bookshop is the calmer shop sim, Discounty the tighter store-management puzzle, and Sea of Stars the better pick if you want a story-led premium port rather than a dexterity test.
Compare the alternatives: Tiny Bookshop · Discounty: Supermarket Manager · Sea of Stars
Score details
Why DAVE THE DIVER scored 8.3
We score both the game itself and how well this version works on a phone or tablet.
Fun
The two halves feed each other: timed dives with limited oxygen and weight capacity supply the ingredients that fund better gear, which unlocks deeper water. Steam's own review summary read 156,771 positive out of 162,480 reviews when we checked, and both US store listings describe the mobile build as a full port rather than a reduced version. Launch-day players who already finished it on Switch, Steam Deck and PS5 confirmed the same content carried over. The design quality is inherited rather than mobile-specific, which is why this sits below a perfect score.
Phone experience
MINTROCKET did real work here: adjustable touch layouts, a three-stage zoom for different screen sizes, gyro tilt for pouring, and a fast-travel shortcut in the Sea People village that only exists on phones. But this is still a dense management interface plus a precision action game, and launch-day reports split. Ade Farley called the controls fidgety, SteelMich found them difficult until they clicked, and launch coverage recommends a Bluetooth controller. The App Store also declares English only while players report unfinished Thai and Portuguese text.
Value
A $7.99 launch price, or $9.99 at list, buys a game that costs $19.99 on Steam, with the DREDGE collaboration content and a Digital Extra pack of artbook, soundtrack and boat skin included. AppBrain reports no ads in the Android package and there is no currency, energy or timer layer. Two things hold it short of the top: the In the Jungle expansion is a separate $4.99 purchase on both stores, and REVU reports the Godzilla and Like a Dragon collaborations are not coming to mobile at all.
Performance
The evidence is encouraging at the top and poor at the bottom. TJ Stofflet reported 90 FPS on a Razr 2024, and an independent Android port test measured a 60 FPS target with low GPU use on a Red Magic handset. That same test found a 4 GB Redmi 15C unable to hold a fixed 30 FPS, with visible slowdowns. Neither store publishes a minimum Android specification, the install runs to 3.2 to 3.7 GB, and the App Store build moved from 1.0.33 to 1.0.35 within a day. GamesRanker has measured no frame rate, battery or thermal result of its own.
Ads & purchases
One purchase, one optional expansion, and AppBrain reports no ads in the Android package. Apple's privacy card lists only analytics, app-functionality identifiers and diagnostics, none of it linked to identity. The deductions are about clarity rather than monetisation: the App Store's Free badge with a paywall after the opening drew a cluster of one-star reviews from players who felt misled, Android buyers get no equivalent trial, and Google Play's data-safety card simultaneously claims no data is collected and that location and app activity may be shared, which is the developer's own declaration and not an audit.
On mobile
Features that matter
- 01Dive the shifting Blue Hole on timed runs limited by oxygen and carrying capacity, losing the haul if you black out
- 02Harpoon and fight more than 200 species, including large creature encounters that can end a run
- 03Serve the day's catch at Bancho Sushi at night, managing menu, staff, ingredients, research and interior
- 04Spend restaurant profits on gear upgrades that open deeper and more dangerous water
- 05Play timing minigames for cooking and drinks, with pouring mapped to tilting the phone on mobile
- 06Choose one of three zoom levels and adjust the touch layout to suit your screen size
- 07Fast travel straight to residents in the Sea People village, a shortcut added for the mobile edition
Quick answers
Common questions about DAVE THE DIVER on mobile
Straight answers about price, content, offline play, controls, and compatibility.
Is DAVE THE DIVER free on mobile?+
Only the download, and only on iPhone. The US App Store lists the app as a free download with a $7.99 DAVE THE DIVER Full Version unlock, so you can play the opening before paying. US Google Play sells the app outright with a Buy action at $7.99, discounted from $9.99, with no trial. Several one-star App Store reviews come from players who expected the Free badge to mean the whole game.
Will the DAVE THE DIVER launch price go up?+
Google Play says so explicitly. On September 17, 2026 its listing showed $7.99 as 20% off a $9.99 list price with the offer ending September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM. The App Store showed the $7.99 unlock without displaying a discount badge, so we cannot confirm whether that price also reverts. If you are buying on Android and already know you want it, buying before September 30 is the cheaper choice; local prices differ by country.
Can DAVE THE DIVER be played offline on a phone?+
We could not verify it. It is a single-player game with no advertised online mode, and neither store listing states an internet requirement, but neither confirms offline play either, and one outlet that claims offline support published no date, byline or test. Install it, unlock it, then test a session in airplane mode at home before relying on it during a flight.
Which phones can run DAVE THE DIVER well?+
Recent hardware, on the evidence so far. A named Google Play reviewer reported 90 FPS on a Motorola Razr 2024, and an Android port test hit a 60 FPS target on a Red Magic handset. The same test found a 4 GB Redmi 15C unable to hold a fixed 30 FPS. Google Play publishes no universal Android minimum, so open the listing on your own device; on iPhone or iPad you need iOS or iPadOS 15.0 or later and about 3.7 GB free plus headroom.
What is different about the mobile version of DAVE THE DIVER?+
MINTROCKET rebuilt the interface and controls rather than shrinking the desktop build. 4Gamer's launch report describes a three-stage screen zoom, tilting the phone to pour tea at Bancho Sushi, and direct fast travel to residents in the Sea People village. REVU adds adjustable touchscreen layouts and gyro tilt for pouring drinks. The DREDGE collaboration content is included, while In the Jungle is a separate $4.99 purchase and the Godzilla and Like a Dragon collaborations are not planned for mobile.
Does DAVE THE DIVER support controllers and other languages on mobile?+
Controllers, very probably. Neither store publishes a controller specification, but a named Google Play reviewer described Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and generic layouts with working rumble, and an independent port test confirmed external controllers working. Languages are less settled: the US App Store declares English only, yet launch-day players reported Thai and Brazilian Portuguese text with spelling and overlap faults, and the launch patch mentions text display fixes. Check your language in the live build before buying.
Store snapshot
What players are rating
United States snapshot, : On September 17, 2026 the US App Store showed a live free download rated 4.3 from 55 ratings, version 1.0.35, Game Center achievements, and editorial placements in What We're Playing and New Games We Love. US Google Play showed a live $7.99 Buy action discounted from $9.99, a 5.0 rating from 59 reviews, a 1+ download bracket, and the number one position on its top paid adventure chart, with AppBrain placing the package at number 65 in Adventure overall. Inven Global reported more than ten million cumulative sales across platforms and more than one million for the earlier Chinese mobile edition, where Pocket Gamer reported more than 500,000, so treat the China figure as approximate. These interest signals guided coverage and did not affect the review score.
Your next step
Price and download
Checked September 17, 2026 on the US stores. Google Play sells the app outright at $7.99, marked 20% off a $9.99 list price with the offer ending September 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM, and lists in-app purchases at $4.99 per item. The US App Store lists the app as a free download with two in-app purchases: DAVE THE DIVER Full Version at $7.99 and the In the Jungle Content Pack at $4.99. Because only Google Play displays an explicit launch discount, treat $7.99 as a launch-period US price and recheck both stores after September 30. Local prices, taxes, and availability differ by country.
Regional store note: Listed on both reference stores on . GamesRanker uses this consistent baseline for comparison; use the store links to see availability, pricing, size, and requirements in your region.
