🏝️ How to Fish Islands - Unlock Order & Progression
The five islands of the How to Fish game in unlock order, with what to do and what awaits on each.
The Unlock Chain at a Glance
The five islands unlock strictly in order: Lighthouse → Forest → Desert → Rocks → Volcano. Each island after the first is revealed by killing the current island's boss and handing its special loot to the right NPC — the Radar only shows the next coordinates after the hand-in, not after the kill.
| Island | Unlock Key | Hand In → Next |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Lighthouse | Available from the start | Spider Crab trophy → Ship Key |
| 2 · Forest | Ship + Radar → northwest green dot | Giant Piranha Skeleton → lady by the lake |
| 3 · Desert | Island 3 coordinates | Pufferfish Fin → Tourist under the tree |
| 4 · Rocks | Island 4 coordinates | Albatross Head → Island 4 NPC |
| 5 · Volcano | Military base + volcano route | Mutated Bowhead fin → Hazmat NPC (ending) |
Island
1 · Lighthouse
Unlock Key
Available from the start
Hand In → Next
Spider Crab trophy → Ship Key
Island
2 · Forest
Unlock Key
Ship + Radar → northwest green dot
Hand In → Next
Giant Piranha Skeleton → lady by the lake
Island
3 · Desert
Unlock Key
Island 3 coordinates
Hand In → Next
Pufferfish Fin → Tourist under the tree
Island
4 · Rocks
Unlock Key
Island 4 coordinates
Hand In → Next
Albatross Head → Island 4 NPC
Island
5 · Volcano
Unlock Key
Military base + volcano route
Hand In → Next
Mutated Bowhead fin → Hazmat NPC (ending)
💡 Regular meat can be sold, but mission items (Skeleton, Fin, Head, whale corpse) must never be sold or roasted — they are the keys to the next island.
The World Map & Sailing Routes
How to Fish is not an open world — it is a fixed chain of five islands connected by boat routes. Navigation is radar-driven: after each boss-trophy hand-in, the next island's coordinates appear as a colored marker, and you sail toward it until the island renders. There is no map screen or fast travel; the radar in your hand is the map.
- The Radar (about $10) must be held in hand for the next-island marker to appear — stow it and the waypoint is gone.
- Each leg is a compass-and-marker sail: point the boat at the dot and keep going until the destination renders.
- Marker colors reported by the community: green for the Forest leg, yellow for the Desert leg.
| Leg | When it opens | Marker & direction |
|---|---|---|
| Lighthouse → Forest | After the Ship Key + Radar | Green marker, roughly northwest |
| Forest → Desert | After the Piranha Skeleton hand-in | Yellow marker, west to northwest of the Forest |
| Desert → Rocks | After the Pufferfish Fin hand-in | Radar coordinates to a small rocky island |
| Rocks → Volcano | After the Albatross Head hand-in | Military base + volcano route (finale) |
Leg
Lighthouse → Forest
When it opens
After the Ship Key + Radar
Marker & direction
Green marker, roughly northwest
Leg
Forest → Desert
When it opens
After the Piranha Skeleton hand-in
Marker & direction
Yellow marker, west to northwest of the Forest
Leg
Desert → Rocks
When it opens
After the Pufferfish Fin hand-in
Marker & direction
Radar coordinates to a small rocky island
Leg
Rocks → Volcano
When it opens
After the Albatross Head hand-in
Marker & direction
Military base + volcano route (finale)
💡 Lost at sea with no marker? Re-equip the Radar — the waypoint only shows while it is in your hand.
The Five Islands
Island 1: Lighthouse
Unlock: Available from the start
4 Creatures · 1 Bosses
Island 2: Forest
Unlock: Defeat the Spider Crab on the Lighthouse, hand the trophy to the Lighthouse Keeper for the Ship Key, buy and equip the Radar ($10), then sail toward the green marker (roughly northwest) until the Forest Island renders.
9 Creatures · 3 Bosses
Island 3: Desert
Unlock: Hand the Giant Piranha Skeleton to the lady by the lake on Island 2. The Radar then shows new coordinates (usually a yellow marker, west to northwest of the Forest) — sail there to reach the Desert.
9 Creatures · 2 Bosses
Island 4: Rocks
Unlock: Hand the Pufferfish Fin to the Tourist under the tree on Island 3. The Radar reveals the next set of coordinates — sail to the small rocky island to reach the Rocks.
10 Creatures · 2 Bosses
Island 5: Volcano
Unlock: Hand the Albatross Head to the Island 4 NPC on the Rocks. The final coordinates (military base + volcano route) appear on the Radar — sail there to reach the Volcano and the game's finale.
6 Creatures · 3 Bosses