THE SHORT ANSWER
Save and quit normally before switching machines, then check that Steam has finished syncing. If an item is missing, record the version and the steps before the loss; a patch note alone cannot diagnose your save.
Patch notes through 1.1.3 · Updated 2026-10-12 · Official sources checked 2026-10-20.
Version & evidence notes
The 1.1 Islet notices add content, controls and a Fishipedia clue but do not describe save recovery. The older 1.0.12 Steam Cloud and 1.0.11 backup claims remain source-scoped, not tested restoration.
Latest inspected patch notes ↗YOUR PLAYER ROUTE
Find the right recovery path before changing anything
Identify what is missing: a website catch record, a game save, a quest trophy or radar hardware. Each needs a different check.
Have these ready
- Note the game version, affected save, host or guest role, and last successful save.
- Preserve working saves and named quest items while checking the cause.
Website catch records: use your journal backup
If only this website’s marks are missing, return to the browser that held them or import an earlier journal export. The export contains catch records, not the game save or saved plan preparation. Without a usable local record or backup, this companion cannot reconstruct your marks.
No next island: check the trophy hand-in
If the next island did not appear, pick up the boss’s distinctive trophy, return to the NPC who supplied the encounter item, finish the dialogue, then check the radar. Ordinary meat chunks usually do not complete passage quests.
Read the supporting guide ↗Reported by H3RB99, pat fennis and other Steam players · MyRealFaceCD and other Steam players
Cannot progress from second island ↗What to do after killing Pufferfish on island 3 ↗Missing Radar: inspect the Forest shop
Three Steam replies report a replacement Radar for sale on Forest, leaning low against the shop or sign post and easy to overlook. Check the purchase label before assuming the save must restart.
Read the supporting guide ↗Reported by vfbmax, FonkDerok and other Steam players
What do I do if I lose my Radar ↗Game save missing: compare machines and sync
Confirm Steam has finished its normal sync before opening the save elsewhere. If the expected save is missing, stop and compare the machines rather than immediately creating or overwriting files. This is precautionary advice, not a tested recovery method.
Missing item: record the sequence and version
Stop before creating more save state. Record whether the loss followed dropping, death, rejoin, crash or normal quit, then use the save guide’s version and Steam Cloud checks.
How to know you’re done
We can show which source says what. We cannot promise recovery, absence of corruption, a working money glitch or that a save editor is safe. Keep the working save intact while investigating.
Something went wrong?
A browser backup did not restore my game
The website’s journal backup only restores website catch records. It cannot restore a game save, quest inventory or cloud state.
The patch says items persist
Patch 1.0.10 says dropped items persist up to a total of 64, with priority for weapons, tools, quest objects and creatures. That limit is not a promise that every loose object is permanent.
Evidence & version limits
Official announcements were checked through 1.1.3 (September 29), but the Steam Cloud and ground-item guidance here comes from older notes through 1.0.12. Kingy has not tested save recovery, cloud handling or item restoration.
The Radar location is community reporting. No save-file edits, deletion procedure or guaranteed quest reset is established here.
These written steps remain usable without video. No continuously reviewed video demonstration is available for this route.
01 / 07
September 28–29 update boundary
The September 28 1.1.0 Islet announcement adds mini islands, a weapon, creatures, a mini-boss, items, bait, an NPC, achievements and an outfit. It does not describe save migration or recovery.
The September 29 1.1.2 note adds reload rebinding and bow skins, changes new-bait spawns from two to three on a new mini island and adjusts wishbone prices and radar dots. It reports fixing Tench spawning from the new bait and a mini-boss direction indicator.
The September 29 1.1.3 note says Fishipedia now shows a fish’s bait name after that fish has been killed once. It does not say this reveals bait for unrecorded creatures.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑02 / 07
Before changing machines
The 1.0.12 announcement introduced Steam Cloud support and tells existing players to run and exit the game on the machine holding their saves.
Developer statementDazed Games ↘Confirm Steam has finished its normal sync before opening the save elsewhere. If the expected save is missing, stop and compare the machines rather than immediately creating or overwriting files. This is precautionary advice, not a tested recovery method.
Kingy advice
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑03 / 07
If an item disappeared
Patch 1.0.10 says dropped items persist up to a total of 64, with priority for weapons, tools, quest objects and creatures. That limit is not a promise that every loose object is permanent.
Note whether the loss followed dropping, rejoining or a crash, and whether the item was still visible beforehand. Keep that sequence with your version when seeking help. Do not assume every report shares one cause.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑04 / 07
Do not copy an obsolete shortcut
The developer reports fixing travel to locked islands in 1.0.5. Treat an older island-skip guide as potentially outdated.
A visible patch label helps date a guide or video, but it is not an exact Steam build fingerprint. Compare older advice with developer announcements before relying on a workaround.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑05 / 07
What we can promise
We can show which source says what. We cannot promise recovery, absence of corruption, a working money glitch or that a save editor is safe. Keep the working save intact while investigating.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑06 / 07
Record the version before trying an old fix
Patch 1.0.10 added the game version to player.log. Patch 1.0.12 introduced Steam Cloud and tells players to launch and exit on the computer holding their save once to upload it.
Before troubleshooting, note the version, affected save, host or guest role, and last successful save. Keep a backup before following any file-removal advice. Do not treat this browser checklist as a game-save backup.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑07 / 07
Before reinstalling: saves and backups
Steam installation backups are not proof that a game’s saves are included. Valve says third-party save locations vary by developer. Kingy has not verified How to Fish’s current local save directory, a complete PC/Deck file inventory, or a successful restore procedure.
Before reinstalling, confirm that the wanted save still opens, use the normal save and exit controls, and check that Steam Cloud sync completes. Preserve a separate copy of the confirmed game-save files before any deletion. If you cannot identify those files, leave the working installation intact and consult the developer’s support route; this guide cannot yet give you a tested file-by-file backup.
Suggest a correction or source for this section →
Back to guide contents ↑FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
Sources & limits
Latest patch remains 1.1.3, September 29; the October 12 roadmap supplies no dated patch or save-recovery procedure. No save migration, local restore or gameplay test performed; no recovery guarantee.
Source review checks what an author says; it does not reproduce their play session. Exact Steam builds remain unknown. Video candidates awaiting full review are not included.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Developer announcements through 1.1.3 ↗
Dazed Games · checked 2026-10-20
What this source supports
Official Steam announcements and publisher-only news API checked October 12: September 28–29 Islet 1.1.0 / 1.1.2 / 1.1.3; October 12 roadmap notice.
1.1.3 remains the latest published patch. October 12 announces future content, console ports and bugfixes without dates or platforms. No full current journal roster or independent gameplay test.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Using the Steam Backup Feature ↗
Valve / Steam Support · checked 2026-10-20
What this source supports
Important note: saved-game files and third-party game save locations
Platform backup guidance; does not identify or validate How to Fish save/restore files.