Ludography
60/100
Players4 ratings
82/100
Critics6 reviews
More scores
Metacritic11 critic reviews
69/100
Metacritic usersuser score
76/100
GameFAQsEasy
3/5
Player reviews
95% positive3,451 reviews
Steam Deck
Playable
Runs on
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price
US$7.49

Where to get it

Megaquarium cover

2018 · Twice Circled · Business simulation · Indie

Megaquarium

A theme park management game with an aquatic twist. Design your displays, look after your fish, manage your staff and keep your guests happy! It's all in a day's work as the curator of your very own Megaquarium.

Released
13 September 2018
Platforms
LinuxNintendo SwitchPlayStation 4WindowsXbox OnemacOS
Genres
Business simulationIndieSimulationStrategy
Developers
Twice Circled
Publishers
Twice Circled
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / Isometric
Themes
BusinessSandbox
Country
England
Age ratings
ACB GCERO AGRAC ALLCLASS_IND LESRB EPEGI 3USK 0
Languages
Chinese (Simplified), English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat
23hmain story49hcompletionist

About

Megaquarium is a business simulation game developed and published in 2018 by Twice Circled.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Players manage an aquarium. Based on in-game information, players must determine which kinds of fish can be put in the same tank. For example, predatory fish must be separated from their prey. Players also manage technical issues, such as water filtration systems.

Staff, hired by the player, maintain the aquarium. Staff can not be controlled directly, but they can be given instructions, which they carry out on their own. Customers must be kept happy, such as by providing them with refreshment, and they do not like seeing filters or other machinery, necessitating hiding it out of view but within a workable distance of the tanks. Gameplay supports both campaigns, which act as a tutorial, and a sandbox mode.

Development

Megaquarium was released for the PC on September 13, 2018. It was released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch on October 18, 2019.

The Freshwater Frenzy DLC was released for PCs on June 4, 2020 introducing freshwater to the game with 30 new species, including reptiles and the American manatee, alongside new campaign levels as well as breeding mechanics for "hybrid" fish color morphs. Due to technical issues, the release of the DLC was delayed on consoles until March 2022.

Reception

Fraser Brown of Rock Paper Shotgun wrote, "It's a breezy, upbeat management game that nonetheless gives you lots to play with and plenty of room for experimentation." The site later included it in their list of best simulation games for the PC. Though she said some of the mechanics are a little opaque, Philippa Warr called it a "simple but fun" game. Bit-Tech called it "a neatly assembled management sim" whose minor annoyances did not stop reviewer Rick Lane from recommending it.

Reviewing the PlayStation 4 port for GameRevolution, Tyler TReese called it a "simplified tycoon sim with a lot of heart" that "delivers what was promised even if it doesn't exceed those promises". Sammy Barker of Push Square wrote that "the gameplay may seem shallow at first blush, but plunge a little deeper and you’ll find plenty of depth".

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Linux13 September 2018Worldwide
macOS13 September 2018Worldwide
Windows13 September 2018Worldwide
Nintendo Switch17 October 2019Europe · Worldwide 18 October 2019
PlayStation 418 October 2019Worldwide
Xbox One18 October 2019Worldwide

Editions and related releases

Expansions
Megaquarium: Invertebrilliant CollectionMegaquarium: Deep FreezeMegaquarium: Architect's CollectionMegaquarium: Freshwater Frenzy
Built on it
Megaquarium: Freshwater FrenzyMegaquarium: Deep FreezeMegaquarium: Invertebrilliant Collection

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Collections3 collections

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.