I Played the Game Recommended by the Weeknd, and It Could Be 2026’s Sleeper Hit

A spooky fishing murder mystery

In an interview with The Washington Post, music superstar Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, recommended a game called About Fishing. It's a fairly innocuous title, and while it's partially accurate — the game is about fishing — it doesn't quite convey the creepy atmosphere found within.

About Fishing is a PSX-style horror game. During the game's prologue, which acts as a tutorial, you play as a young girl learning to fish from her father. The fishing mechanics are movement-based: pull the mouse back, then push it forward to emulate flinging your line into the water, and fight against the back-and-forth tug of your hooked fish to slowly reel it in. The prologue ends once you discover a body underwater, commencing a murder mystery in a fishing-themed package.

After a jump forward in time, the girl is an adult now and it turns out her father has been put behind bars for committing the murders. It's up to you to solve the murder mystery. You'll discover various types of fish, each with its own behavior, and sell the ones you catch to fund new gear. Or, when you're fishing, you can discover clues and trinkets. As you explore the small village the game is set in, you'll meet various characters, with each one having a distinct personality and captivating dialogue.

"The atmosphere [of About Fishing] got me immediately," Tesfaye told The Washington Post. "When I was young, my cousin had this collection of burned Sega Dreamcast discs, including Japanese releases I had never seen before. About Fishing gave me that feeling again." The Sega Dreamcast games he was referring to include Shenmue, Seaman, and Power Stone. Tesfaye organized a five-hour meeting with The Water Museum, the studio behind About Fishing, where one of the developers showed him the game.

Tesfaye has impeccable taste; About Fishing was one of my most recommended games from the summer's Steam Next Fest (and you can still play the demo now). On his second Instagram account, gene.hackerman, which is dedicated to posting about video games and his nerdier, non-music hobbies, he recently visited Atlus to play Persona 4 Revival, and in his own words, he "got an early peek at Persona 6." There are also posts of him with legendary game designers such as Suda51, Yoko Taro, and Hidetaka Miyazaki.

You should play About Fishing, but not just because The Weeknd recommends it. It's one of the most interesting, innovative indie games in development right now, and is shaping up to be a sleeper hit. About Fishing is scheduled to be released on Steam later in 2026.