Steam Community :: Drawquarium

Drawquarium is OUT NOW! 🐟

Nov 13

Hey everyone, Kaleb here! 👋

I can't believe I'm finally writing these words, but Drawquarium is officially OUT NOW on Steam! About a year and a half ago, I started working on this little idea. Just me, my computer, and the thought of bringing my kids' drawings to life. I never imagined it would turn into something so many people would care about.

I've spent countless hours reading your messages, looking at your drawings, and smiling at all the lovely things you've shared. And now, after all this time, you can finally play my game. That's a pretty surreal feeling.

One small request: Please try the free demo first!

Before spending your money on Drawquarium, I'd really love for you to try the free Steam demo. I want you to know what you're getting and make sure it's something you'll genuinely enjoy. That's really important to me!

☝️ Especially if you have older hardware, please try the demo first!

A little tip about Wallpaper Mode!

I've seen a few comments from people wondering why the graphics quality sometimes drops in Wallpaper Mode, so I wanted to quickly explain something!

Drawquarium has a feature called Sleep Mode that helps save your PC's resources by reducing graphics quality when your wallpaper is running in the background, for example, when you open a fullscreen browser.

But here's something that's easy to miss! You can adjust this behavior in the Sleep Mode settings inside the Wallpaper menu!

If you have a powerful PC or want to keep other applications like Bongo Cat running alongside your aquarium, take a look at this setting. It might be exactly what you're looking for!

Follow me on Social Media / Discord!

I'd love to see your creations, hear your feedback, and chat with you! Come hang out with our community!

Discord[discord.com] | Twitter[www.x.com] | Bluesky[bsky.app] | TikTok[www.tiktok.com]

Thank you for believing in this little project. It means more to me than you know.

Kaleb ♥️

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All cozy games news in one monthly FREE newsletter.

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🔸 Curated list of games coming out next month
🔸 Made by humans, no AI!
🔸 Only good news and positive vibes

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Drawquarium

180

13

[FIXED]After last update my game back to demo state

Hope it will be fixed quickly

19

Légu

4 hours ago

General Discussions

🏆🐠 Drawquarium Creative Event – Meet the Winners!

Nov 12

The results are in! Our Drawquarium Creative Event has officially come to an end, and it's time to celebrate our amazing winners! 🎉

First of all, a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated! 💙 You truly blew us away!

Choosing the winners wasn't easy and we're incredibly grateful for all the time, effort, and imagination you put into your creations.

But now, without further ado, let's meet our winners! 🏆

🏝️ Category 1: Themed Aquarium

This was a tricky category as it had the shortest time to finish, but 9 creatives actually made it in time!

🏅 Community Vote Winners

🥇 The Trench - created by MrMcman
🥈 Halloween Town - created by _darkghost_
🥉 Pink Aquarium - created by lulu
Constellations in the night sky - created by lamsect
Prehistoric - created by MerryWeather

🎨 Kaleb's Picks

Undead Under Da Sea - created by Sarita
Level 94 backrooms Aquarium - created by Eldan
Alien Waters Tank - created by Dino/Tazz
Wedding Aquarium - created by maybeme

Congratulations to all our talented aquarium designers! 🫧

🎨 Category 2: Favorite Creator Fish

This category challenged you to turn your favorite content creators, or meaningful elements of their community into unique fish designs.

🏅 Community Vote Winners

🥇 Iron Lung - created by xxkooki3xx
🥈 Kairyu Crocodile - created by Calypso Deadlight
🥉 Dumb Doggofish - created by CuddlerFish
RT Game Fish - created by Prinzess Nyx
Jubes "catfish" evanandkatelyn - created by Lamb Chops

🎨 Kaleb's Picks

Creator Fish Entry - created by _darkghost_
Merkiplier - created by Eldan
Hello Im Spons - created by Glenn|LangeManGlenn
Shoshy [the fish] - created by Flatbird
Crab - created by sjy

Amazing work, everyone! 💙

🌈 Category 3: Wildcard Fish

From funny and bizarre to absolutely stunning, this category showed us just how creative the Drawquarium community can be.

🏅 Community Vote Winners

🥇 Ant - created by W a t e r
🥈 Wildcard: Pearl - created by lulu
🥉 Lanternfish - created by Ralof
Cute Vampire Squid - created by Calypso Deadlight
The Sea Angel - created by unraveled

🎨 Kaleb's Picks

Ink-Wash Ryukin - created by CuddlerFish
Long Boy - created by Leslie3308
Tripod Fish - created by Princess Nyx
Kitty Feesh - created by TannyFox
Julby - created by MrMcMan

You really let your imagination swim wild! 🐠✨

🌟 Your Fish in Drawquarium!

These picks will become fish in Drawquarium, please export the fish and send Kaleb the fishies via Discord DM.

🎨 Creator Winners - We want you!

Iron Lung - created by xxkooki3xx
"Based on The Monster in Markiplier's theatrical debut film 'Iron Lung'."

Hello Im Spons - created by Glenn|LangeManGlenn
"Inspired by Caddicarus, this fish has come to sell you something."

🌈 Wildcard Winners - We want you!

Ant - created by W a t e r
"AN ANT!"

Julby - created by MrMcMan
"This is my third fish so far but probably my favorite so it's all I'm entering for now."

⭐ Special Mention - We want you!

Notropis Chrosomus - created by Ithalaine
"I made one of my favorite fish, the Notropis Chrosomus I absolutely love how shiny these little guys are!"

🎁 Congratulations to Our Winners!

We'll contact you with your Drawquarium Steam Key via Discord in the next days, so keep your DMs open. 💌

💙 Thank You for Making This Event Special!

Seeing everyone come together and share so many creative ideas has been an absolute joy, you clearly love the game as much as we do and we thank you for making such a big splash! 🐠💙

With love,

The Drawquarium Team

Drawquarium

93

3

Before You Buy Drawquarium!

Nov 12

Hi everyone, Kaleb here! 👋

Over 200,000 Steam wishlists. Over 130,000 new wishlists in just a few weeks. Our trailers went viral, and the latest one absolutely exploded. For a little game about drawing fish?! This is INSANE!

I'm incredibly grateful, but honestly, I'm also a little scared. With so much attention, expectations can grow quickly. And I really don't want anyone to buy Drawquarium expecting something it isn't. So here's a little reality check before we launch on November 13!

First, PLEASE play the free demo!

Before spending your money, please try the free demo! The response has been wonderful, but Drawquarium isn't for everyone. The demo gives you a good idea of the core experience, with more content and unlockable features waiting in the full game. If you enjoy the demo, you'll probably enjoy the full game too!

☝️ Especially if you have older hardware, please try the demo first!

✅ Drawquarium IS for you if you...

Love cozy, relaxing games. No pressure, no stress.
Enjoy being creative. Draw fish, plants, and decorations (or whatever you want), and watch them come to life. No artistic skills needed!
Want a living desktop wallpaper. Enjoy your aquarium while working, watching a show, or listening to a podcast.
Like light progression. Unlock new things and gradually expand your aquarium.
Enjoy sharing creations. Show your fish and aquariums to friends and the community.
Appreciate handmade indie games. This is my very first game, made with lots of love.

❌ Drawquarium is NOT for you if you...

Expect Photoshop. I'm one developer. The drawing tools are simple by design. You can always import PNG artwork from your favorite drawing software.
Want action or excitement. No combat, no explosions. Think of Drawquarium as the opposite of GTA 😄.
Expect deep progression or endless grinding. There are things to unlock, but no loot boxes, complicated upgrade systems, or endless rewards.
Need constant goals. Drawquarium is a creative sandbox, not a game that constantly tells you what to do.
Expect a huge AAA production. This is a small passion project made by one person.

Price & Release

One last thing...

I never imagined almost 200,000 people would be interested in something I created. But please remember: Drawquarium isn't trying to be the biggest or most exciting game in the world. It's just my attempt to create a peaceful little place where you can slow down, be creative, and smile.

I don't want everyone to buy Drawquarium. I want the people who buy it to genuinely enjoy it. So please try the demo first. And if you like it, I'd love to welcome you into my little aquarium world.

Thank you for everything. Really. ❤️

Much love, Kaleb

☕ Cozy & Family Friendly Games Newsletter

If you're as passionate about cozy games as I am, I highly recommend subscribing to the Cozy Games Newsletter! It's a great way to stay up to date with all the latest cozy game news and announcements, all in one place.

All Cozy games news in one monthly FREE Newsletter.

🔸 Cozy Games News
🔸 Curated list of games coming out next month
🔸 Made by human, no AI!
🔸 Only good news/vibes

👉 https://cozygamescelebration.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Drawquarium

193

10

134 people found this review helpful
3 people found this review funny

Recommended

2.3 hrs on record

Posted: November 13

As someone who draws frequently, I challenged myself to not use a stylus for this game. It created a lot of messy drawings that normally I'd be sitting here doing 'ctrl z' on for days... And it forces me to let go of standards. Focusing on cute details, and fun fish that... Look nothing like the real thing. But seeing them swim, and seeing them alive... Makes me happy inside.

Also, I have two tanks. One is based off of electricity named 'my sicky space' cause I started it when I was really sick. Something about this game really helps boost confidence, for anyone of any age of any start at drawing. 'Tank you' for this amazing fishy game that lets me 'school' around.

Zavier001

2

102 people found this review helpful

Recommended

0.3 hrs on record

Posted: November 13

Bought purely off the trailer alone. As someone who felt that I lost my creativity over the years. This simple little fish game made me feel like I can be creative again. Please support developers like this.

hybridmusic08

0

76 people found this review helpful
13 people found this review funny

Recommended

31.5 hrs on record

Posted: November 13

I bought this for my nine-year-old niece. That was my first mistake.

I thought I was buying a cute little game where you draw fish with crayons and watch them swim around.

Several hours later, I have a beautifully lit tropical aquarium containing hand-drawn fish, photorealistic fish, an alien from The Simpsons, and two duck-billed platypuses, one of which is Perry the Platypus. They're all happily swimming around eating pizza and cheeseburgers.

One of my fish is called Tuddles. Her personal quote is "Flossen weg!" Another is called Sharkman, whose contribution to aquatic philosophy is "What's a potato?"

But here's the thing. Beneath the adorable premise is a surprisingly sophisticated little creative sandbox.

You can draw your own fish and plants or import transparent PNGs. You can configure how your creatures swim, how large they grow, and how they behave. They develop personalities, friendships, relationships, and eventually have babies.

You can customise the aquarium's substrate, terrain, decorations, water level, surface movement and lighting. The coloured lights interact beautifully with the rocks and scenery, and the water reflections are genuinely impressive. There's even a camera with zoom and depth-of-field effects.

The fish have different feeding behaviours. Some grab food as it falls, while bottom feeders wait for it to settle. You can even place food precisely where you want it. Uneaten food and waste need cleaning up, so there's a little actual aquarium management involved too.

And every time I find myself thinking, "I wonder if I can do this...", I discover that the developer has already thought of it.

Want to move a fish to another aquarium? You can. Want to rearrange the rocks without manually replanting everything? The game offers to do that for you. Want to create a completely surreal underwater fantasy world instead of a conventional aquarium? Go right ahead.

It's full of those tiny, thoughtful quality-of-life touches that make software a pleasure to use.

There are progression goals and unlockables, but nothing I've encountered feels like it's trying to hurry me along. I can spend time creating something beautiful, experimenting with the simulation, or simply watching my increasingly ridiculous collection of aquatic residents go about their lives.

And somehow there's also a journal, a task list, timers and a desktop wallpaper mode.

What really impresses me is that this is the work of a solo developer. There's an extraordinary amount of care and personality here, and it shows in almost every interaction.

It's charming without being shallow, creative without being intimidating, and relaxing without being boring.

If you have children, buy it for them. If you don't have children, buy it for yourself. If you're buying it for your children, you might want to buy yourself a copy too.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to feed an extraterrestrial some pizza and check whether my platypuses have had babies.

Highly recommended.

Kritter

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。。。

Eight

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CHYBDOI

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First step of recreating our old aquarium. Thank you Kaleb

Minky Moth ཐིཋྀ

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The Boiled One

Mightyrachel

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<3

Jar-Min

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Drew a snail

PickleOnAStick

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looking at the fishies like

Jar-Min

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The first fish Look upon my works ye mighty and despair

Kyanado

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Redditor owns this aquarium

UHUH

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Mogger Fih

UHUH

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Why am I naming a fish before it exists?

The game prompts you to name a fish before you even do anything, and supposedly you can't change the name. This makes absolutely no sense, because you can't possibly know how the fish will turn out beforehand. If you can free draw anything you want onto the fish, the ability to alter its name while working on it should be a given. Maybe I'm completely missing an option to rename the fish that has since been added (I'm playing the demo so it may be out of date)... please point it out to me if that is the...

4

Pumathang

3 hours ago

General Discussions

3d drawings!

The game could also have a 3D drawing mode, as well as other artistic styles, such as mosaic, impressionism, etc.

2

MajorLeandro

3 hours ago

Feedback & Suggestions

Problem...

I just got the game. Never downloaded the demo. Yet when i went to play the game, it said it was the demo. Why??

2

Charlie_StarXD

5 hours ago

General Discussions

Game Starting as Demo

So I bought the game and it worked fine last night, but now for some reason it's starting as the demo version even though I paid for the game, so like a lot of the features I was able to use are unusable now.

2

Vincentius

5 hours ago

Bugs & Technical Support