Dave the Diver background with Xbox Game Pass logo
By
Matthew Danielson
Published 16 minutes ago
Matthew Danielson is a Senior Gaming Staff Writer for Screen Rant, using their expertise in fighting games, RPGs, and action titles to provide insight into your favorite experiences.
Matthew does a bit of everything, including helping ideate new content surrounding the hottest games and classics that continue to stoke nostalgia. With multiple years of experience, Matthew is your go-to expert on a variety of topics, from detailed fighting game experience to the most nuanced builds for your favorite RPG.
Matthew has worked for Screen Rant as a Gaming Senior Staff Writer since August 2022, and has been proud to release many articles that have helped people with unique problems while playing games.
As a long-time fan of TTRPG games, Matthew is also a veteran DM for Dungeons and Dragons, having hosted numerous campaigns over nearly a decade.
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The start of December 2025 has seen a variety of new titles come to Xbox Game Pass, but one game has struggled to find its audience on the subscription service. Launched on Game Pass on Black Friday, this game was added alongside many others, so many players might not even know it's available. That is a shame, as this 2023 title remains incredibly fun to start to this day.
While not a Day 1 release for Xbox Game Pass, Dave the Diver made its debut on the subscription service in November 2025, along with all its expansions and DLC updates since its launch. This game has long been celebrated as a great single-player adventure RPG, with reviews praising its strengths. However, according to a recent True Achievements article, the game has struggled to sell despite its Game Pass presence.
Dave The Diver Has "Flopped" On Xbox Game Pass
Low Sales Indicate Another Shadow Drop Failure
Dave the Diver was shadow dropped onto Xbox Game Pass, becoming the #421 most downloaded game on the platform after a few weeks. This is an astronomically low ranking, falling behind Batman: Arkham Asylum, the original Borderlands, and other games that were released as far back as the early 2010s. By comparison, Death Stranding: The Director's Cut was also shadow dropped, but ranked #37 among popular Game Pass titles.
It's worth mentioning that Dave the Diver still costs around $19.99 depending on your Game Pass subscription. Despite the Black Friday sales for the title, other platforms like Steam have much higher discounts for it.
While this information is subject to scrutiny, as it was measured using how many players had completed Dave the Diver achievements, this still marks the game as a "shadow flop" on Game Pass. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as how the Silent Hill 2 Remake also came to the subscription service around the same time.
Very little marketing for Dave the Diver could also have led to its poor margins on Game Pass, as many players probably don't even realize it's there. This is far from the first "shadow flop" the service has ever had, but this one feels slightly worse considering how good of a game Dave the Diver is.
It's A Great Game That Deserves Some Love
Incredible And Diverse Single-Player Content That Stays Engaging
Dave looks out at the beauty of the Sea People Village
Out of all the "flops" on Game Pass, Dave the Diver is particularly tragic considering how much content is offered in the game. This single-player experience has you searching for underwater treasures, ingredients, and other items for your sushi restaurant. The exploration adventure of the beautiful sea is juxtaposed perfectly with the management of your sushi place at night, where your hard diving efforts are rewarded.
From finding ways to dive deeper to hiring valuable staff in Dave the Diver, there are many mechanics that blend seamlessly together for a fun adventure. The RPG elements of your restaurant combine well with the near roguelike deep sea journeys to gather the best supplies for the restaurant.
The gameplay loop of this title has garnered great reviews for good reason, amassing a dedicated audience with almost everyone who picked up the game. This makes Dave the Diver one of the best Xbox Game Pass titles available right now, deserving as much acclaim as other popular single-player content on the platform.
Xbox Game Pass
Number of Devices Concurrently
Standard subscription plan allows two accounts playing at once, with four accounts playing at once on Friends & Family plan
Highest Resolution
1440p streaming
Number of Accounts
~35 million subscribers
Compatibility
Xbox Series X|S, PC, ROG Xbox Ally, Android, iOS, Samsung & LG TVs, Meta Quest, Web Browser
Price Per Month
Essential $9.99 | Premium $14.99 | Ultimate $29.99
Price per year
12-month membership codes only available at certain retailers
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Xbox Game Pass
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