Dave the Diver finally lands on Xbox — free Godzilla and Dredge DLCs, but there’s a catch

Why Xbox players should actually care about this launch

This caught my attention because Dave the Diver has quietly become one of the indie surprises of the past few years – a weirdly addictive mash-up of underwater exploration, rogue-lite combat and late-night sushi service that scored a 95% positive rating on Steam and sold over five million copies. Its arrival on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One (including Xbox Play Anywhere and cloud) on 20 November 2025 finally gives Microsoft players a chance to dive in without juggling another console or PC account.

• Available now on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One (cloud & Xbox Play Anywhere), priced at €19.99.
• Two free DLCs (Dredge and Godzilla) are included at launch; Ichiban’s Holiday is paid (€6.99).
• New expansion In the Jungle is scheduled for early 2026 and promises freshwater content and narrative additions.

Breaking down the Xbox release – what’s actually new

Dave the Diver first appeared on PC in 2023 and later on Switch and PlayStation, but Xbox fans have been left waiting. The core experience is unchanged: you spend days diving the eerie “Blue Hole,” harpooning and dodging bizarre sea creatures to gather ingredients, then run a sushi restaurant at night using whatever you caught. That loop – exploration by day, restaurant management by night — is the game’s selling point and still works remarkably well on console.

On Xbox the release is straightforward: €19.99 for the base game, playable via cloud, with Xbox Play Anywhere support if you’re buying from the Microsoft ecosystem. For many players that means easy access on both console and PC without rebuying, which is a sensible move for a port that’s already proven on other platforms.

The DLC situation: freebies, crossovers, and a small paywall

MINTROCKET is shipping two free DLC packs with the Xbox launch — Dredge and Godzilla. The Dredge pack imports the unsettling abominations from the horror-fishing game Dredge, which is a fun cross-pollination for players who like creepy sea fauna. Godzilla, yes that Godzilla, adds a kaiju-sized threat into the mix. Both free additions are smart: they keep the community talking and lower the barrier for replayability.

Then there’s Ichiban’s Holiday, a paid pack priced at €6.99 that drops Ichiban Kasuga — the likeable protagonist from Sega’s Yakuza/Like a Dragon series — into Dave’s Blue Hole. Crossovers like this are a double-edged sword: they’re great for publicity and give players a moment of delight, but they also normalize small paid packs for cosmetic or character content. At €6.99 it’s mild, not greedy — but it’s worth asking how many of these paid cameos we’ll see going forward.

Why this matters now (and to whom)

Why now? Xbox’s ecosystem has been hungry for standout indie hits that add personality to its storefront, and Dave the Diver fits that bill without requiring Game Pass. The timing — dropping during the Xbox Partner Preview — gives it visibility, and including free DLC at launch helps steam interest. For players, the key wins are polish, price, and portability via cloud play.

From an industry perspective, Dave the Diver is another example of how hybrids — part action, part management, with rogue-lite replay loops — can capture broad audiences. It also shows the lifecycle of successful indies: initial release, platform rollouts, free tie-in content for reach, and paid crossovers to monetize post-launch. It’s a balanced approach, but one worth watching if you care about how indie monetization evolves.

What players should know before diving

• Price: €19.99 for the base game on Xbox stores; Ichiban’s Holiday costs €6.99.
• Included content: free Dredge and Godzilla DLC at launch; In the Jungle expansion due early 2026 (freshwater fish + story).
• Playability: Supports cloud streaming and Xbox Play Anywhere — handy if you switch between PC and console.
• Replayability: The loop is addictive, and the DLCs are designed to refresh the experience rather than overhaul it.

If you’re into exploration-driven indies that reward both gear upgrades and better restaurant menus, Dave the Diver remains a high-value buy at €19.99. The free Dredge and Godzilla tie-ins make the Xbox launch feel generous, while Ichiban’s cameo is a small, cheeky paid add-on rather than an egregious cash grab.

TL;DR

Dave the Diver’s Xbox debut is welcome and well-executed: a polished, affordable port with free crossover content that keeps the game lively. My skepticism is limited to the creeping normalization of paid cameo packs, but for now this is a smart, player-friendly rollout that gives Xbox owners a great indie to sink hours into — and something to look forward to when In the Jungle lands in early 2026.