What if the fish swimming around your aquarium were creatures you designed yourself? That’s the charming idea behind Drawquarium, a relaxing sandbox that lets players turn their own drawings into living underwater creations. After attracting considerable attention online and surpassing 200,000 wishlists, the game has officially launched on PC via Steam.
Developed by solo creator byKaleb and published by German publisher rokaplay, Drawquarium began as a personal project inspired by a simple desire to bring children’s drawings to life. That idea has since grown into an unexpected social media sensation, with the game’s original announcement generating 100,000 likes and nearly three million views from a single post. Its wider reach has reportedly surpassed nine million organic views on X, demonstrating just how much interest there is in the prospect of creating a personalized aquarium.
At its heart, Drawquarium is about giving players the freedom to create an underwater world that feels entirely their own. Players can draw fish in virtually any shape or style, alongside aquatic plants and decorations, before watching their creations swim around and interact with one another. These fish can be fed and raised, with their own personalities and relationships developing over time. Some might become friends, others rivals, and players may even discover adorable new additions to their aquarium’s growing family.
There is plenty of room to customize the experience beyond designing individual fish. Players can decorate their aquariums, collect golden fish scales to unlock additional customization options, and experiment with different combinations to create an underwater environment that reflects their imagination. Those who aren’t particularly artistically inclined can also jump in using ready-made fish and drawing templates, while support for uploading PNG images makes it possible to bring existing artwork into the game.
One particularly appealing feature is Desktop Wallpaper Mode, which lets players turn their aquarium into an animated desktop background. Rather than simply leaving their creations behind when moving on to other tasks, they can continue watching, feeding, and interacting with their fish while working or studying. Drawquarium also includes a journal, task manager, and timer, giving the experience some additional tools for organizing daily activities while providing a relaxing little distraction.
Drawquarium is now available on PC via Steam for $11.99 USD, €11.99, and £9.99, with a limited-time 20% launch discount. Those interested in trying out the creative aquarium sandbox before purchasing can also check out its playable Steam demo.