Use this recovery order
- Confirm that the route—not only the tool—is missing. Open the current objective and make sure the previous boss trophy was handed to the correct NPC. A Radar cannot show coordinates that the quest has not unlocked.
- Return to the Lighthouse Keeper. This is the original early-game purchase point documented by current walkthroughs. Check the same shop or interaction that offered the Radar.
- Look for the $10 Radar listing. If it is available, buy it again and test the display before spending money elsewhere.
- Save through the game menu. Patch 1.0.6 says the game writes when Save, Main Menu or Quit is pressed and also autosaves every minute. Use an explicit in-game action instead of force-closing.
- Stop if the listing is absent. Repeated purchases, random item drops or a new boss fight are not supported fixes. Record the session state and report the missing item.
Where the Radar comes from
Current progression and upgrade walkthroughs place the first Radar purchase with the Lighthouse Keeper after the opening Spider Crab route. The documented price is $10. Its job is navigation: it helps you follow coordinates between islands after the relevant quest giver has opened that route.
| What you see | Most useful next check | What not to assume |
|---|---|---|
| Radar is gone, but the shop still lists it | Buy the $10 listing again, then save in-game | That every missing item will be restored the same way |
| Radar is present, but no new destination appears | Return the current boss trophy to its quest giver | That buying another Radar unlocks campaign progress |
| Radar and shop listing are both absent | Preserve the session details and report the issue | That dropping other tools or dying will force a respawn |
If the Radar is not available to buy
Do not continue a long shopping or boss run merely to test whether the tool returns. Note the game version, solo or co-op state, host name, island, last completed hand-in, whether the Radar vanished after loading, and whether the Lighthouse Keeper still shows the listing. Those details make the report useful and help distinguish a missing item from a quest that never granted coordinates.
If you are in co-op, also note which player originally purchased or held the Radar and who owns the session. Do not move every remaining quest item between players while diagnosing the problem; that makes the original state harder to describe.
Protect the save while testing
Official Patch 1.0.6 changed the save flow. The game no longer writes a new save when the application crashes; it writes when the player uses Save, Main Menu or Quit, and it still autosaves once per minute. If the Radar is visible again, press Save before leaving. If it is still missing, understand that another save records the current state—it does not promise a rollback.
Checking installed game files through Steam can repair damaged program files, but it does not recreate an item that is absent from save data. Keep file repair and save recovery as separate problems.
Missing Radar FAQ
Can you buy the Radar again?
Players report that the original Lighthouse Keeper shop may sell it again for $10. Check there first, but treat the result as version-sensitive until Dazed Games documents a recovery rule.
Does the Radar unlock islands?
No. The campaign advances through local requests, boss kills and trophy hand-ins. The Radar displays navigation for routes you have already unlocked.
Should I start a new save?
Not as the first response. Check the original shop, confirm the last hand-in and use the official save controls first. Starting over is a large loss and there is no evidence that it is required for every missing-Radar case.
Sources used on this page
- How to Fish community discussions Steam Community · accessed 2026-08-26 · current player questions, high GPU and FPS-cap reports, mouse-movement stutter, fish not biting, audio duplication and distortion, 0x11C7 launch-block reports, boat items after reload, missing equipment reports, weapon skin questions, second-island questions, lost Radar reports, drip creature questions, cooked fishing rod reports, boss difficulty, multiplayer issues
- How to Fish official announcements Dazed Games / Steam Community · accessed 2026-08-26 · current official feed through Patch 1.0.9, Patch 1.0.9 difficulty settings, Patch 1.0.9 Steam relay debug, Patch 1.0.9 attempted save fix, Patch 1.0.8, Patch 1.0.6 save behavior, Patch 1.0.5 lobby options, Patch 1.0.5 4K slot-machine skin fix, Patch 1.0.4 multiplayer fixes
- How to Fish: Full Island and Boss Progression Walkthrough AllThings.How · accessed 2026-08-24 · five-island route, three-leech objective, boss trophy hand-ins, Radar purchase
- How to Fish: The Upgrades and Weapons Worth Buying First AllThings.How · accessed 2026-08-24 · Radar price, early purchases, weapon priorities