# FishNet: Unity networking for games from turn-based to MMO > FishNet is a Unity networking library written in C# for building multiplayer games across genres from MMO to turn-based. Install via Package Manager URL or the Unity Asset Store; the full technical documentation lives outside the repository. **FirstGearGames/FishNet** — FishNet: Unity Networking Evolved. - Repository: https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet - Stars: 2,076 · Forks: 239 - Language: C# - License: NOASSERTION - Published: 2026-10-11 · Updated: 2026-10-11 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/firstgeargames-fishnet ## FishNet targets Unity developers across 9 game genres FishNet is a C# networking library for Unity. Nine game categories are named on the project page: MMO, shooters, battle-royale, turn-based, arcade, fighting, physics-based, mobile and NFT games. That breadth points to a general-purpose networking layer rather than a solution optimized for any one genre. Four design goals frame the project: reliability, ease of use, efficiency and flexibility. None of those terms comes with a measurement or a benchmark from the README. A professional game designer built the project, according to the README, with the community providing ongoing support. That background is the distinguishing characteristic the project leads with. A developer who has shipped games designs for different pressures than one building infrastructure tooling, and those 4 goals reflect that tension. Reliability and ease of use pull toward conservative defaults; efficiency can pull the other direction. How FishNet resolves the trade-off between them is described in the documentation at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/, not on the project's GitHub page. ## The Package Manager URL installs from the Assets/FishNet subdirectory Two install paths exist. The first is the Unity Asset Store listing at assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/network/fish-net-networking-evolved-207815. The second is a direct Package Manager URL: ``` https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet.git?path=Assets/FishNet ``` The ?path=Assets/FishNet parameter in the URL tells Unity's Package Manager to install from the Assets/FishNet subdirectory of the repository rather than the root. Pasting this URL into the "Add package from git URL" field in Unity's Package Manager is the git install path. Both paths are available, with no guidance in the README on which approach suits which project type or team size. The 2 install paths update differently. An Asset Store install follows Unity's asset update pipeline. A Package Manager git install pulls from the repository and updates when you trigger it manually or through the Package Manager window. For teams that need to pin a specific version and control when they upgrade, the git path makes that explicit. For those who want a store-managed workflow, the Asset Store path is the documented alternative. The README also links to fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/ for documentation and addons, and discord.gg/Ta9HgDh4Hj for community discussion. ## 4 solution files at the root signal parallel build configurations The top-level repository layout holds 4 Visual Studio solution files: FishNet.sln, FishNet V4.sln, FishNet - Public.sln and FishNet - Public V4.sln. Most Unity packages ship with 1 solution file. Having 4, organized into 2 naming axes, is an unusual detail that a quick scan of the README would not reveal. The 2 axes are a version split (V4 vs. non-V4) and a visibility split (Public vs. non-Public). That means at least 2 configurations coexist in the repository: a current V4 build and an earlier build, each with a public variant. What differs between a Public and non-Public solution is not stated anywhere in the README or in the top-level file listing. It is a detail that the documentation at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/ or the Discord server would need to answer. A developer who clones the repository and opens the wrong solution file may find missing references or build errors that the correct file would not produce. No note in the README points to which solution to open first. For anyone contributing to the project or building from source, identifying the right entry point requires either reading the documentation at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/ or asking in the Discord server at discord.gg/Ta9HgDh4Hj, since no guidance is present in the repository's own files. ## A custom terms file and a THIRD PARTY NOTICE sit at the repository root The repository root holds a terms file alongside THIRD PARTY NOTICE.md. The project's custom licence is one that GitHub cannot classify against any standard identifier, and the full terms are in the file at the root. For a Unity library used in commercial games, the terms require reading rather than assuming standard OSS permissions, because there is no established precedent for how this custom terms document maps to redistribution, modification and monetization. The THIRD PARTY NOTICE.md file indicates that FishNet incorporates code from other sources under separate terms. Whether those third-party terms impose additional constraints on commercial use is only determinable by reading that file. Both files are named in the top-level repository listing, and both should be read before adopting FishNet for a project that will be distributed or sold. The pro supporter tier at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/overview/readme/pro-projects-and-support may carry different terms from the public build. Whether the pro and public distributions have the same terms or not is a question the README does not answer. ## Between 15 and 25% of monthly profits fund ongoing development and a pro tier A section in the project's README titled "Reinvesting In Our Future" sets out that between 15% and 25% of monthly profits are put back into Fish-Networking. Three specific uses are named: tipping helpers, hiring coders, and supporting third-party extensions or completing backlogged features. This reinvestment model is an unusual feature to document in a README, and it signals a commercial dimension to the project. FishNet is not purely volunteer-driven. Revenue feeds into development decisions, which means the project's roadmap connects to its business model in a way that a typical open-source library's does not. The pro supporter tier is described at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/overview/readme/pro-projects-and-support, which the README links to but does not summarize. Whether the perks include priority support, access to unreleased builds, or something else is only documented on that external page. For teams considering whether to support the pro tier, reading that page is the only way to assess the return. ## Documentation lives at fish-networking.gitbook.io, not inside the repository FishNet's README covers what the project is, the 2 install paths and where to get help. It does not document the API surface, the transport layer, how object authority is handled, what network serialization looks like, or what the known limits of the system are. Every technical detail about using FishNet lives at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/. For an engineer evaluating whether to adopt FishNet, the GitHub page gives a starting point but not an answer. The documentation hosted at gitbook is the actual reference, and the project's README functions as a landing page with links rather than a technical resource. Unity packages often rely on external documentation sites rather than inline docs, but that arrangement means a repository audit alone gives an incomplete picture of the library's capabilities and the edge cases where it fails. The packages.config file at the repository root indicates the solution depends on additional packages, but the top-level listing does not name what those packages are or where they come from. The THIRD PARTY NOTICE.md file provides some visibility into what third-party code is embedded, but reading it is the only way to understand the full dependency graph. ## 4.7.3R is the current build; the most recent commit was on 2026-09-22 The 3 most recent builds are 4.7.1R, 4.7.2R and 4.7.3R, corresponding to the labels 4.7.1, 4.7.2 and 4.7.3 in the repository. The "R" suffix appears on each build label. That suffix is not explained by the README, and its meaning is not documented in the top-level listing. The documentation at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/ or the Discord community would be the place to ask what the R designation signals. The repository is not archived, and it received a commit on 2026-09-22. The presence of both V4 and non-V4 solution files at the root points to a migration path that some projects may still be working through. No migration guide appears in the README, and no note explains when moving from an earlier build configuration to V4 is expected or required. For teams currently on an older configuration, the side-by-side presence of V4 and pre-V4 solution files means the repository holds both. Whether that coexistence has a documented end date, or whether support for the older configuration will be dropped at a future point, is not stated in any of the files present in the top-level listing. The Discord server at discord.gg/Ta9HgDh4Hj and the gitbook documentation would be the places to ask about migration timelines and what, if anything, changes between the named configurations. ## Conclusion FishNet is worth evaluating for Unity developers building multiplayer games who want a solution developed by a practitioner rather than a tooling company. It is not suitable for teams outside the Unity ecosystem or for those who need a permissively licensed dependency they can redistribute without reading the full terms. Before committing, read the terms file at the repository root, check the pro support page at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/overview/readme/pro-projects-and-support to understand what the supporter tier includes, and confirm the Package Manager URL installs correctly against your specific Unity version. ## FAQ ### What is FishNet for Unity? FishNet is a Unity networking library written in C# for building multiplayer games. The README states it targets game types including MMO, shooters, battle-royale, turn-based, arcade, fighting, physics-based, mobile and NFT games. ### How do I install FishNet? The README gives 2 install paths: the Unity Asset Store at assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/network/fish-net-networking-evolved-207815, and a Package Manager URL of https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet.git?path=Assets/FishNet for Unity's git install flow. ### Is FishNet open source? FishNet is publicly available on GitHub, but its distribution terms carry a custom designation that GitHub cannot match to a standard open-source identifier. Reading the terms file at the repository root is required to understand what the project allows. ### Where is the FishNet documentation? The README points to fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/ for documentation and addons. The README itself covers install paths and project goals but does not document the API or networking model. ### Does FishNet have a paid tier? The README links to a pro projects and support page at fish-networking.gitbook.io/docs/overview/readme/pro-projects-and-support without listing the perks. The README also states that between 15% and 25% of monthly profits are reinvested into development. ## Sources - [FirstGearGames/FishNet on GitHub](https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet) - [Issues](https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet/issues) - [README](https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet/blob/main/README.md) - [Releases](https://github.com/FirstGearGames/FishNet/releases) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/firstgeargames-fishnet