A new contender is making a significant impact on the gaming scene. Umamusume: Pretty Derby, the free-to-play sports simulation game centered around `horse girls,` is quickly ascending the ranks on Steam. Since its launch in North America back in June, this gacha title has attracted considerable attention, partly thanks to coverage by well-known streamers. It recently achieved a new record with over 50,000 simultaneous players on July 9th, surpassing its previous bests day after day.
To provide some context, this peak player count is more than double the number of concurrent players the game had at launch. According to SteamDB data, Umamusume is now firmly positioned within the top 50 most-played games on the platform, putting it in direct competition with major titles such as Elden Ring and Warframe.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby has long been a massive cultural phenomenon in Japan, having inspired successful anime series, spin-off games, and even stage productions. The titular Umamusume characters are young women possessing the speed and strength of horses, identifiable by their distinctive ears and tails. Their lives involve professional racing during the day and performing elaborate pop concerts for their fans at night. A fascinating element is that each character is inspired by a real, famous racehorse from history. For instance, the lovable character Haru Urara is based on a real horse who is still alive today, leading fans to visit her at her farm. The developer even released a statement advising visitors on proper stable etiquette. It`s these kinds of unusual, almost bizarre, details – unique to this game – that appear to be strongly contributing to Umamusume`s growing organic popularity through word-of-mouth.
If you`re familiar with social simulation games like Princess Maker or Idol Manager, you`ll find the core gameplay of Umamusume: Pretty Derby understandable. Players take on the role of a trainer for a chosen horse girl, who begins with certain aptitudes and stats. These can be improved through various training activities. Success in races proves their skills and allows them to advance to more challenging competitions. However, training isn`t purely stat management; it`s often interrupted by engaging visual-novel-style story segments and character storylines. It`s important to note that unlocking specific desired horse girls typically requires engaging with the game`s prominent gacha mechanics, which means building your collection might involve significant monetary investment.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is available to play for free on the Steam platform as well as on mobile devices.