Tokyo indie studio Wild Dog Inc. released Japanese Ramen Simulator in Steam early access on 9 October 2026 at 17:00 Japan time. It is a co-op management game about running a ramen shop, from preparing ingredients to cleaning up after customers (Denfaminicogamer, 9 October; Steam).
Release details
- Platform: Steam (Windows) only (Wild Dog release, 21 August).
- Price: 1,900 yen including tax in Japan, with a 15% launch discount to 1,615 yen (Denfaminicogamer). The Steam store lists the introductory offer until 23 October (Steam).
- Languages: Japanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish (Spain) and Brazilian Portuguese (Steam).
- Early-access plan: the developer expects early access to last about six months. It plans to raise the price gradually as major content is added; people who buy during early access will not be charged more later (Steam).
What players do
Up to six players can run a shop together online. Solo players can hire part-time staff instead. Noodles and soup have to be prepared and cooked, toppings are placed with physics, and the menu can be expanded with gyoza, rice bowls and beer. Players can rearrange the kitchen and seating. A ‘My Design’ feature lets them use their own artwork on posters, noren entrance curtains, bowls and staff uniforms. Random events include a demanding ramen critic, thieves at the till and kitchen fires (Wild Dog release; Denfaminicogamer).
A slipped date and a large wishlist
Wild Dog unveiled the game on 21 August with a September release window. In mid-September the early-access launch was set for 28 September (Automaton, 16 September), then postponed; the studio has not given a reason. When it announced the new date, the developer said wishlists had passed 200,000 (4Gamer, 6 October). Wild Dog was founded in October 2024. Its earlier game, Keep Digging, sold 450,000 copies worldwide, according to the company (Wild Dog release).
Ramen is a familiar theme, and the studio is building on the same online co-op idea as its last game. Its six-month early-access plan sets out what to expect: expect the price and the content to change before 1.0.