DareKare Launches on Switch2, iOS, and Android With Cross-Platform Sale
The multiplatform release and language expansion position a previously PC-and-Switch indie title for a broader global audience, backed by award recognition and strong word-of-mouth.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer.
Kodansha Game Lab released the interactive novel "DareKare" on Nintendo Switch 2, iOS, and Android on June 18. The game, already available on Steam and Nintendo Switch, is priced at 600 yen. A commemorative sale discounts the Steam and Switch versions by 30% and the iOS and Android versions by 20%, running through various dates in late June and early July. The Switch 2 version supports mouse input. The game has sold over 100,000 copies, accumulated more than 10 million related video views, and holds a 94% positive rating on Steam. It won the Audience Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in March. A major update added 20 new languages, bringing the total to 29. Official merchandise, including T-shirts, mugs, and cushions, goes on sale June 19 at Animate stores and online. Panel exhibitions will run at select Animate locations from June 19 to July 19.
The game is an interactive novel where players press on-screen buttons to enter characters' perspectives and experience "distortions" in human perception. The story follows a girl who wakes up to find her father missing and a stranger in his place. It has three chapters and takes about one hour to complete.
The developer is TearyHand Studio. The creator, yona, previously worked at the game development company room6 on titles including "Kotodama Nikki" and "Kitsune to Kaeru no Tabi." Yona became a second-term member of Kodansha Game Creators Lab in 2022 and released the debut work "In His Time" in October 2023. "DareKare" originally launched on Steam and Nintendo Switch on July 24, 2025.
Denfaminicogamer called the game "a game that makes you cry in an hour." The language update brings the total to 29 languages, which Denfaminicogamer noted is one of the largest translation language counts among Kodansha's titles, following Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood" and Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's "Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window."
The game has an extensive award history. It won the Audience Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in March 2026 and was a finalist for the Social Impact Award at the same event. It was nominated for the BAFTA Games Awards 2026 in the Game Beyond Entertainment category. At Tokyo Game Show 2025, it won the Sense of Wonder Night Audience Award Grand Prix, Best Arts Award, and Best Presentation Award. At Taipei Game Show 2026, it won the Indie Game Award Grand Prix and Best Audio Award.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.