Japanese Ramen Simulator Announced for PC, Early Access in September
The developers visited real ramen shops and scanned actual materials to capture authenticity, a detail that sets this apart from typical management sims.
Key Facts
- Japanese Ramen Simulator is a ramen shop management simulation for up to six players on PC (Steam), with early access scheduled for September 2026.
- Wild Dog announced the game on August 21, 2026, alongside a 45-second announcement trailer and a Steam store page.
- A closed beta test is planned for August, with participant recruitment on the official Discord server.
- The game features physics-based topping placement, so no two bowls of ramen are the same.
- Wild Dog's previous game, Keep Digging, sold over 450,000 copies worldwide.
Reporting from 3 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Automaton.
Wild Dog announced Japanese Ramen Simulator on August 21, 2026, with a 45-second announcement trailer and a Steam store page now live. The game is a ramen shop management simulation for up to six players on PC (Steam), with early access scheduled for September 2026. Players handle the full range of shop work: preparing ingredients, cooking, serving, customer service, and cleaning. Soup is made by combining ingredients, and toppings are placed with physics calculations, so no two bowls are identical. Side menus include gyoza, rice bowls, and beer, each with specific preparation details such as grilling level and foam balance. During business hours, unpredictable events occur, including visits from a formidable ramen critic, thieves targeting the register, and sudden fires, which players resolve using items like shuriken and fire extinguishers. A gambling den offers a way to earn shop funds. The game supports online co-op for up to six players, or solo play with hired part-time staff. A closed beta test is planned for August, with recruitment on the official Discord server. Wild Dog, founded in October 2024 by Hiroto Nakajo, previously released Keep Digging, which sold over 450,000 copies worldwide.
- Wild Dog is based in Saitama Prefecture, not Tokyo, though the press release lists a Tokyo headquarters.
- The studio's previous title Keep Digging supports up to 8 players, two more than Japanese Ramen Simulator's six-player cap.
- Wild Dog is also developing the open-world survival craft game DMZ: Nuclear Survival.
- Founder Hiroto Nakajo is a 25-year-old software engineer.
- The team recorded cooking sounds in addition to scanning real materials, and visited multiple ramen shops to make ramen repeatedly during development.
- Soup temperature, noodle boiling firmness, ingredient aroma and umami, and time until serving all factor into bowl quality.
- Players can create original menu items and design the shop interior, including kitchen, seating area, restrooms, and "quirky facilities."
- A "My Design" feature lets players draw on posters and noren curtains, and visiting friends' shops allows leaving autographs.
- Rice bowls can be topped with ramen ingredients to make dishes like chashu bowls.
- Supported languages at launch: Japanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean.
- The game runs on Windows 10/11 via Steam.
- The closed beta test is scheduled for August, with recruitment on the official Discord server.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net 最大6人で遊べるラーメン店経営シム「Japanese Ramen Simulator」，早期アクセス版を9月にリリース。泥棒や火災には手裏剣や消火器で対処する
- Denfaminicogamer 【最大6人マルチ】理想のラーメン店を目指す経営シミュレーションゲーム『Japanese Ramen Simulator』発表。食材を仕込んで麺を茹で、トッピングを盛り付けてこだわりの一杯を作ろう
- Automaton マルチ対応リアルラーメン屋シム『Japanese Ramen Simulator』発表。開発陣が“実店舗でラーメン作り＆実物スキャン”して放つ、調理・接客・片付け全部やる本格派ゲーム