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Rain98
Rain98 is a psychological thriller romance adventure in development at Shibuya studio C#4R4CT3R, still targeting a 2026 release. The team is polishing a trial version for release within 2026 and brought a major update demo to Tokyo Game Show 2026.
Synthesized from 6
Yomimono stories · updated
1d ago
Rain98 is set in 1998 Tokyo and centers on a protagonist who slips into his own 1998 room and meets Amahara Reina, a girl who wishes for the world's end. Developer C#4R4CT3R describes it as a psychosuspense romance adventure. The game passed 80,000 Steam wishlists by early September 2026, and the studio was in the final stage of demo development, polishing text, effects, UI, and sound. A trial version is planned for release within 2026.
The project has grown from a three-person effort into a 20-to-25 person one with over 10 hours of playtime, after slipping from its original schedule. Director Sean T. confirmed in May 2026 that the game still targets a 2026 release. A demo shown at BitSummit PUNCH added a loose socks wearing interaction, with voice actress Rio Tsuchiya and ASMR-style mixing. The game appeared at PAX West in Seattle on September 4 and at Tokyo Game Show from September 17 to 21.
At Tokyo Game Show 2026, the director said the game began around the end of the year about two years earlier, when he wanted to make a novel game. A K-pop song he heard at an IVE live performance turned his attention to the late 1990s, and he set the game in 1998 Tokyo. The demo play report describes the opening with Reina attempting to hang herself. The two do not begin living together right away: the protagonist is chased off as an intruder and lives as a vagrant until Reina shelters him in the rain about three days later. Minigames like filling gachapon capsules and making iron bead accessories provide money to live on.
Key facts
- Developer
- C#4R4CT3R, a Shibuya studio ↗
- Release target
- 2026, confirmed after a delay the previous year ↗
- Wishlists
- Over 80,000 on Steam ↗
- Team size
- Grown from 3 people to 20 to 25, with over 10 hours of playtime ↗
- Demo at Tokyo Game Show 2026
- September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, public days from the 19th, booth Hall 4 C08 ↗
- Cast and mixing
- Voice actress Rio Tsuchiya, ASMR-style mixing ↗
Timeline
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- game · October 17, 2026 · Steam · 2026-10-16
- Release
- game · demo · 2026-10-05
- Release
- game · within 2026 · Japan · 2026-09-14
- Release
- game · 2026 · 2026-05-27
- Announced
- full version scheduled for release in 2026 on PC via Steam · 2026-10-16
- Announced
- Described as a psychological thriller romance adventure · 2026-10-11
- Announced
- major update demo to debut at Tokyo Game Show 2026 (Tokyo Game Show 2026) · 2026-09-14
- Announced
- three limited goods appear at the venue · 2026-09-14
- Announced
- title slipped from its original schedule · 2026-09-14
- Announced
- new demo shown at BitSummit PUNCH with loose socks interaction (BitSummit PUNCH) · 2026-05-27
- Announced
- demo features voice actress Rio Tsuchiya and ASMR-style mixing · 2026-05-27
- Noted
- set in 1998 Tokyo · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- demo runs September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, public days from the 19th, at booth Hall 4 C08 · 2026-09-14
- Noted
- build grew from a 3-person project into a 20-to-25 person one with over 10 hours of playtime · 2026-09-14
- Noted
- passed 80,000 Steam wishlists · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- centered on a girl who wants to destroy the world · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- demo in final stage of development · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- appearing at PAX West and TOKYO GAME SHOW · 2026-09-02
- Noted
- demo planned for release within 2026 · 2026-09-02
Connections
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All coverage
1d ago
C#4R4CT3R, a game label based in Shibuya, Tokyo, released the Steam demo for Rain98 on October 17, 2026. The psycho-suspense adventure is set in 1998 Tokyo, where a young man who time-slips from the present day shares a one-room apartment with Amahara Reina, a heroine who says she is Angolmois, the Great King of Terror from Nostradamus's prophecy. Reina wants to destroy the world in July 1999, and needs heat, the stirring of her heart, to do it. The player earns Angel Seals by interacting with her, pastes 100 of them into an Angel Passport, and completes the ritual. The demo covers the story's first two chapters. It adds playable content beyond the build shown at Tokyo Game Show 2026. A hands-on event ran at UKIYO GAME BAR & CAFE in Yurakucho, where a collaboration cocktail called Melancholy Blue was served. The full version is scheduled for release in 2026 on PC via Steam.
6d ago
At Tokyo Game Show 2026, the director of Rain98, developed by C#4R4CT3R, described how the psychological thriller romance adventure began around the end of the year about two years ago, when he wanted to make a novel game. A K-pop song he heard at an IVE live performance turned his attention to the late 1990s, and he set the game in 1998 Tokyo.
Oct 5
A demo play report for Rain98, a psychosuspense romance adventure from developer C#4R4CT3R, describes a protagonist who time-slips into his own 1998 Tokyo room and meets Amahara Reina, a girl who wishes for the world's end. The opening has Reina attempting to hang herself, and the two do not begin living together right away; the protagonist is chased off as an intruder and lives as a vagrant until Reina shelters him in the rain about three days later. Minigames like filling gachapon capsules and making iron bead accessories provide money to live on.
Sep 14
Shibuya studio C#4R4CT3R will bring a "MAJOR UPDATE DEMO" of Rain98 to Tokyo Game Show 2026, playable ahead of the trial version targeted for release within 2026. The demo runs September 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, public days from the 19th, at booth Hall 4 C08. Three limited goods appear at the venue.
Sep 2
Psych suspense adventure Rain98, set in 1998 Tokyo and centered on a girl who wants to destroy the world, has passed 80,000 Steam wishlists. Developer C#4R4CT3R is in the final stage of demo development, polishing text, effects, UI, and sound. The game will appear at PAX West in Seattle on September 4 and TOKYO GAME SHOW from September 17 to 21. The demo is planned for release within 2026.
Jun 19
Gotcha Gotcha Games has announced RPG Maker U2U, the latest version of its game-making suite, featuring a new Perspective 2D graphical option that mimics HD-2D style. The engine was teased in March and has no confirmed release date yet. Steam has also removed the RPG Maker tag, which developers hope will reduce prejudice against engine-made titles.
May 27
Developer C#4R4CT3R showed a new demo of the psycho-suspense ADV Rain98 at BitSummit PUNCH, adding a loose socks wearing interaction. Director Sean T. confirmed the game is still targeting a 2026 release after its delay last year. The demo also features voice actress Rio Tsuchiya and ASMR-style mixing.