is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Cygames. The franchise centers on anthropomorphized racehorses known as , who compete in races inspired by real-life race tracks managed by the Japan Racing Association. Most of the characters are named and themed after actual racehorses, reflecting their namesakes' personalities, racing records, and relationships with other racehorses. Initially announced in 2016 as a mobile game, the franchise soon expanded to include multiple anime series, manga, and live concerts.
The game was scheduled to debut in late 2018 for iOS and Android devices, but it was delayed to a February 2021 release, with a Windows client releasing a month later on DMM Games. The game was later released on Google Play Games in April 2023. The game was released in Korean by Kakao Games and Traditional Chinese by Komoe Game in June 2022, with the former language getting a PC version in a stand-alone client a year later, then later in Simplified Chinese by Bilibili in August 2024. An English-language edition was released worldwide in June 2025 for the aforementioned platforms, alongside a Steam release for both the bilingual (Japanese and English) versions.
The franchise has received generally positive reviews, both domestically in Japan and worldwide following the game's global release in 2025. The franchise has also had a significant cultural impact, with observers remarking on its positive impact on the sport of horse racing and bringing awareness to the stories of racehorses.
Premise
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is set in a fictional universe similar to the real modern world but featuring the titular Umamusume, female kemonomimi with the ears, tails, and capabilities of horses who live alongside humans and replace actual horses in the franchise's setting. Many Umamusume are based on and modeled after real-life Thoroughbred racehorses of the past and present. Umamusume seek fame and fortune as both racers and idols by competing in organized races akin to middle-distance and long-distance track events. The series centers on Umamusume who attend the elite Tracen Academy in Tokyo and train to compete in the Twinkle Series of professional races organized by the Umamusume Racing Association (URA). The main stories across the series are focused on specific Umamusume and loosely based on the racing careers of the racehorses they are based on.
Anime
The main anime series depicts the journeys of various Umamusume who are affiliated with Team Spica, a racing team at Tracen Academy. Each season is a direct follow-up to the previous one, though the historical content greatly varies based on the real-life racing careers of the focused character. The first season features Special Week, who aspires to become the best Umamusume in Japan, all while idolizing Silence Suzuka's style and wanting to reach the same heights as her and their friends with King Halo, El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and Grass Wonder. The story is based on Special Week's races from 1997 to 1999. The second season features Tokai Teio, who continues to persevere despite suffering multiple injuries that endanger her career and struggling to remain one of the best racers of her generation that includes Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, and Mihono Bourbon. The story is based on Tokai Teio's races from 1991 to 1993. The third season features Kitasan Black, who aims to win on her own merits through her camaraderie and friendly rivalry with Satono Diamond, while also facing a new generation of Umamusume such as Duramente, Satono Crown, and Cheval Grand. The story is based on Kitasan Black's races from 2015 to 2017.
Road to the Top and Beginning of a New Era respectively feature Narita Top Road and Jungle Pocket in the rivalries that defined their generation of Umamusume, with Narita Top Road facing off against T. M. Opera O and Admire Vega, and Jungle Pocket against Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Dantsu Flame. They are based on events surrounding the Classic races of 1999 and 2001.
Manga Cinderella Gray and its anime adaptation depict the races between Oguri Cap, who transfers from the regional racing scene to the Twinkle Series, and rivals of the previous and next generations that include Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and Super Creek. The story is based on Oguri Cap's races from 1987 to 1990.
Star Blossom depicts the races of Sakura Laurel and her peers such as Sakura Bakushin O, Mayano Top Gun, Marvelous Sunday, and Narita Brian, as she aspires to achieve acclaim through defeating Narita Brian and racing at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in spite of her fragile body. The story is based on Sakura Laurel's races from 1994 to 1997.
Video game Act 1 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Sirius as it flourishes following the retirement of the team's star racer Oguri Cap and previous trainer. The story is based on the races run by Mejiro McQueen, Rice Shower, Winning Ticket, Narita Brian, Silence Suzuka, and Special Week in the 1990s. A number of supporting characters appear throughout the story including Gold Ship, Biwa Hayahide, and Narita Taishin.
Act 2 of the main story focuses on the efforts of Team Ascella and the journeys of Tiara Umamusume, who are characters based on racemares. The story is based on the races run by racemares Rhein Kraft, Cesario, and Fusaichi Pandora in the mid-2000s, and features a supporting cast such as King Halo, Air Messiah, and Daring Heart.
Gameplay
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a sports simulation game that allows players, who are referred to in-game as "trainers", to raise and train Umamusume to compete in races whilst achieving the Umamusume's individual goals. Players collect two types of units through the game's gacha system: playable Umamusume or "trainees," and support cards that provide skills and bonuses.
The main gameplay mode, "Career," lets players choose a scenario, trainee, and support cards, then work to achieve specific goals. Players must also factor in the trainee's preferred terrain type, track distance, and running style in order to perform well. The game operates on a calendar system, with each action or turn taking up half a month, requiring strategic planning and balancing of the actions to be taken.
The calendar used is based on the real-life JRA's race schedule, with the races that players can enter being based on their real-life equivalents, such as the Japan Cup or the Arima Kinen. Succeeding scenarios would also allow players to enter G1 international races, notably the French Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the American Breeders' Cup.
Players use turns to raise their trainee's five attributes (speed, stamina, power, guts, and wit), rest to restore energy, enter races to earn skill points and fans, infirmary to cure a negative condition, and recreation to raise the trainee's mood, which affects training effectiveness and race performance. Additionally, random events can occur during a Career attempt that may grant additional stats, skills, and buffs or debuffs, as well as positively or negatively impact the mood.
Completing or failing a trainee's goals, as well as reaching certain stat totals and acquiring skills, grants stats and potential skills known as "sparks". These can be passed down to trainees as "legacies," allowing them to inherit these and be strengthened in future Career attempts.
Alongside the Career, players can also partake in other game modes, including the PvP "Team Trials" and "Champion's Meeting" races, where players use their best trainees and compete against each other in a set of races for various rewards, and "Legend Races," where players race against notable Umamusume to gain rewards and upgrade their trainees.
Development and release The game was announced on March 26, 2016, during Cygames' panel at that year's AnimeJapan event. Concept art for the project's various characters and an animated trailer by P.A. Works were revealed during the event, alongside the project's brief. The game was set to be released in late 2018; however, it was delayed by Cygames in order to further polish the game's quality, with its new release date pushed back to February 24, 2021. The PC version was released on March 10, 2021, on DMM Games, then later on April 19, 2023, on Google Play Games. A YouTube channel titled was launched on March 25, 2018, to promote the game, prominently featuring Gold Ship. , there are 114 playable horse girls in the game. Part 2 of the main story was released in March 2024.
On February 15, 2022, Komoe Game announced the release of a traditional Chinese version of the game app for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, and pre-registration began on April 27. The traditional Chinese version was officially released on June 27, 2022. In South Korea, Kakao Games released on June 20, 2022, and pre-registrations, which began on April 28, 2022, exceeded 1 million in 10 days. A PC version for the Korean version was released on June 15, 2024. In China, Bilibili released a simplified Chinese version on August 30, 2023, and pre-registrations, which began on August 4, 2023, exceeded 1 million in 10 days. However, due to censorship the simplified Chinese version has modified all names and texts related to gambling, Japanese nationalist and militarist-related comments. The Tennō Shō, the Takamatsunomiya Kinen, the Arima Kinen, the Yasuda Kinen, and names related to Fukushima have been changed in game.
On June 24, 2024, a Paka Live TV livestream on Pakatube! announced the release of an English version of the game. As part of promotions for the English version launch, Cygames entered into sponsorship deals with several prominent U.S. horse racing events, and a booth was operated at Churchill Downs where attendees are able to play a demo of Umamusume: Pretty Derby. On April 27, 2025, a Paka Live TV livestream announced its release date, along with a PC version on Steam for both the Japanese and English versions. Pre-registration started on April 28, 2025, and the game was released on June 26, 2025.
Other media Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Party Dash , a party video game developed by Cygames and Arc System Works, was announced during the Nintendo Direct live stream on June 21, 2023. The game was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Steam on August 30, 2024.
Live events No. Title Dates City/Country Venue 1 Umamusume 1st Event "Special Weekend!" July 1, 2017 Urayasu, Japan Maihama Amphitheater 2 Umamusume 2nd Event "Sound Fanfare!" October 14, 2018 Chiba, Japan Makuhari Messe 3 Umamusume 3rd Event "Winning Dream Stage" August 28–29, 2021 Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Garden Theater 4Umamusume 4th Event "Special Dreamers!!" Tokyo Stage March 6–7, 2022Tokyo, Japan Musashino Forest Sport Plaza Yokohama Stage May 4–5, 2022 Yokohama, Japan Pia Arena MM Extra Stage November 5–6, 2022 Tokorozawa, Japan Belluna Dome5Umamusume 5th Event Arena Tour "Go Beyond" -Wish- July 15–16, 2023 Yokohama, Japan Pia Arena MM -Gaze- September 16–17, 2023 Nagoya, Japan Portmesse Nagoya -Yell- July 15–16, 2023 Tokyo, Japan Ariake Arena -New Gate- March 22–23, 2024 Osaka, Japan Osaka-jō Hall6Umamusume 6th Event "The New Frontier" Spring Performance May 24–25, 2025 Saitama, Japan Saitama Super Arena Autumn Performance October 18–19, 2025 7Umamusume 7th Event World Tour "The Stage" In Tokyo June 20–21, 2026 Tokyo, Japan Ariake Arena In Los Angeles October 22–23, 2026 Los Angeles, United States Peacock Theater In London rowspan="4" London, United Kingdom rowspan="4" In Seoul Seoul, South Korea In Yokohama Yokohama, Japan
Manga series Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Haru Urara Ganbaru!