Japanese Ramen Simulator Announced by Keep Digging Dev Wild Dog
The development team visited actual ramen shops, made ramen multiple times, recorded cooking sounds, and scanned real materials, including 3D modeling chashu through photogrammetry, to bring realism to the simulation.
Key Facts
- Wild Dog announced Japanese Ramen Simulator on August 21, 2026.
- The early access version releases on PC via Steam in September 2026.
- A closed beta test is planned for August 2026.
- The game supports online co-op for up to 6 players.
- Wild Dog's previous title Keep Digging sold 450,000 copies worldwide.
Reporting from 5 sources: 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Automaton, ASCII.jp, and 1 more.
Wild Dog announced Japanese Ramen Simulator on August 21, a multiplayer ramen shop management game for PC via Steam. The early access version is scheduled for September, with a closed beta planned for August. The game supports up to 6 players in online co-op, covering the full range of ramen shop work: preparing ingredients, cooking, serving, customer service, and cleaning up. Players can also hire part-time staff to manage the shop solo. Gameplay involves combining ingredients for soup, boiling noodles to a specific firmness, monitoring soup temperature, and arranging toppings via physics simulation, so no two bowls come out identical. Side menus include gyoza, rice bowls, and beer, each with their own preparation details. During business hours, events can occur, including visits from a formidable ramen critic, thieves targeting the register, and sudden fires, which players resolve using shuriken and fire extinguishers. Shop funds can also be earned at a gambling den. The interior is freely customizable, and a My Design feature lets players draw on posters and noren curtains. The studio is based in Saitama Prefecture and founded in October 2024 by software engineer Hiroto Nakajo.
Wild Dog is the studio behind the 2024 multiplayer digging hit Keep Digging, which has sold more than 450,000 copies worldwide, and is also at work on the open-world survival craft game DMZ: Nuclear Survival. The studio's founder, Hiroto Nakajo, is a 25-year-old software engineer who started the company in October 2024.
The development team visited multiple ramen shops and made ramen themselves several times, then folded that experience into the game. They recorded actual cooking sounds for the audio, and chashu was 3D modeled through photogrammetry. The studio describes itself as a small Japanese indie team whose members have worked on numerous AAA and indie titles.
The game supports Japanese, English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Korean. A 45-second announcement trailer is live on YouTube, and the Steam store page is open for wishlist registration. The closed beta is recruiting participants through the official Discord server, with details posted there.
Side menu preparation gets its own detail: gyoza requires attention to grilling level, beer needs the right foam balance, and rice bowls are assembled from ramen ingredients, such as chashu bowls. The interior layout can include "slightly unusual facilities, like restrooms."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 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
- ASCII.jp 自由度が高すぎるマルチ対応ラーメン屋シミュレーションゲーム『Japanese Ramen Simulator』を発表！
- Game Spark 最大6人協力でカオスなラーメン店を経営！大ヒット『Keep Digging』開発元の新作『Japanese Ramen Simulator』9月にSteam配信へ