Uma Musume: Pretty Derby is a mobile gacha game by Cygames that mixes sports and idol stuff. You play as a trainer at Tracen Academy, raising "horse girls" based on real racehorses to race and perform in concerts. It’s got slick 3D visuals, realistic race commentary, and post-race shows. It first dropped in Japan on February 24, 2021, for iOS and Android, with a PC version on March 10, 2021. The franchise also has anime, manga like Cinderella Gray and Star Blossom, and a YouTube channel called Pakatube!.

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Global Release Details

  • Release Date: The English version hits iOS, Android, and Steam on June 26, 2025.
  • Pre-Registration:
    • You can sign up now (started April 28, 2025) through the App Store, Google Play, or Steam by adding it to your wishlist.
    • Pre-registering gets you in-game goodies like debut gifts, claimable once when the game launches. No word yet on milestone rewards.
    • There was a giveaway on the Uma Musume ENG X account until May 11, 2025, where you could win stuff for following and sharing a video.
  • Playable Demos:
    • They showed off a demo with an English tutorial at Anime Expo 2024 (July 4–7, 2024).
    • Another demo popped up at the 151st Kentucky Derby (May 2–3, 2025) in the U.S.
  • Announcement History:
    • Google Play Games hinted at a global release in March 2023, mentioning cross-platform support.
    • Cygames confirmed it on June 24, 2024, during a PakaLive TV stream and on the Uma Musume ENG X account.
    • The release date was announced on April 27, 2025, in another PakaLive TV stream (Japanese only, 11 am UTC).
  • Regions and Restrictions:
    • It’s expected to be available worldwide, but places like the Netherlands might not get it on Steam due to gacha laws.
    • Japan can’t access the global Steam page, only their own version, so it’s unclear if Japanese players can join the global server.
    • No plans for Xbox or PlayStation, and it won’t be on Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.

Gameplay and Features

Umamusume Training

  • Core Mechanics:
    • You train Uma Musume by managing stats, skills, and race schedules to compete in races with up to 18 runners. Races have live commentary, and winners perform in "winning live" concerts.
    • There are three training modes: URA Finals (basic), Aoharu Hai (added later), and Make Your Own Track!! (added at the first anniversary).
    • Each horse girl has a 7-chapter story where you’re the trainer.
  • Gacha System:
    • You pull for Uma Musume and support cards that boost training. After a character’s banner ends, they’re added to the general pool, so you can get them anytime.
    • It’s pretty generous for free players, with free SSR tickets, pickable banners, and later updates like expeditions and auto-training.
  • Characters:
    • Over 20 Uma Musume are available at launch, like Special Week, El Condor Pasa, Tokai Teio, Nice Nature, Silence Suzuka, Matikanefukukitaru, and Oguri Cap.
    • The Japanese version has 114 characters as of May 2025.
    • Big-name voice actors, like Azumi Waki (Special Week) and Tomoha Takayanagi (Oguri Cap), voice them.
  • Quality-of-Life (QoL) Updates:
    • The global version might include updates like a jukebox (seen on Steam). We don’t know exactly which updates will be there at launch, but players hope for stuff like auto-training.
  • Cross-Platform Play:
    • You’ll probably be able to use one account across mobile and Steam.
    • Transferring accounts from the Japanese server to global is unlikely because of the content difference.

Content Gap and Server Concerns

  • Content Delay: The global version is 4 years behind Japan (which started in February 2021). Events, banners, and stories will roll out on the same schedule, so new content is years away.
  • Previous Regional Releases:
    • South Korea: Launched June 20, 2022, by Kakao Games. It got 1 million pre-registrations but caught flak for bad localization, missing features, and poor event planning.
    • Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau: Traditional Chinese version dropped on June 27, 2022, by Komoe Game.
    • China: Simplified Chinese version launched August 30, 2023, by Bilibili but was pulled a week later for “technical upgrades” (probably censorship). It’s still stuck on the URA scenario.
  • End-of-Service (EOS) Fears: Some worry the global server might shut down early, like other delayed releases. But Cygames running it directly (not a third party like Crunchyroll) and big U.S. marketing give hope.