Umamusume: Pretty Derby has been killing it since its Western release, but here’s a wild one: the game almost hit 100k players on Steam just because everyone was chasing one support card.
If you’re new to Umamusume, the gameplay seems simple. You pick an Uma (horse girl), grab some cards, and train them through a sort of roguelike career mode. But don’t be fooled—there’s a ton of depth and strategy, especially for hardcore PvP players who plan everything out.
The Kitasan Black card, dropped in the latest update, is so desirable that it caused a huge spike in players.
The Steam player count basically doubled overnight, all for this one card.
Umamusume Shatters Player Count Record Due to One Card
The Kitasan Black SSR card is stacked: it boosts hint frequency, has a speed affinity, and makes friends show up more often at events they’re suited for. If you’re aiming to max out a specific stat, this card is a must-have.
But here’s the catch: to get the full training buff, you need to level the card to 45, which means snagging three duplicates. With the card’s low drop rate, that could mean dropping serious cash.
That’s why the player count exploded. Veteran Umamusume players saw this card coming and held off playing just to save up Carats for a shot at multiple Kitasan Blacks.
If your rolls don’t pan out, you can wipe your account and start over. This was the perfect moment to reroll for the card, which led to a massive player surge.
The peak jumped from 50k to 87k—a huge leap, especially since most of Umamusume’s players are probably on mobile, given it’s a gacha game.
The fact that so many players knew how crucial this card is proves not just how popular the game is, but how seriously people take it when it comes to grabbing this card.