Umamusume: Pretty Derby has reached its highest player count yet on Steam, after popular streamers ‘Ludwig’ and ‘Northernlion’ recently played it live. The bizarre waifu horse simulator has quickly become a hit on live streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube.
Streamers Boost ‘Umamusume’ Player Count on Steam

Umamusume: Pretty Derby launched on June 24 and was generally well-received by Steam users with overwhelmingly positive reviews. However, the waifu horse racing simulator saw a big boost in players on July 3, after streamers Ludwig and Northernlion live-streamed it on YouTube and Twitch.
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And if you are doing a double-take at my description of the game, I get it. But it’s true — it’s literally a game where you race waifu horse girls around a racetrack. Did I also mention it’s a gacha? Following the streams, Umamusume: Pretty Derby broke its all-time player count record, reaching a peak of 26,462 users. Incredibly, the racing game then reached 28,784 players a day later and is still climbing!

While playing Umamusume, Ludwig Ahgren praised the waifu horse racing gacha. “What do you mean it’s not sponsored? This game is an awesome game about Umamusume. AKA, horse girls. Literally girls who have horse tails who can run really fast.” Ludwig was enjoying the horse girl game so much that he even almost forgot to do his sponsored Mecha Break stream. The gacha title is pretty addicting!
Steam Users Love Waifu Horse Girl Game

As I mentioned earlier, it’s not just streamers who are discovering Umamusume: Pretty Derby for the first time. The series originally made its debut in Japan in 2021 as a mobile game for iOS and Android. It even has an anime adaptation that spans multiple seasons. Despite this, the game’s quirky horse girl topic has made a hit with users who recently discovered it on Steam.
“As a horse in real life, I must say this game depicts horses very accurately. I’m very satisfied,” a Steam reviewer jokingly wrote. Another user exclaimed, “The pinnacle of horse girl running with Kojima-level names and Chao Garden-level gameplay.” Not all reviews were jokes, though, as some players genuinely think it’s a fantastic game. “Part training sim, part visual novel, part roguelite, Umamusume successfully merges a myriad of game genres to create an incredibly unique and engaging experience,” a review read.

With streamers like Ludwig and Northernlion now jumping on the Umamusume train, the horse girl game could be one of the next big things to blow up on Steam. And in all fairness, Pretty Derby has the right level of weirdness that is perfect for a 2025 gaming hit. Plus, the gacha title is actually really well-made and charming — even if it’s about racing girls on a horse track.
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