Bunny girl dating sim Bunny Garden is a massive hit in Japan, topping digital sales charts 

Japanese developer Qureate launched Bunny Garden on April 18 on the Nintendo eShop, followed by a Steam release on April 19. The game became a hit in Japan immediately upon release, ranking in at No. #1 on Steam’s top sellers and No. #2 on the Nintendo Store’s Digital Best Sellers lists. The hostess club dating sim is being praised for how cheekily it pushes the limits with its suggestive content and gambling system.  

Bunny Garden is a dating sim adventure game set in a themed gentleman’s club of the same name. You assume the role of Haito Kanda, an unemployed man who starts visiting the club after being fired from his job. At Bunny Garden, you find solace in alcohol while interacting and pursuing romance with the cast of bunny girl hostesses. 

Gameplay in Bunny Garden revolves around raising your affinity with the girls through conversation, games, quizzes and purchasing drinks and snacks. The club is open at weekends, and to be able to afford the expensive visits, you need to spend workdays earning money by doing odd jobs or gambling.  
 

バニーガーデン、安いお酒は上の棚で高いお酒ほど下の棚に陳列してるの
「なるほど……」
と唸った。 pic.twitter.com/vZ3sszcxid

— たまやん2nd (@tamayan2nd) April 18, 2024

When we last looked at Bunny Garden, it was creating pre-release buzz with its oddly named “PTA system” which is short for “pantsu takusan arigato” in Japanese and can be translated roughly to “thank you for the abundance of panties.” As can be inferred from the name, this system lets the playerpeek at the female cast’s panties (which will differ depending on the day).  

But now, with the game finally out, players have discovered a correlation between panty shot probability and the price of the drinks you order at the club. As seen in the video comparison above, pricy alcoholic beverages are stocked on low shelves, which means the bunny girl will bend over further to fetch them, thus showing more panty. Posts on X pointing out this over-the-top mechanic have contributed to the game’s virality, with #バニーガーデン (#Bunny Garden) continuously trending on the site. 

初来店で100万近く借金して飲み食いできるの怖すぎる#バニーガーデン pic.twitter.com/FJRDl2hOQr

— ゆきのさん (@yukino_san_14) April 17, 2024

キャバで1000万借金してオンラインギャンブルで一発逆転を狙えるリアルさ #バニーガーデン pic.twitter.com/oCMpSMpSqs

— ゆきのさん (@yukino_san_14) April 17, 2024

Bunny Garden is also attracting attention for its comically morbid dark side – as tabs can get quite expensive at the club, the game allows you to take loans and gamble. Players are reporting losing any sense of their spending, going millions into debt and desperately trying to win money back through gambling. Furthermore, the aftermath of going into debt far over your head is being taken to slave away on a ridiculously realistically illustrated fishing boat (seen below). 

バニーガーデンやってると段々金銭感覚がおかしくなってきて、借金滞納で漁船に連れ込まれた時「なんで！まだ14万しか借金してないのに！この前800万借金してももうちょい遊べたじゃん！！旅行フラグ立ってんだよこっちは！！」とか画面に向かってﾌﾞﾂﾌﾞﾂ言い始めてしまってもうダメ。 pic.twitter.com/VgKSc5h6KY

— まろん / MARON (@maron47) April 19, 2024

Bunny Garden is available for the Nintendo Switch and PC (Steam). The game is rated 17+ (CERO D) and supports English, Japanese and Chinese.