Kodansha says Sweet Hamster Days will arrive in July 2026 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, and DLsite). This is the second time a release date has been given; the earlier announcement came with the disheartening note that the game’s Steam page had been taken down for "various circumstances"—a reminder that not everything about a launch runs smoothly.
The project was put together by Kodansha Game Lab with the photo magazine FRIDAY. It stars Sayaka Tomaru (actress/model), Momoha Takatsuru (model and ballerina), and Shiori Ikemoto (from idol group Teratera). They play the Shiratori sisters, whom you meet while inhabiting the body of a small, comical hamster.
Plot in brief:
Kota dies in a traffic accident and wakes up reincarnated inside an online-game world, only to find himself back in his hometown as a hamster. He was supposed to reunite with his childhood friends—the Shiratori sisters—after six years. Now known as Hamuta, he’s taken into their household and spoiled rotten. Gameplay moments switch between cage-bound observation and being carried in a palm, i.e., intimate scenes and more distant ones (e.g., peeking through bars). Over time it becomes clear the sisters aren’t as close as they used to be; something has strained their bonds. Your choices will push the story toward answers and patching up those rifts—or not, depending on how you play.
It’s a curious mix: slice-of-life awkwardness, a pinch of mystery, and the odd emotional beat of being both helpless and central to the family’s life. I found that idea both amusing and slightly unsettling; your mileage may vary.