Is Umamusume: Pretty Derby free to play?

Umamusume: Pretty Derby’s popularity is increasing among fans since its launch on June 26, 2025. This game is based on a well-known Japanese anime series of the same name, where you take on the role of a coach to train various horse girls called Umamusume and participate in races.

It’s a fun-to-play racing simulator game, but one question fans often ask is - Is Umamusume: Pretty Derby free to play?. The answer is yes. The title is free to play and is currently available on Android, IOS, and Steam. However, there is a catch, which we'll discuss later in this article.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby free to play gacha RPG

As mentioned earlier, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a free-to-play title, currently available on Android, IOS, and Steam. It supports cross-progression, for which you can link your Steam and mobile accounts and play on a bigger screen. In terms of gameplay, it features various horse girl characters called Umamusume, whom you train and participate in different races.

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Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a free-to-play game across all platforms it's available (Image via Cygames)

The objective here is to train these characters to improve their skills, better stats, and eventually win races. Each horse girl has different goals that need to be achieved to become a successful trainer. At the end of a Umamusume’s career, you will receive a ranking based on your overall training performance, and retired characters can be used as support cards for others.

Carats can be purchased from the in-game stores (Image via Cygames)

While Umamusume: Pretty Derby is free to download, it does require you to purchase Carats, the game’s premium currency, to progress. This means the game works on a gacha system, where you need to purchase Carats to get horse girls or Support cards to progress.

Also read: Umamusume Pretty Derby reroll guide

Umamusume and support cards can be obtained through the Scout system, which has two types: ‘Pretty Derby’ scouting (providing trainee Umamusume) and support card scouting.

A single scout that provides a single random Umamsume or support card will cost 150 Carats or $3.85 (approx). Thankfully, there are various objectives that you can complete to get free Carats and progress through the initial stages of the game.

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About the author

Pranoy is an esports journalist at Sportskeeda specializing in FPS games like Valorant, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce, but his lifelong passion for video games drove him to take up gaming professionally, and his articles have garnered 1,400,000+ reads in less than two years at Sportskeeda. Pranoy's research process includes collecting first-hand gameplay knowledge and a ton of cross-referencing.

Pranoy has warm memories of frequent visits to gaming cafes in his childhood, playing FPS titles and open-world games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to his heart's content. He jumps into solo and multiplayer titles with equal gusto. In a Jumanji-type scenario, he would readily drop into the thrilling world of the Temple Run series and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

Pranoy follows esports tournaments closely as he values the opportunity to witness high-level gameplay and learn from the top players. PaperRex is his favorite organization at the moment, and he looks up to professional players Demon1 and TenZ.

Beyond gaming, Pranoy's interests include chess and sketching.

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Edited by Abu Amjad Khan