Animal Town Restaurant Story launches in Steam Early Access

Animal Town Restaurant Story has entered Steam Early Access, putting players in charge of a small seaside diner in a town populated by animals. The game, titled Dobutsu no Machi no Shokudo Monogatari (どうぶつの町の食堂物語) in Japanese, is priced at ¥2,100, with a launch discount bringing it to ¥1,260 for the first two weeks. Developer ArtDock is known for the co-operative action game SOS OPS!.

The restaurant begins as a cramped kitchen and gradually expands as players rearrange equipment, design menus and serve customers. The work is not limited to cooking: one player can prepare food while others chop ingredients, handle the counter or take payments. The game supports solo play and online co-operation for up to four people, making division of labour a central part of the early-access pitch.

There is also plenty to do away from the restaurant. Players can grow ingredients on a farm, fish from a boat, explore the surrounding forest and cycle around town. The setting includes changing weather, four seasons and a day-night cycle, while social activities include meeting residents, visiting a hot spring and feeding seagulls.

Customisation covers both the player character and the spaces they inhabit. Outfits and appearance can be changed, while the diner, home and garden can be decorated with furniture and other items. That gives the management layer a more personal goal than simply increasing revenue: the seaside town is also intended to become a place players shape for themselves.

The game is being sold as an evolving Early Access project. ArtDock says it plans to add content, improve optimisation and use player feedback to guide future updates. The current release supports PC play through Steam, with versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch listed alongside the game in the source material.

Our opinion

Animal Town Restaurant Story has the right co-operative hook for a restaurant simulator: four players can split jobs that are easy to understand but awkward to juggle alone. The farming, fishing and decorating systems could make the town feel like more than a queue of customers wrapped in cute artwork. Early Access means the balance and pacing still need to prove themselves, but the combination of shared kitchen duties and a life-sim-style seaside setting gives this a clearer identity than another standalone cooking time trial.