For the past few weeks, you may have seen a number of streamers and Vtubers streaming Suika Game, a cute fruit matching puzzle game that is available exclusively on the Japanese Switch eshop.

Surprisingly, this game was originally released back in December 2021 for 240 yen (less than $2/£2). It is a simple game where players must combine small fruits into bigger fruits by dropping them into a container, with the Suika (Watermelon) being worth the most points. The aim is to accumulate as much points as possible without overflowing the container. An even more simplified, free browser version of this game can be found here for reference.

Although it is not clear exactly what triggered the game’s viral popularity, it has had led to the game topping the Japanese Switch eshop charts, with developer Aladdin X claiming in an interview that the game’s daily downloads have increased by over 50,000 times per day. As translated via Automaton-Media, Aladdin X attributed the game’s success to its “cute and friendly art”, “simple rules”, and “the atmosphere that encourages you to try to do better next time even if you fail.”.

If you want to play Suika Game for yourself, you can purchase it by creating a Japanese Nintendo account and using a valid credit card or Japanese eshop gift card to by it. More detailed instructions can be found via Polygon here.

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