With its mixture of over-the-top musical numbers, adorable horse girl antics and genuinely thrilling race-day action, Umamusume: Pretty Derby has shot to fame all over the world. But nowhere else is it more popular than in its native Japan, especially as Umamusume: Pretty Derby is partnering with the 2027 F1 Japan Grand Prix.

The partnership saw developer and publisher Cygames become a Founding Partner for the 2027 iteration of the competition, as well as getting naming rights to Suzuka Circuit's 130R corner. Naturally, this part of the track, which is well-known for its sharp turn, will be known as Umamusume 130R.

This includes actual horse-racing competitions in Japan, and charities to take care of ailing racehorses. As a matter of fact, I actually wrote up an entire piece about how Umamusume became a merchandising powerhouse before it even made its way to the West!

All in all, it's a pretty neat way to get the name of Umamusume out there. Although I'm sure for fans of F1 who're watching from abroad, many of whom fall into the older age range, it might be more than a bit confusing to see anime horse girls festooning the circuit.

Still, Umamusume may be a world beater, but it's not the only big fish on mobile you should know by heart. Check out our list of the best mobile games of 2026 (so far) to see some of our choice picks from the last 11 months we think are worth playing!

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