- Taiwanese Solo Developer Ya Mao’s Healing Bakery Simulation Releases on Steam on September 18
- The story of a novice Shiba Inu chef who inherited his retired grandmother’s shop and challenged himself to become a dessert powerhouse.
- Spotlighted overseas at ‘Wholesome Direct 2025’ and more, wishlists surpass 17,000
“Shiba Sweet,” a healing bakery simulation game developed by Taiwanese solo developer Ya Mao (Maowoo), will be officially released on PC (Steam) on September 18, 2026.
The player becomes a novice Shiba Inu chef who inherits a small dessert shop from a retired grandmother, gathering ingredients personally to make sweet desserts and sell them to customers.
The game features warm 3D visuals with all graphics hand-drawn without AI, and currently has over 17,000 items on its Steam wishlist. A free demo version is also currently available ahead of the official release.
Inheriting my grandmother’s shop and becoming the best dessert house
‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop’ tells the story of a Shiba Inu chef who inherits a small dessert shop from his retired grandmother and runs it to build it into a premier dessert house.
Players build their skills as a chef and sequentially acquire new dessert recipes. The core fun of the game lies in the entire process, from preparing ingredients and cooking the desserts to packaging them in takeout boxes and selling them to customers.
For example, the dessert is completed by kneading glutinous rice flour, placing it in boiling water, and once the dough floats to the surface, removing it to cool, and then drizzling it with a special soy sauce syrup. It is designed not merely to serve a finished dish, but to allow the player to personally experience the entire cooking process, from preparing the ingredients to the final steps.
During peak hours, you must accurately prepare the ordered desserts and pack them into four boxes within the time limit. The satisfied expressions on the customers’ faces upon receiving their food provide a small joy that keeps you playing the game.
With the sales revenue, you can purchase new ingredients and kitchen tools or decorate the store to your liking. Additionally, various apron outfits for the Shiba Inu chef are available, making it quite fun to customize the character.
In addition to running the shop, the collection elements are also substantial. You can discover heartwarming family episodes while collecting postcards sent by a grandmother who loves to travel.
A 3D healing world with a hand-drawn sensibility, completed without AI
‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop’ is a casual simulation game featuring cartoon-style 3D graphics that capture the aesthetic of hand-drawn art. Its main tags on Steam include ‘Cute’, ‘Relaxing’, ‘Hand-drawn’, and ‘Atmospheric’.
In particular, the developer emphasizes that they created all graphic assets themselves without using any AI-generated artwork. Leveraging their experience as a former animator, they personally completed the entire 3D visuals, including characters and backgrounds, capturing the meticulous care characteristic of solo development.
The gameplay also focuses on a ‘healing’ experience of comfortably making desserts and decorating spaces, rather than fierce competition or high difficulty. Without any stimulating elements, players can leisurely grow their shop while enjoying the charming characters and environments.
A Taiwanese solo developer’s challenge leveraging animation experience
‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop’ is the result of Taiwanese solo developer Yamao leading the entire process from planning to production alone.
The developer actively utilized their animation production experience to create unique hand-drawn style 3D graphics and has consistently communicated with the community by sharing monthly development logs. They also revealed that although they faced difficulties with work delays due to caring for a sick family member, they were able to complete the development thanks to the warm support of users.
The event that truly brought them recognition was the indie game showcase ‘Wholesome Direct 2025’ held in June 2025. Since then, they have steadily built their reputation by participating in numerous indie game events, including Play Expo UK, GDOC Expo, and Women’s Day Event 2025 and 2026.
Expectations for the official release amidst steady interest from the healing game fanbase
‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop’ received attention from major international game media outlets such as Gematsu, Windows Central, Digitally Downloaded, and Boss Rush Network after its entry at ‘Wholesome Direct 2025’.
Foreign media praised the game’s cute premise—a Shiba Inu inheriting a retired grandmother’s shop and making desserts—and its unique visuals. It was evaluated as a standout title even among a showcase of various healing and cozy games. The developer also shared in their review that being mentioned alongside overseas media and other healing games was a great encouragement.
Currently, there are 5 curator reviews registered on the Steam store page, and steady anticipation continues, centered around fans of the healing game genre.
The dedication of a solo developer infused with animation production experience, pure 3D visuals without AI, and heartwarming gameplay that melts the heart. ‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop’ certainly has its weapons.
The eyes of gamers around the world are focused on whether the anticipation of global users, which has been steadily built up since 2025 through domestic and international indie game events and showcases, will lead to explosive success with the official launch on September 18.
Information regarding ‘Shiba Inu Dessert Shop (Shiba Sweet) ‘
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Maowoo (Ya Mao, Taiwan · Solo Developer) |
| Publisher | Maowoo (Self-publishing) |
| Genre | Casual simulation, cooking/management, healing game |
| platform | PC (Steam) |
| Release date | September 18, 2026 |
| language | English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Korean, French, German, etc. |
| etc | No AI artwork used, Steam Deck support, free demo provided |
| result | Over 17,000 items on the wishlist; history of participation in major events such as Wholesome Direct 2025 and Play Expo UK |
| Reactions/Evaluations | Unreleased with no user reviews; reported by numerous international media outlets, including Gematsu, via Wholesome Direct. |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
