Earlier this year, I was playing with the Gen 2 Tamagotchi that my wife bought me. Since then, I’ve acquired two Tamagotchi Paradise devices, a second-hand Pix and a second-hand Uni… so it escalated a little bit.
The Pix and Uni were great deals on eBay, which is what I’m telling myself, anyway. I haven’t played either of them yet, but I’ll be trying them soon. For now, the Paradise devices have given me plenty to be getting on with.
I’ve also made a little corner of my website for Tamagotchi updates. Once you’re keeping a diary of your digital pets, I think you probably have to admit you’ve got quite into it…
Another Tamagotchi revival
If you remember Tamagotchis from the 90s, you might be surprised to discover how much has happened since then. I certainly was.
Bandai describes the current revival as Tamagotchi’s fourth wave of popularity. In an August 2025 announcement, they reported strong sales of both Original Tamagotchi and the newer Paradise devices. By the end of July that year, the brand had passed 100 million devices shipped worldwide since its launch, which is insane.
According to Bandai, some of the interest is driven by waves of nostalgia, as well as parents now playing alongside their children. Retro designs and the variety of shells have also helped bring in younger fans.
Source: Bandai’s August 2025 announcement
So there are people discovering them for the first time, people coming back, and the fans who have been playing since it’s launch.
30 years of tiny digital pets
Tamagotchi turns 30 this year; the original launched in Japan on 23 November 1996, with the international release following in 1997.
Bandai is making quite an occasion of it. Japan has a travelling anniversary exhibition, DAI-TAMAGOTCHI-TEN, exploring the history of the devices and letting visitors experience the world from a Tamagotchi’s perspective. There’s also TAMAGOTCHI FACTORY, a permanent shop in Harajuku with exclusive merch and activities.
In New York, a free celebration is planned for 22 November, with activities, character appearances and a takeover of the Times Square screens. Fans elsewhere can also join an anniversary event in Roblox’s Main Street RP throughout November.
And, of course, there are more devices to tempt us! Anniversary releases include Original Tamagotchi 30th Anniversary Tama Space, which launched in Japan in September with special artwork and the familiar Gen 1 gameplay, and Tamagotchi Nano Colorful Mametchi Memories, in anniversary yellow and blue editions.
Perhaps the most surprising announcement is the Tamagotchi Ring, an actual playable Tamagotchi you can wear on your finger! It has a tiny colour screen, comes in three colour combinations and can grow into more than 30 different characters. It was announced during the anniversary year, but the Japanese orders are scheduled to arrive in February and April 2027.
Release dates and availability vary between countries, so these aren’t all devices you can always easily pick up. Still, between the anniversary editions and events there’s plenty happening.
There’s more to do than I expected
I love my Gen 2, but I wanted a bit more to do (and a backlight!) which is why the Paradise appealed to me. It’s kept the part I enjoy which is looking after and nurturing a little creature, while giving me more to do and a gorgeous colour screen.
You still feed them, you can play lots of mini-games and clean up their poo, and there’s three biomes on each device in which you can discover over 50 distinct base characters (although Bandai markets the device as having over 50,000 potential variations through gene-mixing and breeding combinations).
A dial lets you zoom out to see their planet or zoom right into their cells, where you can treat them when they’re poorly. What you feed them helps determine how they grow, and you can breed them to discover different combinations of features. So there’s a bit more to experiment with than just trying to keep the same creature alive!
I currently have the White Glacier and Purple Sky, and also have my eyes on the newly-announced Neon Planets. I’m enjoying them enough that I’ve become curious about the other models, hence the Pix and Uni.
That’s been part of the fun of getting back into Tamagotchis this year; there’s a whole hobby to become obsessed with, and I’m still learning all about it.
Does a Tamagotchi count as cosy gaming?
I write about games where I spend most of my time farming and feeding animals, so looking after v-pets seems like a fairly reasonable addition to me.
It’s very appealing having a game in its own device, too, separate from my phone. I pick it up for that particular reason, and don’t get drawn into the doom scroll.
Although I wouldn’t describe Tamagotchis as completely relaxing, I’d definitely brand them as cosy. They do need looking after, and a creature demanding your attention isn’t always what you want when you’re busy! If you remember the old ones, you’ll probably remember that part as well.
Luckily, the Paradise device is much more laid back than those, and it comes with a Tamasitter, which you can employ for the very reasonable fee of 300 Gotchi points while you’re at work.
Still room for a little plastic egg?
My growing interest has found its way onto Pixels and Chai, my Neocities website. I’ve been learning HTML and CSS and coding it by hand, which I’ve really enjoyed! It’s become a place for the things I’m playing and enjoying, including a Tamagotchi page with a Tamalog.
I don’t know how long this revival will last, but I do know that playing my Gen 2 this year led to two Paradise devices, two second-hand finds and a Tamalog, so I’m clearly enjoying it while it lasts!
If you’re over 40 and curious about picking one up, you certainly won’t be the only adult playing. If you already have one, I’d love to hear which model you’re running!
Have you come back to Tamagotchis, never stopped playing, or only just discovered them?