Japanese Ramen Simulator entered early access on October 9, 2026, with its Day 1 update, v0.1.48.17626, available that same day, according to the official announcement on Steam. Customer payments increase by 40% on Easy and 20% on Normal for the same order and rating. Payments remain unchanged on Hard and Very Hard.
For players on Easy and Normal, that means earning more from an equivalent service without needing to improve the dish’s rating. The update also expands the menu with Tantanmen, adds staff who clear tables and changes how several kitchen items are handled.
Tantanmen orders start at level 26
Tantan Tare and Garlic Chives become available to buy at shop level 26. The chives can be chopped on a cutting board and used as a ramen topping. Customers can order Tantanmen with chicken or pork broth at level 26, while beef broth orders unlock at level 28. Access to the new dish therefore comes in stages, with the beef variant arriving after the ingredients and the other broth options.
Several existing products also change unlock levels. Purchases and orders for Cola, Zero-Sugar Cola, Soda, Oolong Tea and Barley Tea move from level 26 to level 25. Bok Choy purchases move from level 25 to level 26, delaying access to that ingredient. Bonito Flakes become available to buy at level 25.
The egg-carton purchase limit rises to six cartons per transaction. Another order can be placed once the purchase is complete, so this is a limit on each purchase rather than a restriction on subsequent orders. Defeating each boss customer for the first time now grants a cash reward as well.
New staff clear dishes, trays and empty bottles
The dish-clearing staff can take care of dishes, trays and empty bottles. They collect bottles from vacated seats and automatically throw them away after bringing them back. When putting trays away, they start with the upper slots.
Their waiting position is visible while placing their dishwasher, giving you a reference for where they will stand. Manual deposits remain possible during service: when the dishwasher is open, dirty plates held in your hands or carried on a tray can be deposited there as a priority.
Cutting boards can be locked without interrupting preparation
To secure a cutting board that has already been placed, aim at it and right-click. The same action releases it. Ingredients can still be placed and chopped on a locked board, so there is no need to unlock it between preparation tasks.
You can now carry up to five tare bottles together, but pouring tare into ramen still requires holding a single bottle. The change allows bottles to be moved in a group while keeping pouring a separate, individual action.
For stacked tare bottles, Spicy Miso bottles, beer mugs and drinks, the displayed remaining quantity and condition correspond to the top item—the one you will pick up next. Read that display as information about the next item, rather than the stack as a whole.
Ingredients and dishes now stay in the refrigerator at the end of the day even if its door is left open. Food on the sample shelf no longer disappears at day’s end either. Both changes preserve food already placed in those locations.
The handcart’s handle can be reached from farther away. Its acceleration, deceleration and steering have also been adjusted to make tight turns and stops easier.
Beer volume and foam have different rating consequences
A rating penalty applies when the combined volume of beer and foam is 70% or less of the mug’s capacity. Exactly 70% still falls within the penalty threshold. Serving beer without foam triggers a warning comment, but the absence of foam alone does not deduct points.
The distinction matters when reading customer feedback: a foam warning does not, by itself, mean the beer has lost rating points. The underfilling penalty depends on the combined volume, including any foam.
The payment increase gives Easy and Normal players more income for equivalent orders; Hard and Very Hard retain their existing payouts. Across kitchen tasks, the practical changes include delegating clearing and locking cutting boards while continuing to use them. Find more coverage on JEU.VIDEO.
