The Apothecary Diaries is opening another case in 2026, this time outside the anime itself. The hit mystery franchise has officially surpassed a major milestone for its upcoming game, The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles, while unveiling a brand-new visual of Maomao.
Via a press release from CTW, the upcoming browser game The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles has surpassed 200,000 pre-registrations ahead of its launch. To celebrate the achievement, the company revealed a new festival-themed visual featuring Maomao and confirmed that the character Xiaolan will be distributed to all players as a launch reward upon the game’s official release.
Maomao Returns With a Stunning New Look in The Apothecary Diaries
The announcement was accompanied by a new Maomao visual, fresh off the character’s recent win as Best Main Character at the 2026 Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The artwork features Maomao dressed in traditional festival attire, holding a fox (Kitsune) mask beneath a moonlit sky, in, of course, the Rear Palace. The illustration marks the first appearance of the character’s latest visual for the game and serves as the centerpiece of the 200,000 pre-registration campaign milestone.
Developed for G123, The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles is a free-to-play browser-based simulation game that lets players solve mysteries in the Royal Court and the Pleasure District alongside Maomao. According to CTW, the game is designed to give returning fans and players new to the palace a fun way to experience the world of The Apothecary Diaries. It features over 35 characters, including Maomao, Jinshi, Concubine Gyokuyou, Gaoshun, Xiaolan, and Shisui revealed thus far.
“The Apothecary Diaries is a celebrated franchise, and we are honored to present Palace Chronicles, offering both dedicated followers and newcomers a fresh perspective on its world, narrative, and cast,” Ryuichi Sasaki, CEO & Founder of CTW, stated about the new project. “By focusing on clever character dialogue, surprising interactions, and the franchise’s most gripping mysteries, the game ensures every interaction remains true to the original work.”
The Apothecary Diaries has become one of anime’s biggest recent success stories. Based on the light novel series written by Natsu Hyūga and illustrated by Touko Shino, the franchise has surpassed 45 million copies in circulation worldwide. Since the anime adaptation debuted in October 2023, the series has earned widespread acclaim and shows no signs of slowing down.
During the anime’s second anniversary celebrations in October 2025, producers announced both a third television season and the series’ first theatrical film. Season 3 is currently scheduled to begin airing as a split-cour production in October 2026, while the movie is expected to premiere in Japan in December 2026.
Fans interested in playing The Apothecary Diaries Palace Chronicles are able to sign up for pre-registration on the official G123 website. In the meantime, The Apothecary Diaries is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
- Release Date
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2023 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Nippon TV, RAB, TVI, YBC, JRT
- Directors
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Jun Owada, Akira Koremoto, Erkin Kawabata, Shintaro Itoga, Kentaro Fujita, Yukihiko Asaki, Tsuyoshi Nakano, Masahiro Matsunaga, Akira Shimizu, Yuushi Ibe, Yuu Kinome, Kyohei Yamamoto, Takanori Yano, Tadao Okubo, Misu Yamaneko
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Takeo Otsuka
Jinshi (voice)