Bandai Namco announces the first new Katamari Damacy game in 14 years

Bandai Namco has announced a new title in the quirky puzzle-action series, Katamari Damacy.
The new game, titled Once Upon a KATAMARI, marks the first brand-new entry in the franchise in fourteen years.

The Katamari Damacy series is known for its simple yet satisfying gameplay, where players control a tiny Prince who must roll a magical, adhesive ball, or “katamari,” to collect objects and make the ball grow larger.
This new adventure begins when the King of All Cosmos accidentally destroys the Earth and the stars while fiddling with a peculiar scroll.
To fix the mistake, the Prince must now roll his katamari across time itself.

The game will feature a variety of new stages set in different historical eras, including the Jurassic Period, the Ice Age, and historic Japan, as players collect objects to rebuild the glittering night sky.

New gameplay elements will be introduced, such as a magnet power-up that can attract nearby objects to the katamari.
A major new feature for the series is an extensive character customization system.

While players can still choose to play as the Prince or one of his 68 different cousins, they will now be able to customize their chosen character’s colors and face to create their own unique designs.
The game will also feature a new online multiplayer mode called “KatamariBall.”

This mode allows up to four players to compete against each other in the “galactic sport of choice,” and can be played online against others from around the world or offline against computer-controlled opponents.
The game has been announced for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Once Upon a KATAMARI is scheduled to launch worldwide on the 24th of October, 2025, with a Japanese release one day earlier on the 23rd of October.
This announcement is one of several recent game reveals that have included a Switch 2 port of Persona 3 Reload, a new Monster Hunter Stories game, and Octopath Traveller 0.

You can now watch the Once Upon a KATAMARI announcement trailer on YouTube:
Source: Official YouTube Account
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