A bishōjo game is a Japanese video game built around interactions with attractive female characters. The word is written 美少女ゲーム, read bishōjo gēmu, and means “pretty girl game”. In English it is usually typed “bishoujo game”, because the long ō is hard to enter on a keyboard. The everyday Japanese name for the same thing is galge, short for “gal game”.
The term describes who a game is about and not how it plays. Most bishōjo games are visual novels or dating simulations with a male lead. Some are role-playing games, strategy games or puzzle games with the same kind of cast. Some have adult content and many have none.
This page explains what the word means, how it differs from the terms it is confused with, where the genre came from, and where its games are sold today.
Key points
- Bishōjo game means “pretty girl game”. It is defined by its cast.
- Galge is the same thing. It is the informal name.
- It is not a synonym for eroge. A bishōjo game may have no adult content at all.
- It is not a format. Visual novel is a format, and many bishōjo games use it.
- The first one sold in Japan dates from 1982, according to Wikipedia.
- Its counterpart for a female audience is the otome game.
- Console versions have no explicit content. Adult versions are computer releases.
What the word means
The term has two parts.
| Part | Japanese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bishōjo | 美少女 | “beautiful girl”. The three characters mean beauty, few or young, and woman |
| gēmu | ゲーム | “game”, borrowed from English |
Bishōjo on its own is a word from anime and manga. Wikipedia defines it as “a character who is typically an attractive young girl or woman”. It names a kind of character. A bishōjo game is, literally, a game of such characters.
Two neighbouring words are easy to mix up with it.
- Shōjo means girl, and in manga it names an audience. Wikipedia puts the difference this way: bishōjo “refers to the gender and traits of the characters it describes”, while shōjo “refers to the gender and age of an audience demographic”. A shōjo manga is made for girls. A bishōjo game is made about them, and historically for a male audience.
- Bishōnen means “beautiful boy”. It is the matching word for male characters.
Spelling
The same word appears in English in several forms.
| Form | Where it is used |
|---|---|
| bishōjo | The standard romanisation, with a macron over the long vowel |
| bishoujo | The common typed form, spelling the long vowel as “ou” |
| bishojo | The macron dropped. Seen in store listings and older writing |
| galge, gal game, girl game | Informal names for the same category |
They all mean the same thing. Search results differ by spelling, which is why the typed form “bishoujo” is the one most people meet first.
Bishōjo game, galge, eroge and the rest
Most confusion about the term comes from four or five words that overlap without matching. Each one answers a different question about a game.
| Term | The question it answers | Relation to bishōjo game |
|---|---|---|
| Bishōjo game | Who is the game about? | The term itself |
| Galge | The same | The same category under its informal name |
| Eroge | Does it have erotic content? | Some bishōjo games are eroge. Many are not |
| Visual novel | What format is it? | Many bishōjo games are visual novels. Some are other genres |
| Dating sim | Is it a simulation of dating? | A narrower type inside the category |
| Otome game | Is it made for a female audience? | The counterpart, with the genders reversed |
A single game can carry several of these labels at once. A romance visual novel with a male lead, a female cast and adult scenes is a bishōjo game, a galge, a visual novel and an eroge. Remove the adult scenes for a console release and it is still the first three.
Bishōjo game and eroge
This is the distinction that matters most. Eroge is short for “erotic game” and is defined by content. Bishōjo game is defined by cast.
Wikipedia’s article on the genre is direct about how much of it is not adult. It says many of the most popular titles, and all console releases, contain no explicit content. It also notes that in Japan eroge are almost always sold for computers, because console makers generally do not license them.
The reverse also holds. An eroge is not necessarily a bishōjo game. Adult games made for a female audience, or about relationships between men, are eroge and fall outside the category.
Bishōjo game and visual novel
A visual novel is a way of presenting a story: text, character art over backgrounds, and choices that branch the plot. A bishōjo game is a subject. The two meet so often that English speakers tend to treat them as one thing.
Wikipedia records a point of Japanese usage here. In Japan many of these games are called love adventure games, and “visual novel” or “novel game” is kept for games with very little interaction. We cover that end of the range in kinetic novel vs visual novel.
Bishōjo game and dating sim
Strictly, a dating simulation is a game where the player manages time and statistics in order to win someone’s affection. Tokimeki Memorial is the model. English speakers often use “dating sim” for any romance game. The difference is set out in dating sim vs visual novel.
Where bishōjo games came from
The dates below follow Wikipedia’s account of the genre.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Koei releases Night Life, described as the first bishōjo game sold commercially in Japan |
| 1985 | Jast releases Tenshitachi no Gogo, described as a precursor of the dating simulation and the first to use modern anime-style artwork |
| 1992 | The Japanese industry forms the Ethics Organization of Computer Software to set content and packaging guidelines. ELF releases Dōkyūsei, which set the conventions of the dating sim |
| 1994 | Konami releases Tokimeki Memorial, a dating sim with no erotic content |
| 1996 | Sega’s Sakura Wars combines the genre with tactical combat |
| 1997 | Leaf’s To Heart is noted for its writing and characterisation |
| 1999 | Key releases Kanon. A later console version without the adult content sold better than the original |
Two turning points in that table changed what the term covers.
The first is 1992. Wikipedia describes the earliest titles as almost all adult. After a public controversy over adult games in 1991, publishers formed a self-regulating body, known in English as EOCS, which classifies computer games and sets rules for their content. From then on the adult part of the category had an industry standard.
The second is 1994. Tokimeki Memorial was released on 27 May 1994 for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM². It was a romance game with no erotic content, built on scheduling and statistics, and Wikipedia cites a 1996 New York Times report that it had sold 1.1 million copies. It showed that a game about a female cast could be a mainstream console product, and it is credited with popularising dating sims in Japan.
After 1994 the category had two halves that still exist: adult computer games, and all-ages console games, often the same titles in two editions.
Wikipedia gives one figure for the genre’s scale. By an estimate for 2005, bishōjo games made up about a quarter of all software produced in Japan, with roughly 500 new titles a year. That number is twenty years old and should be read as a description of the peak. The longer story is in a short history of adult games.
What a bishōjo game is usually like
Wikipedia describes a set of conventions that most games in the category share.
- A first-person view. The player usually does not see their own character.
- A fixed screen layout. A character image over a static background, with a text box below.
- A protagonist built for identification. He often appears little or not at all on screen.
- Choices that branch. Many are binary, and they lead towards one character’s route.
- Several endings. The goal is often to see every ending and unlock the bonus material.
- Familiar settings. Japanese secondary schools and pseudo-European fantasy worlds are the common ones.
The category also has close ties to anime and manga. Wikipedia notes that many developers begin as amateur groups, and that merchandise is a substantial source of income.
None of this is required. Sakura Wars is a strategy game. Others are role-playing games, card games or puzzle games in which the cast and the relationships are the draw. The label follows the characters, whatever the mechanics are.
Are bishōjo games adult games?
Some are. The category has always included both, and the same game is frequently sold both ways.
| Version | Where it is sold | Adult content |
|---|---|---|
| Original computer release | Download stores and specialist shops | May contain adult scenes, classified by an industry body in Japan |
| Console port | PlayStation, Switch and similar | None. Explicit content is not permitted on consoles |
| Western store release | Steam and similar | Varies. Often the all-ages version, sometimes with the adult version sold separately |
Kanon shows the pattern. It was made as an adult computer game in 1999, and its later console edition removed that content and outsold the original.
For a buyer, this means the name of a game does not tell you what is in a given edition. The store page does. On Steam, a game with explicit content is marked Adult Only and stays hidden until the player opts in, which we explain in how to see adult games on Steam.
Our glossary sorts the adult vocabulary further, in eroge, nukige, nakige, galge: adult game terms explained and nukige, nakige, utsuge and moege.
Where to find bishōjo games
The term itself is rarely a store category outside Japan. The games are filed under other labels.
- Steam. Listed under tags such as visual novel, dating sim and anime. Adult editions sit behind the Adult Only setting.
- Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. All-ages editions only.
- Phones. All-ages editions only. App stores do not carry explicit games, as we explain in adult games on Android and iPhone.
- Specialist stores. Stores that specialise in Japanese computer games carry the original versions and their translations. See DLsite vs Steam and is it safe to buy and download adult games.
A search for “bishoujo game” on an English-language store will find less than a search for “visual novel” or “dating sim”. The word is better for understanding the genre than for shopping in it.
The other side: games for a female audience
From around 2000, Wikipedia notes, developers began making games of the same kind for women, with attractive male characters. Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side, from 2002, is the example it gives.
These are otome games. They use the same formats and the same structure of routes and endings, with the genders reversed. The two categories are treated as distinct in Japanese, and Wikipedia says otome games are “not to be confused” with bishōjo games. We define the term in otome game meaning.
What is still unknown
- How large the category is today. The one widely quoted figure is an estimate for 2005. We found no current equivalent.
- Where the word galge comes from exactly. It is usually explained as a contraction of “gal game”. Some sources offer other expansions, and none is documented.
- How consistently the terms are used. Wikipedia notes that English usage is loose and that naming is inconsistent. The definitions here follow the commonest usage.
How this page was put together
The definitions and the history are taken from Wikipedia’s articles on the bishōjo game, on bishōjo as a character type, on eroge and on Tokimeki Memorial, read on 11 October 2026. Wikipedia’s article on the genre carries maintenance notices and has passages without citations, so the dates here are the ones it states plainly, and its 2005 market figure is reported as an estimate. The readings and character meanings were checked against the Jisho dictionary.
The notes on where the games are sold describe store categories in general terms. The games named are examples from the sources and are not recommendations.
This page was written on 11 October 2026. To report an error, see the corrections standard.
Questions
What does bishoujo game mean?
Bishōjo game is Japanese for 'pretty girl game'. It is written 美少女ゲーム and names a type of Japanese video game centred on interactions with attractive female characters, most often with a male lead and a romance.
Is a bishoujo game the same as an eroge?
No. Eroge means a game with erotic content. Bishōjo game is the wider term and includes games with none. Tokimeki Memorial, one of the best known bishōjo games, has no erotic content, and console releases in Japan carry none.
What is the difference between a bishoujo game and a galge?
There is none in meaning. Galge is a contraction of 'gal game', the informal Japanese name for the same thing. Bishōjo game is the more formal term and galge is the everyday one.
Is a bishoujo game a visual novel?
Often, but the words describe different things. Visual novel names a format: text, character art and choices. Bishōjo game names the subject: a cast of attractive female characters. Many bishōjo games are visual novels, and some are simulations, role-playing games or puzzle games.
What was the first bishoujo game?
Wikipedia gives Koei's Night Life, released in Japan in 1982, as the first bishōjo game sold commercially there. Jast's Tenshitachi no Gogo from 1985 is described as a precursor of the dating simulation.
Are bishoujo games for adults?
Some are and many are not. In Japan, adult releases are sold for computers and are classified by an industry body, while console versions contain no explicit content. The same game is often sold in both forms.
Are there bishoujo games on Steam and Switch?
Yes. Games of this kind are sold on Steam and on Nintendo Switch, usually listed under visual novel or dating sim. Console versions have no explicit content. On Steam, a version with adult content is hidden unless the player enables Adult Only Sexual Content in store preferences.
What is the opposite of a bishoujo game?
For a female audience, the counterpart is the otome game, which has a female lead and male love interests. The matching word for an attractive male character is bishōnen, 'beautiful boy'.