Summary
- Bobo Bay brings back the Chao Garden concept in a new way, allowing players to collect, breed, and customize Bobos.
- Players can compete in races with Bobos and challenge special "Bobo Stars" to win unique creatures to raise.
- The game offers deep customization options for Bobos, with thousands of possible combinations, and includes an in-game town to explore and shop in.
Bobo Bay is an upcoming Steam title that seems to model its premise after the fan-favorite Chao Garden of the Sonic Adventure games. The original Sonic Adventure introduced Chao, little blue fairy-like creatures that players could collect and raise in the game’s Chao Garden minigames. By feeding them various fruits and exposing them to the small animals Sonic and his friends release from Dr. Eggman’s machines in the main quest, players could elevate their Chao’s stats and alter their physical appearance. Once these Chao were experienced enough, the player could have them compete in races.
Sonic Adventure 2 would build on the Chao Garden formula by adding a new Chao Karate mini-game, while the first two Sonic Advance games featured a Tiny Chao Garden that players could transfer their Chao to and from the updated Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 Nintendo GameCube rereleases. However, while the Chao themselves would remain part of the Sonic lore, none of the later games would feature a Chao Garden. Despite many rumors of the fan-favorite feature returning, the closest thing so far was the collectible Chao in Sonic X Shadow Generations.
Sonic X Shadow Generations May Not Feature a Chao Garden, But It Scratches the Itch
Chao Gardens have been absent in the Sonic franchise since the early 2000s, but Sonic X Shadow Generations fills the void with a very simple feature.
Now a completely different game is bringing back the Chao Garden in its own way. Indie studio NewFutureKids has been developing Bobo Bay, a creature-raising title that is currently set to launch on Steam at some point in the second quarter of 2026. Players collect, breed, and customize little creatures called Bobos, which actually bear a strong resemblance to the Chao from Sonic the Hedgehog. Customization goes much deeper in Bobo Bay, with players able to select a Bobo’s colors, body shapes, and even accessories. According to the Bobo Bay Steam page, there are thousands of possible combinations.
Bobo Bay Offers Sonic Fans a New Take on Chao Gardens
Players can also pit their Bobos against others in special competitions like timed races, with different companies and organizations holding them across the globe. Certain events are held at specific times, and there are even special “Bobo Stars” that players can challenge to win a special sapling Bobo of the same Chao-like species to raise as their own. Players can also take a break from training and racing to explore the in-game town, where they can buy new items for their Bobos, register new Bobos, and even check the competition history at the Town Hall. Certain shops are only available during the day or at night.
Bobo Bay doesn’t yet have an exact release date aside from the previously mentioned Q2 2026 launch window, but an alpha build can currently be downloaded from Steam or played through Patreon. Earlier this week, NewFutureKids announced that Bobo Bay will participate in Steam's upcoming Creature Collector Fest, a special sales event centered around monster-raising titles of all kinds. It will be held from May 12 to May 19.
