Steins;Gate is the second game in the Science Adventure series, initially released on October 15, 2009 on the Xbox 360. It has since been ported to a wide range of platforms, including (but not limited to) the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows via Steam, and more. A remake of the game, titled Steins;Gate Elite, was released on September 20, 2018. This version of the game replaced the original game’s visuals with animations from the anime adaptation, as well as newly produced animations. A second remake of the game, Steins;Gate Re:Boot, is planned for a 2026 release and will feature a fully overhauled experience.

The story is centered around Rintaro Okabe and his friends at the Future Gadget Lab as they accidentally discover a way to change the past using their microwave. The cast begins to experiment their newfound discovery, changing the past to benefit their various desires. However, they soon discover that messing with time may have dire consequences…

Steins;Gate is widely considered one of the most popular entries in the Science Adventure series, both in Japan and worldwide. Due to its massive success, a wide range of manga, light novels, drama CDs, and other side material was produced. Steins;Gate 0, a canonical visual novel expansion to the story, was initially released on December 10, 2015 for Japanese audiences.

The Steins;Gate anime adaptation began airing in April of 2011, and it quickly became one of the most highly acclaimed anime of all time in addition to being the best adaptation of the series. Many Western fans consider the anime one of their first experiences with Steins;Gate and the Science Adventure series in general.

Steins;Gate Elite is a remake of the Steins;Gate visual novel for modern platforms (PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC), initially released in September of 2018. This remake aimed to provide a more fluid and engaging experience for its readers by replacing the static art of the original game with animations from the anime adaptation, in addition to newly produced animations. The quality of this remake is controversial; some key story moments in the game benefit a great deal from the animations, but other aspects suffer from issues such as overused repeated frames and poor animation quality.

Steins;Gate Re:Boot is an upcoming second remake of the Steins;Gate visual novel for modern platforms, expected to release in 2026. This remake will feature animated 2D sprites, updated graphics and music, and new story content—such as a brand-new ending in addition to the original game’s six endings. Watch a trailer here.

The success of Steins;Gate is frequently attributed to its compelling story, combined with many real-world conspiracy theories, and its setting in real-life locations across Japan’s Akihabara. According to the game’s planner, Chiyomaru Shikura Steins;Gate was written with the concept of “99% science (reality) and 1% fantasy” in mind. This concept is present in all Science Adventure entries to varying degrees.

Where to BUY?

The best way to experience Steins;Gate is to purchase the original game on Steam and install the Committee of Zero improvement patch for the best possible experience with the game. A wide range of discounted bundles with Steins;Gate and other connected SciADV games are available on Steam. 

A DRM-free version of Steins;Gate is available for purchase on PC on the JAST USA website. The game is also available in English on the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, although the online store on these platforms now has limited functionality. Steins;Gate can also be obtained on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for mobile phones.

Alternatively, you can buy Steins;Gate Elite on Steam, which comes with a copy of the Steins;Gate side story collection, Steins;Gate Linear Bounded Phenogram. The PlayStation 4 version of Elite also comes with Linear Bounded Phenogram, while the Nintendo Switch version comes with Steins;Gate 8-Bit ADV, a spinoff game featuring an alternate take on Steins;Gate’s story.

The Steins;Gate anime adaptation is one of the best of its kind, and it is widely considered a good alternative to the visual novel; however, we still recommend reading the visual novel if possible, as the anime adaptation was unable to cover everything the visual novel introduced.

Characters

Rintaro Okabe

A self-proclaimed mad scientist and the eccentric main protagonist of Steins;Gate. He assumes the nickname “Hououin Kyouma,” a ridiculous name that sounds cool according to him.

Kurisu Makise

A girl genius who graduated from university at the age of seventeen. Her research on the brain’s memory retention system earned critical acclaim in the scientific community.

Mayuri Shiina

Okabe’s childhood friend and companion. She works part-time at a maid café called MayQueen+Nyan² as a costume maid, and she enjoys creating cosplay outfits. 

Itaru Hashida

Itaru, aka “Daru,” is an experienced hacker in both software and hardware technologies. He is also well-versed in all things otaku culture.

Faris NyanNyan

Faris is a part-time employee and the owner of the maid café MayQueen+Nyan². She is an expert at RaiNet Access Battlers, an extremely popular and competitive board game in Akihabara.

Suzuha Amane

Suzuha, aka “Part-Time Warrior,” is a spunky employee at Mister Braun’s CRT shop. She enjoys riding her bicycle in her free time.

Luka Urushibara

Luka is a close friend of Mayuri and the so-called protégé of Rintaro Okabe. Despite being feminine in both appearance and personality, he’s a guy. Mayuri is always attempting to coerce him into cosplaying.

Moeka Kiryu

Moeka is a part-time editor for a magazine called “Arc Rewrite.” She is practically glued to her phone and cannot function without it. Even in real-life conversations, Moeka prefers to communicate via email.

MORE STEINS;GATE

Please note that this is not a comprehensive list of Steins;Gate side material. Visit this page to view all currently known Steins;Gate-related material.

  • Steins;Gate 0 is a visual novel and anime expansion to Steins;Gate that serves to explain how the true ending of the original story was made possible. Fans are encouraged to both read the visual novel and watch the anime to gain the most complete understanding of its events.
  • Holy Day of the Calamitous Birth is a sequel novella featuring the cast of Steins;Gate. It takes place during the winter after Steins;Gate’s events.
  • Amity of Budding Reminiscence: This Side of Paradise is a short story featuring Rintaro Okabe, Itaru Hashida, and a new character named Otomi Youko. It serves as a prequel to Steins;Gate and shows how Rintaro and Itaru became best friends.
  • Chaos;Gate is a crossover short story featuring Rintaro Okabe and Chaos;Head’s Sena Aoi. It serves as a prequel to Steins;Gate and is considered Okabe’s first appearance in the series.
  • Pre-show Breaktime is a short story that takes place one day before the events of Steins;Gate. It serves as a prequel to Steins;Gate and was included with limited edition copies of the Steins;Gate Divergencies Assort visual novel collection.
  • The Distant Valhalla is a short story starring Kurisu Makise and Rintaro Okabe on the Alpha Attractor Field. It serves as a midquel to Steins;Gate and takes place after a pivotal moment at the midpoint of Steins;Gate’s story.
  • Babel of the Grieved Maze is a drama CD and manga that serves as a midquel to Steins;Gate. Its protagonist is Kurisu Makise, and it sheds additional light on her character development in addition to exploring her relationship with Faris NyanNyan.
  • Arc Light of the Point at Infinity is a drama CD and manga that serves as a midquel to Steins;Gate, and it explains, in part, how the true ending of Steins;Gate was made possible. It was adapted as part of the Steins;Gate 0 anime adaptation.
  • Tomorrow in the Box is a three-way crossover novella featuring characters from Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, and Robotics;Notes. The Steins;Gate segment of the story takes place after the events of Steins;Gate.