One day, high school student Kaname Sudo's average life is interrupted by the arrival of an emailed invitation to join "Darwin’s Game." Without even thinking, he opens the app, thereby becoming a player in the game. Just as Kaname begins to suspect there's more to the shady app than meets the eye, his first battle suddenly begins, with a mysterious man in a panda suit lunging at him with a butcher knife. Will Kaname survive his first, desperate battle against a bloodthirsty killer?

Kaname defeats Banda the rookie hunter and even claims a victory over Shuka “The Undefeated Queen.” After Shuka explains the rules of the game to him, they agree to join forces in their future battles. Together, they explore Shibuya and scope out the battlegrounds to prepare for the upcoming in-game event.

The Treasure Hunt Game begins. The rules of the game are simple: find the rings hidden around the city of Shibuya. Kaname is teleported to a hotel and tries to escape its grounds to search for Shuka, but he is pursued by a battle hungry player and finds himself trapped inside. With the building sealed off, he meets a young girl who calls herself Rein.

Kaname and Rein discover that the Florist is watching their every move with the building’s surveillance cameras. They join forces to undermine his plans by destroying the cameras while evading his henchmen. Unable to escape the henchmen, they decide on a desperate strategy that leaves them with only a twenty percent chance of survival!

It becomes clear to Kaname that in order to win the Treasure Hunt Game, he must defeat the vicious Eighth Clan. To do this, he forms a temporary clan with Rein, Ryuji, and Hiiragi. While they develop a strategy to beat the Eighth Clan, Kaname receives a plea for help from Shuka.

Kaname and Ryuji arrive at the origin point of Shuka’s message. Not hesitating for an instant, Kaname dives in to save Shuka, who he finds unconscious. As Kaname tries to figure out how this happened, Ryuji encounters a young girl named Sui at the entrance to the underpass. When he gives chase, Sui retaliates with her sigil.

As the Treasure Hunt Game enters its final stage, the Eighth Clan advances toward Shibuya Central Tower. Realizing that the key to victory is at Shibuya Station, Rein heads there immediately, managing to arrive ahead of the others. However, she finds someone unexpected waiting for her...

Kaname and company engage in a battle with Wang, the leader of the Eighth Clan. Ryuji is prepared to die, but Kaname arrives just in the nick of time to save him. He uses a bluff in an attempt to defeat Wang. Who will be the winner of the Treasure Hunt Game?

One month has passed since the conclusion of the Treasure Hunt Game. Kaname has formed his own clan and is undergoing training at Danjo Boxing Club. Danjo, who is the leader of the boxing club, challenges Kaname to a no-holds-barred Vale Tudo style match to gauge Kaname’s training progress and to decide if he is a worthy partner to form an alliance. Kaname stands his ground and unflinchingly battles Danjo, who is one of the top fighters in Darwin’s Game. Just as the battle is about to reach its climax, they are interrupted by the sudden appearance of an unexpected figure.

After being beaten by Kaname in the Treasure Hunt Game, Wang tries to get revenge by kidnapping Shinozuka, Kaname’s friend, and cutting off his fingers. While Kaname is consumed by guilt for dragging his friend into the D-Game, Rein returns with details on Wang’s hideout and the Eighth Clan’s combat skills. The Sunset Ravens team up with Inukai from Danjo Boxing Club, which they have formed an alliance with, and head to the warehouse where Wang and his followers are hiding.