Viva Piñata is a life simulation game for the Xbox 360. In the game, the player controls and maintains their own garden using tools such as a shovel or watering bucket. If the created garden meets the needs of different wild piñata, the piñatas will arrive and possibly reside there. Every garden is located on Piñata Island, also home to a nearby village. There, it is possible to buy, sell and trade goods (or even piñatas!).



There are roughly 60 different species of piñata in the game, each with a different name based on animals and candy (for example, "shellybean" is a mix of both "snail" and "jellybean"). Piñatas can be given accessories, with more available to download in 'Accessory Packs' from the Xbox Live Marketplace. These usually feature items from other Rare games, such as Jetpac Refuelled and Banjo-Kazooie. Players with Xbox Live accounts can also send money, items and piñatas to each other through the game's Post Office.