ANANTA is a free-to-play urban open-world action RPG developed by Naked Rain — a studio under NetEase’s Hangzhou-based Thunderfire Technology division, with co-development happening in Montreal, Canada. The project employs approximately 700–800 staff across both studios.
Originally announced at Gamescom on August 24, 2023, under the name Project Mugen, the game was officially rebranded in November 2024. The name ANANTA comes from Sanskrit, meaning “without end” — a deliberate choice reflecting the developer’s vision of a living, endlessly explorable city.
The game made its first playable public appearance at Tokyo Game Show 2025, where it drew some of the largest crowds at the event, with lines snaking through thoroughfares as spectators stopped to watch. Critics from Rolling Stone, Anime News Network, and GamerBraves all hands-on previewed the demo and gave largely positive impressions.
While Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy focuses on grounded survival and emotional storytelling, this game presents a much more vibrant urban fantasy world built around exploration and supernatural action.
The No-Gacha System: A Genuine Industry Shift
This is the single most significant fact about ANANTA, and it is officially confirmed.
In 2025, Japanese gaming publication Famitsu reported — sourced from the developers directly — that ANANTA will not use a gacha system for characters. Every playable character in the game is unlocked through story progression and world exploration.
Producer Ash, speaking in developer interviews at TGS 2025, summarized the philosophy: players start with the Captain and gradually recruit allies like Taffy as the story unfolds. Each character has their own daily routine in the city and can naturally be encountered through exploration.
All Playable Characters
Four characters are currently confirmed playable.
1. The Captain (Male or Female)
Your player character and the newly appointed head of the ACD task force. The Captain arrives in Nova City and is immediately thrown into chaos — their organization is collapsing, a Maniac Chaos incident causes a city-wide traffic jam, and they are suddenly viral on the internet. The Captain is confirmed to be the primary playable character for at least the first section of the story, with a versatile combat kit that serves as the tutorial foundation.
Combat style: Balanced melee, environmental weapon use, character-switching hub. The TGS demo confirmed controls of attack (R1), block/counter (L1), and vault/parry (R1 + X on PS5).
2. Taffy
A rabbit-eared girl who joined the ACD hoping for an easy desk job. Instead, she has been assigned to cargo delivery missions across Nova City’s most chaotic districts. Her life philosophy: “Never do anything annoying, drink lots of cola, and take plenty of breaks while working.”
Combat style: Her signature oversized mallet transforms into a rideable bike for traversal, making her the fastest explorer in the confirmed roster. In the TGS demo, players used Taffy in a firefight — her mallet attacks combined with dodge rolls against ranged enemies, finishing with a crowbar throw into a final enemy takedown.
3. Richie
A tough, highly driven ACD officer described as an overachiever — though it is unclear whether from pure motivation or an absent-minded compulsion to push forward. She fights crime by day and grinds personal goals by night.
Combat style: Raw close-quarters fighting with a focus on sustained combo pressure. Treat as the roster’s high-damage brawler.
4. Seymour
A masked hacker who operates out of a mobile RV. He tracks targets using signals and gadgetry, and only engages when someone has done something genuinely headline-worthy. He does not appreciate questions about his mask.
Combat style: Tech-based tracking and tactical gameplay. Designed for players who prefer outmaneuvering enemies rather than overpowering them.
Combat System: What TGS Hands-On Demos Confirmed
Multiple journalists played ANANTA at TGS 2025. Here is what was directly observed — not speculation.
Core controls (PS5)
- R1: Attack
- L1: Block / Counter
- R1 + X: Vault (functions as a parry)
- Thumbstick click: Contextual finishing move (triggered when enemy is stunned)
Enemies have both a health bar and a stamina bar. Depleting the stamina bar opens a window for finishing attacks — brutal, cinematic takedowns that use the environment or available weapons.
Environmental combat is the system’s defining feature. The inspiration cited by developers is Jackie Chan’s filmography: everything in the world is a potential weapon. Trash cans, golf clubs, guitars, chairs, and even cars can be grabbed and used. Players can also disarm enemies mid-fight and continue using those weapons against them.
Unlike the tense survival-horror structure of Directive 8020, this experience emphasizes open-world freedom, stylish combat, and character-driven progression.
Nova City: Scale, Zones, and What Makes It Different
Nova City (full name: Nova Inception Urbs) is an urban coastal metropolis designed across three vertical layers: ground floors, mid-level structures, and accessible rooftops. All interiors across those layers are accessible.
The world is not just a combat sandbox. NetEase’s official description of the game is that it is “a true life experience where freedom translates to tangible impact.” The TGS gameplay footage confirmed:
- Snooping on NPC phone calls
- Reckless street racing with traffic law consequences
- Petting stray cats in parks
- Gang clashes that trigger dynamically in public spaces
- Hacking city jumbotrons
- Nightclub and nightlife zones
- Prank kidnapping side quests hidden in alleyways
- NPC smartphones with social media posts visible in the world
NPCs are described as having intelligent, lifelike behavior — not scripted loops, but reactive ecosystems. A developer at TGS noted that surreal events are intentionally part of the design: if you see a toilet with legs sprinting down the street, that is working as intended.
Story and the ACD: What We Know
Players join the Anti-Chaos Directorate (ACD) as its newly appointed captain. The ACD is a task force investigating supernatural disruptions — called Chaos incidents — that threaten Nova City. Within minutes of arriving, the Captain finds their organization collapsing, a Chaos event erupting across the city, and themselves unexpectedly going viral on social media.
The story is told across multiple characters’ perspectives. Producer Ash explicitly compared the structure to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — each character lives their own daily life in the city, pursues their own goals, and comes together with the team for major story events. Switching characters changes the narrative angle, not just the gameplay style.
What is Chaos? The game deliberately leaves this ambiguous. It manifests as a supernatural urban force, but whether it is biological, technological, or something stranger remains part of the intended mystery.
Traversal Guide: When to Use Each Movement Type
ANANTA’s traversal system is stamina-free, meaning you can switch between modes freely without resource management. The decision of which mode to use is situational.
Use vertical traversal (rooftops, grappling, wall-running) when:
- Tracking a target across districts quickly
- Escaping from pursuing enemies
- Scouting anomaly locations before engaging
- Locating collectibles and hidden side content
Use ground movement and vehicles when:
- Escorting NPCs or cargo (Taffy’s delivery missions)
- Story sequences with cinematic requirements
- High-speed vehicle combat missions
- Interacting with ground-level social systems (nightlife, NPC conversations)
Character-specific traversal worth knowing:
- Taffy’s mallet transforms into a bike — fastest ground travel in the current confirmed roster
- Lykaia has vehicle combat integration built into her combat kit
- The Captain uses a generalist grapple-and-run approach
How ANANTA Compares to Other Games
What it shares with GTA V: Open-world city, vehicles, character switching mid-mission, NPC ecosystem, side activities. ANANTA replaces GTA’s grounded realism with supernatural action and cel-shaded anime visuals.
What it shares with Marvel’s Spider-Man: Stamina-free rooftop traversal, grappling across skyscrapers, environmental combat. The Batman Arkham two-button counter system is the closest combat comparison.
Similar to RPG-focused experiences like Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok, this game combines character progression with fast-paced combat and team-based mechanics.
First-Playthrough Priorities: What Not to Rush
Based on the confirmed design intent, ANANTA is built as a city life simulator combined with an action RPG — not a linear mission chain. Rushing the main story will likely mean missing the systems that make the game distinct.
Prioritize early
- Learn the combat system with the Captain before switching characters — his kit is the tutorial baseline
- Unlock Taffy as soon as possible — her traversal speed transforms city exploration
- Spend time in the NPC ecosystem before each major mission — the city’s social layer often contains mission-relevant context
- Experiment with environmental weapons in low-stakes encounters before using them in critical fights.
What happens if you rush
The developer explicitly designed Nova City to reward exploration. Side quests, hidden districts, companion backstory events, and traversal shortcuts are embedded in the world rather than listed in a menu. Skipping exploration means playing a shorter, less interesting version of the game.
FAQ
Has ANANTA been officially announced?
Yes. ANANTA was first announced as Project Mugen at Gamescom in August 2023. It was officially renamed ANANTA in November 2024 by Naked Rain and NetEase Games.
What is the ANANTA release date?
No official release date has been announced as of May 2026. The most widely cited community estimate is late 2026, with some projections extending to early 2027. The game received a second private closed test in January 2026.
Is ANANTA coming to PS5?
Yes. PlayStation 5 is officially confirmed alongside PC, iOS, and Android. Xbox support has not been announced.
Does ANANTA have a gacha system?
Not for characters. In 2025, developer Naked Rain confirmed (reported by Famitsu) that all playable characters are earned through gameplay — story progression and world exploration. Monetization is limited to cosmetics: clothing, vehicle upgrades, and housing decoration.
Is ANANTA free to play?
Yes. ANANTA is confirmed as a free-to-play title.
#Related Articles
– Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
– Directive 8020 (2026)
– Granblue Fantasy Relink: Endless Ragnarok
