ANANTA is a free-to-play urban open-world RPG published by NetEase Games and developed by Naked Rain. It launches worldwide on 15 January 2027 on PC (through its own launcher and Steam), PlayStation 5, iOS and Android. This overview covers what the game is about, how it plays according to the publisher and pre-release demos, what you will pay for and where to find the details on each topic. Everything here is current as of 9 November 2026.
ANANTA at a glance
| Detail | What is confirmed |
|---|---|
| Publisher | NetEase Games |
| Developer | Naked Rain (studios in Hangzhou and Montreal) |
| Genre | free-to-play “Urban Open World RPG” |
| Price | free on every platform |
| Release | 15 January 2027, worldwide |
| Platforms | PC (official launcher and Steam), PS5, iOS, Android |
| Former name | Project Mugen |
What ANANTA is about
You play a character the game simply calls the Captain. You lead the special unit A.C.D., which outlets spell out as the Anti-Chaos Directorate. The team falls apart early on, and your job is to rebuild it. The publisher sums it up with the tagline “Go Viral. Save the World.”: you build a reputation in the city much like an influencer, and growing fame opens up more of the story.
Online, ANANTA is often called the “anime GTA”. That is a nickname used by players and the press, not by the publisher, which describes it as an urban open-world RPG.
Two cities: Nova City and Chongxiao
According to the publisher, the game has two main cities. The first is Nova City, the second is Chongxiao, which NetEase revealed on 25 August 2026. Both draw on real metropolises: Shanghai, Hangzhou and Tokyo. What we know about them and which locations the official site has shown so far is covered in our guide to ANANTA’s cities.
How ANANTA plays, based on demos
Nobody has played the full game yet. The gameplay description comes from official announcements, trailers and the demos journalists tried. ANANTA was first publicly playable at Tokyo Game Show 2025.
- Multiple characters: the publisher says you switch between playable characters, the agents of A.C.D. Each has their own perspective, story and style of combat and exploration.
- Social influence: you gain fans and followers by completing the story, handling crises in the city, livestreams, challenges and bounties. According to the publisher, more fame unlocks new chapters, side quests, mechanics, companions and “influencer perks”.
- Traversal and combat: in the demos, characters swing between buildings, climb walls and fight in a style inspired by martial arts.
Our article on ANANTA gameplay goes deeper, including vehicles and activities around the city.
Characters
As of 9 November 2026, the official site introduces six characters: the Captain, Shi Ye, Taffy, Richie, Yinglong and Seymour. Who they are and which other characters have appeared in trailers is covered in our ANANTA characters guide.
Is ANANTA free and what costs money
Yes, ANANTA is free-to-play on every platform. One key difference from many similar-looking games: according to the developers in an interview with Famitsu, there is no character gacha. Every playable character unlocks through play, with no random pulls. Spending is meant to focus on cosmetics and customisation such as outfits, vehicles and housing. Whether cosmetics will be sold directly or through random draws has not been confirmed. More in our article on whether ANANTA is free.
When and where ANANTA launches
NetEase announced the 15 January 2027 date on 25 August 2026 at Gamescom Opening Night Live, together with a new story trailer. The game launches on PC through the official ANANTA launcher and Steam, on PlayStation 5 and on iOS and Android phones. The exact launch time has not been announced yet; we track it in our release date article. Device and controller details are in our overview of ANANTA platforms.
From Project Mugen to an award nomination
The game was originally called Project Mugen and was revealed in 2023. The name ANANTA was announced at the end of November 2024, followed by a full reveal with a trailer in December 2024. At Tokyo Game Show 2025, journalists and visitors got to play it. This year ANANTA is nominated in the Most Wanted category of the Golden Joystick Awards 2026; read about the vote in our Golden Joystick news.
More ANANTA guides
What is known about hardware so far is covered in our article on ANANTA system requirements. How signing up before launch works is explained in our guide to pre-registration rewards. Everything tested so far is listed in our overview of ANANTA beta tests.
The publisher posts official news on anantagame.com. Watch out for similarly named fan sites; this is the only official address.
Join our Discord to chat about ANANTA and other upcoming games: GamersTogether Discord.
FAQ
ANANTA launches worldwide on 15 January 2027. As of 9 November 2026, the publisher has not announced the exact launch time.
It is developed by Naked Rain, with studios in Hangzhou and Montreal, and published by NetEase Games.
Not for characters. According to the developers, every playable character unlocks through play. Spending is meant to focus on cosmetics; whether those involve random draws has not been confirmed.
It is a nickname from players and the press, not a label from the publisher. The publisher calls it an urban open-world RPG.
PC through the official launcher or Steam, PlayStation 5, and iOS and Android phones.
Information verified on 9 November 2026. We will update this article after the game launches. All our guides to the game are in the ANANTA section.