Everything we know about how ANANTA plays comes from official announcements, trailers and the demos journalists played at Tokyo Game Show 2025 and Gamescom 2026. The full game launches on 15 January 2027. This guide covers what the publisher promises for movement, vehicles and combat, how character switching and city roles work, and why fame and followers matter so much. Everything here is current as of 9 November 2026.
Gameplay at a glance
| Area | What the publisher and demos show |
|---|---|
| Movement | swinging between buildings, wall climbing, parkour |
| Vehicles | cars, motorbikes, helicopter, yacht, metro, hang glider, taxis and more |
| Combat | inspired by martial arts, everyday objects as weapons |
| Characters | switching between A.C.D. agents with their own fighting styles |
| Roles | NCCA officer, hacker, delivery rider, content creator |
| Progression | fame and followers unlock chapters, quests and abilities |
Movement and vehicles
The publisher’s core promise is “go where you can see”: if you can see it, you can get there. On foot, Steam says you can swing freely between buildings, and the previews show wall climbing and parkour. The developers talk about a “3C” system (Character, Camera, Control), meaning how the character, camera and controls work together.
The press releases list plenty of transport: cars, motorbikes, a helicopter, a yacht, the metro, a hang glider, buses and taxis. Outlets that played the demos add skateboards, bikes, scooters, flying cars and speedboats. According to the publisher, interiors have three vertical layers, rooftops, middle floors and street level, so you move upwards as well as along the streets. What the cities and locations look like is covered in our guide to ANANTA’s cities.
Kung fu film combat
The press release describes combat with the line “Fight Your Way”: you combine martial arts techniques with the environment to build your own style. According to the publisher, the inspiration is kung fu films and Shaolin kung fu. Whatever is lying around can become a weapon, such as a golf club or a bin.
- Counters: according to the publisher, a precise dodge or block sets up a counterattack.
- Disarming: you can take an enemy’s weapon during a fight.
- From the TGS 2025 demo: journalists describe timed strikes and counters, finishing moves and telekinesis for pulling objects towards you. They compare the system to the Batman: Arkham series.
Comparisons with GTA or Arkham are the opinions of outlets after short sessions, not the publisher’s description. NetEase has not released damage numbers, stats or recommended builds before launch.
Character switching and city roles
According to the publisher, you do not play as the Captain the whole time. You switch between playable characters, the agents of the A.C.D., and each has their own perspective on the story and their own style of fighting and exploring. The developers say every playable character is unlocked through play, without gacha. See our list of ANANTA characters for who is who, and is ANANTA free for what you will pay for.
On top of that, the publisher mentions roles in the city: NCCA officer, hacker, delivery rider, and content creator or streamer. The press release for TGS 2025 also lists a police officer. How exactly these roles work and how you move between them has not been detailed yet.
Fame and followers
The tagline “Go Viral. Save the World.” is more than marketing. According to the publisher, you gain fans and followers by completing the story, handling city crises, livestreaming, taking on challenges and collecting bounties. As your fame grows, you unlock new chapters, side quests, mechanics, companions and “influencer perks”.
Relationships are the second pillar. The city is said to have more than 100 NPCs with their own stories and quests. According to the publisher, you build relationships with characters, recruit allies into the Yeet Squad and unlock items, badges and combat abilities.
Things to do between missions
Announcements and demos point to plenty of small activities: petting cats in the park, dealing with street gangs, peeking at passers-by’s phones or joining street races at 3 in the morning. In the demos, journalists ate at restaurants, took selfies, went to the gym and played basketball as a minigame.
Multiplayer and co-op
Steam lists store tags such as Multi-player and Online Co-op, but the publisher has not explained how multiplayer works in the game. PC Gamer reports that four-player co-op will not be in at launch and the developers are still considering it. Producer Ash Qi mentioned that the team is working on a feature where several characters team up against enemies. For an overview of the whole game, read what ANANTA is.
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FAQ
Players and the press nickname it “anime GTA”. The publisher calls it an urban open-world RPG and builds the gameplay around combat, fame and relationships with characters.
According to the publisher, it is inspired by kung fu films. You use martial arts techniques, objects from the environment, dodges, blocks and counters, and you can take an enemy’s weapon.
Yes. According to Steam and the demos, you can swing between buildings, climb walls and use parkour.
According to PC Gamer, four-player co-op will not be in at launch and the developers are considering it. The publisher has not described multiplayer yet.
According to the publisher, fame unlocks new chapters, side quests, mechanics, companions and influencer perks. You gain followers through the story, city crises, livestreams and challenges.
Information verified on 9 November 2026. We will update this article after launch. All our guides to the game are in the ANANTA section.