NetEase Games and Naked Rain have announced that ANANTA, a free-to-play urban open-world RPG, will officially launch worldwide on January 15, 2027.
The game will be available through its official PC client, Steam, PlayStation 5, and mobile platforms. Ahead of launch, ANANTA has already surpassed 17 million pre-registrations across 110 countries and regions, signaling strong interest in the upcoming open-world title.
The developers also released a new story trailer introducing Chongxiao, the game’s second major city, alongside a closer look at its exploration, combat, and social influence systems.
ANANTA turns players into influencers
Unlike traditional open-world RPGs, ANANTA puts social influence at the center of its gameplay.
Players take on the role of an influencer in a modern city shaped by algorithms and online culture. Missions, encounters, and major events can help players build their reputation and social influence, which in turn unlocks resources and special influencer perks.
The game’s central concept revolves around “Go Viral. Save the World.”, tying progression to the player’s presence and influence within the city.
Rather than simply completing quests to progress through a linear storyline, players can interact with the world and its inhabitants in ways that contribute to their growing reputation.
Explore Chongxiao and a living urban world
ANANTA’s latest trailer introduces Chongxiao, the second major city players can explore.
The game’s urban environments draw inspiration from real-world cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tokyo, with each location designed around its own atmosphere, culture, and activities.
Players can explore a range of everyday locations, including cinemas and arcades, mahjong parlors, cat cafés, gyms, restaurants, clothing stores, and other interactive urban spaces.
Transportation is similarly built around freedom of movement. Players can travel through the city using cars, motorcycles, helicopters, yachts, subways, hang gliders, and other vehicles.
This approach gives ANANTA a broader focus than simply traversing a large map, with the city itself serving as a major part of the gameplay experience.
Build a team and switch between characters
The RPG also features a diverse cast of playable characters and agents that players can recruit as they rebuild the A.C.D. team.
Players can switch between different characters, with each offering their own perspective, storyline, and approach to exploration and combat.
The game also encourages players to interact with NPCs who have their own stories and quests. Building relationships can lead to new allies, exclusive items, badges, and combat abilities.
ANANTA further expands its role-playing systems by allowing players to take on different identities within the city. These include roles such as an NCCA officer, hacker, delivery rider, and content creator.
Each identity provides another way to interact with the game’s urban environment.
Dynamic combat uses the environment
Combat in ANANTA combines martial arts with environmental interaction.
Players can use objects and elements around them as weapons, allowing fights to unfold differently depending on the surrounding environment. The system is designed to give players room to experiment rather than relying solely on predetermined attacks and abilities.
This environmental approach also ties combat into the game’s broader emphasis on player freedom, allowing different characters and situations to produce different approaches to encounters.
