Ananta is NetEase Games and Naked Rain’s upcoming free-to-play urban open-world RPG, originally revealed as Project Mugen at Gamescom in 2023. Its anime visuals, sprawling modern cities, vehicles, and Spider-Man-like aerial traversal have earned it the informal “anime GTA” label—but the game’s actual premise centers on supernatural investigation and character-driven action rather than crime.
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Ananta release date and platforms
NetEase and Naked Rain confirmed a worldwide launch for January 15, 2027, during Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026. The game is scheduled for:
- PlayStation 5
- PC, through Steam and a standalone client
- iOS and Android
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PS5 is currently the only announced console platform. That means Xbox and Nintendo versions have not been announced, but the available information does not establish a formal timed-exclusivity agreement for PlayStation.
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What kind of game is Ananta?
Ananta is built around a supernatural mystery. Reports describe players rebuilding an agency and investigating the disappearance of a father while navigating paranormal events, character stories, and social systems connected to life in the city.
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The game’s biggest distinction is the way it combines RPG progression with an urban sandbox. Players can move through the city using parkour, grappling or web-like traversal, and other aerial maneuvers. Combat includes fast melee and martial-arts encounters, while driving and other forms of transportation expand how players explore the world.
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The “anime GTA” comparison is therefore useful as a shorthand for the city-scale freedom, vehicles, and spectacle—but it should not be read as a description of Ananta’s story or structure. The project is presenting itself as an anime action RPG with investigation and social elements, not as a direct Grand Theft Auto clone.
Nova City and Chongxiao
The original setting, Nova City, is a coastal metropolis with a Miami- and Vice City-inspired identity. Gamescom’s new footage introduced Chongxiao, a second major city influenced by Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Tokyo. Chongxiao is associated with Shaolin kung fu and other martial-arts traditions, giving it a distinct cultural and visual identity within the larger world.
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Promotional footage has also shown ambitious movement and transportation systems, including hover or flying cars, aircraft stunts, plane-hanging sequences, driving, skating, stealth, and assorted side activities. These reveals indicate the range of experiences NetEase is marketing, but they are not a complete confirmation of every activity or feature that will be available at launch.
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Ananta’s monetization: free-to-play without character gacha
Ananta will be free to play, but its planned monetization is notable because the developers have said playable characters will not be locked behind a character-gacha system. Characters are expected to be obtained through story progression rather than random pulls.
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Current reporting points instead to optional purchases such as character outfits, vehicle skins, home or furniture customization, and other decorative items. That does not yet answer every question about the game’s economy: exact prices, progression speed, premium currencies, and the long-term live-service structure remain unconfirmed.
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Pre-registration has passed 17 million
Ananta’s pre-registration campaign had surpassed 17 million sign-ups worldwide around the Gamescom release announcement. Earlier coverage reported more than 15 million, showing how quickly the total was moving during the campaign. Registration rewards are tied to milestone targets, although the final reward structure and launch incentives may still change.
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How close is Ananta to GTA 6’s release?
Ananta is scheduled for January 15, 2027, while Grand Theft Auto VI is currently scheduled for November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. That places Ananta roughly two months after Rockstar’s next Grand Theft Auto game.
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The timing makes the two releases easy to compare because both emphasize large modern environments, transportation, and urban spectacle. However, there is no provided evidence that NetEase has publicly described Ananta’s release date as a deliberate strategy to avoid or follow GTA VI. Any claim about competitive timing should therefore be treated as analysis, not an announced publisher rationale.
From Project Mugen to Ananta
The game first became public as Project Mugen at Gamescom 2023 before being renamed Ananta. Its return to Gamescom with a firm global release date gives the long-teased project a clearer identity and launch plan than it had during its earlier years of development.
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The result is an unusually broad free-to-play proposition: an anime action RPG designed for console, PC, and mobile players, with high-speed traversal and open-world city systems rather than a small hub-based structure. Whether Ananta can turn its striking trailers and large pre-registration audience into a compelling launch experience will depend on details that NetEase has not yet fully revealed, especially progression, content cadence, and monetization beyond cosmetics.