Ananta vs GTA 6

Ananta and Grand Theft Auto 6 are both open-world games set in modern cities with cars, crime and character switching, but Ananta is free to play on PC, PS5, iOS and Android from Jan 15, 2027, with superpowered heroes in two Asian-inspired cities, while GTA 6 costs $79.99, comes out on Nov 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S only, and follows two criminals across Rockstar's version of Florida.

Ananta is not "anime GTA" in the ways that matter most to a buyer: it is free to play on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android from Jan 15, 2027, while Grand Theft Auto 6 costs $79.99 and comes out eight weeks earlier, on Nov 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S only. Both are open worlds set in present-day cities where you drive, fight and switch between characters, which is why the press nicknamed NetEase's game after Rockstar's. But Ananta's heroes have powers, swing between skyscrapers and fight supernatural beings called Chaos in two fictional Asian cities, and the game is rated for teenagers on the mobile stores, while GTA 6 follows two criminals, Jason and Lucia, across Leonida, Rockstar's version of Florida, and is rated M (Mature 17+). This is a comparison of what both makers have announced as of Nov 1, 2026; neither game is out yet. What Ananta is about is on Ananta.

Quick facts

Release	Ananta: Jan 15, 2027, worldwide. GTA 6: Nov 19, 2026
Price	Ananta: free to play, with paid cosmetics. GTA 6: $79.99, or $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition
Platforms	Ananta: PC (own client and Steam), PS5, iOS, Android. GTA 6: PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, no PC version announced (Nov 1, 2026)
Setting	Ananta: Nova City and Chongxiao, fictional cities modeled on Tokyo, Shanghai and Hangzhou. GTA 6: Leonida, a version of Florida, with Vice City
Heroes	Ananta: the Captain of a broke task force and a team of friends, each with powers. GTA 6: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, a criminal couple
Character switching	Both
Online at launch	Neither has a multiplayer mode announced for launch day
Age rating	Ananta: Teen on Google Play in the US, 12+ on the App Store, ESRB pending (Nov 1, 2026). GTA 6: ESRB M, PEGI 18
Launch content	Ananta: "at least 100 hours" (Insider Gaming, Sep 4, 2026)

Is Ananta a GTA clone?

No, though it borrows from Grand Theft Auto openly. Press shorthand has called it "anime GTA" since its 2023 reveal as Project Mugen, and Complex wrote in Aug 2026 that it "looks like a Grand Theft Auto title inspired by anime". The shared ground is real: you can commandeer cars, the police chase you, and the city is full of shops, gyms and arcades. IGN's host who played it at gamescom 2026 found that switching between characters "does the GTA 5 thing", even with the same sound effect, and that the character you switch to is busy with something of their own.

The differences are bigger. Ananta's Captain swings between buildings, throws things with telekinesis and fights with tentacles, and the main threat is Chaos, beings born from human imagination (Chaos). Previewers compare its fighting with Batman: Arkham, Sleeping Dogs and Sifu more than with any shooter (Combat), and its swinging with Marvel's Spider-Man (Traversal). NetEase itself told investors on May 21, 2026 that Ananta is "not a reskin" but an open world "driven by life experience".

Which costs more?

Grand Theft Auto 6 does. Rockstar sells it for $79.99, and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition, with pre-orders open since Jun 25, 2026. Ananta costs nothing to download on any platform; NetEase plans to make its money from outfits, skins and other cosmetics, and every playable character is earned in play, with no character gacha. Its store listings do warn of randomized paid items: the App Store lists "Loot Boxes" and Google Play "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)" (read Nov 1, 2026), and NetEase has not said which items those are (Monetization).

Can you play both on the same machine?

Only on a PlayStation 5. Ananta comes to PC, PS5, iPhone, iPad and Android phones; Grand Theft Auto 6 comes only to PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, with no PC version announced as of Nov 1, 2026. Ananta has no Xbox version announced either, so an Xbox player can play only GTA 6 and a PC or phone player only Ananta (Platforms).

How do the maps compare?

Neither maker has given a size in square miles. Rockstar describes Leonida as a whole state, with six regions from Vice City to the Leonida Keys and Mount Kalaga. Ananta has two cities at launch: Nova City, a seaside metropolis that producer Ash Qi called "almost like a blend of Tokyo and Los Angeles", and Chongxiao, the Captain's hometown, with Lingyun City, modeled on Shanghai and Hangzhou. You cross Ananta's cities by car, subway, wingsuit, yacht, helicopter or swinging (Map and Cities).

How do the stories and heroes compare?

Grand Theft Auto 6 is a crime story about a couple, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Ananta casts you as the Captain, chosen as a man or a woman at the start, the new head of the ACD (Anti-Chaos Directorate) task force, whose agency goes "belly up" on day one; the Captain tries to go viral online to rebuild it, and Game Informer reports the story also involves finding a missing father (Story). Ananta's other playable characters each have a job and a story of their own: a police officer, a hacker, a delivery rider and a content creator, in NetEase's words (Character Switching and Jobs). NetEase's international marketing lead said there will be "at least 10" at launch (Prima Games, Sep 2, 2026).

Will either have online multiplayer at launch?

Neither, as announced. Rockstar sells Grand Theft Auto 6 as a single-player game at launch, with GTA Online carrying on separately. Ananta's developers say a multiplayer mode for missions with friends is in development, and NetEase's marketing lead put it among the long-term additions after launch (Multiplayer and Co-op).

Why does Ananta come out after GTA 6?

NetEase has not said. Ananta's date, Jan 15, 2027, was announced at gamescom on Aug 25, 2026, and lands eight weeks after Grand Theft Auto 6, which Push Square's headline pointed out. In May 2026 NetEase called the open-world field "crowded in 2026" and said it would rather spend more time on quality than rush the game out (Release Date and Time).

Frequently asked questions

Is Ananta better than GTA 6? Neither game is out as of Nov 1, 2026, so no one can say yet. Ananta is free to play with superpowered heroes in two Asian-inspired cities, while Grand Theft Auto 6 is a $79.99 crime game set in Rockstar's version of Florida.

Is Ananta free like GTA Online? Ananta is free to play on every platform from Jan 15, 2027, unlike Grand Theft Auto 6, which costs $79.99. Ananta makes its money from cosmetics, and every playable character is earned in play.

Is Ananta on Xbox like GTA 6? No. Ananta is announced for PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android, with no Xbox version as of Nov 1, 2026, while Grand Theft Auto 6 is on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Is Ananta on PC when GTA 6 is not? Yes. Ananta launches on PC through its own client and Steam on Jan 15, 2027, while Rockstar has announced no PC version of Grand Theft Auto 6 as of Nov 1, 2026.

When does Ananta come out compared to GTA 6? Ananta comes out on Jan 15, 2027, eight weeks after Grand Theft Auto 6, which launches on Nov 19, 2026.

Can you switch characters in Ananta like in GTA? Yes. Ananta lets you switch freely between the members of your team in the open world, and IGN's previewer said it "does the GTA 5 thing", down to the sound effect.