Ananta vs Neverness to Everness

Ananta and Neverness to Everness (NTE) are both free-to-play anime-style open worlds set in modern cities, on PC, PS5, iOS and Android, but NTE has been out since Apr 29, 2026 and sells its characters through gacha banners, while Ananta launches on Jan 15, 2027 with no character gacha: every playable character joins through the story and play.

The biggest difference between Ananta and Neverness to Everness is how you get characters: Neverness to Everness (NTE) sells them through gacha banners, while Ananta, NetEase's game, has no character gacha and gives every playable character through the story and play. The two are otherwise close cousins. Both are free-to-play, anime-styled open worlds set in a modern city with cars, police and city life, both come to PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android, and press calls both "anime GTA". NTE, from Hotta Studio and the publisher Perfect World, came out first, on Apr 29, 2026; Ananta follows on Jan 15, 2027. This page compares what each maker has said and what NTE's launch showed, as of Nov 1, 2026. The game itself is on Ananta.

Quick facts

Release	NTE: Apr 29, 2026. Ananta: Jan 15, 2027
Makers	NTE: Hotta Studio, published by Perfect World. Ananta: Naked Rain, published by NetEase Games
Platforms	NTE: PC, PS5, iOS, Android, and macOS from its official site (Automaton, May 4, 2026). Ananta: PC (own client and Steam), PS5, iOS, Android
Price	Both free to play
Characters	NTE: gacha banners. Ananta: no character gacha; all earned in play
What Ananta sells	Outfits, skins and other cosmetics; its store listings warn of random paid items (Nov 1, 2026)
Engine	NTE: Unreal Engine 5.7 at launch. Ananta: a modified Unity engine, its lead producer told Inven (Sep 2025)
NVIDIA DLSS	NTE: DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. Ananta: DLSS 4.5 (NetEase, Aug 27, 2026)
Multiplayer	NTE: friends can join your world at launch. Ananta: a mode is in development, not promised for launch
First day	NTE: over 100 million yuan, about $14.64 million, by Perfect World's count

Is Ananta a gacha game like NTE?

No. Ananta's producers have said since Sep 2025 that every playable character joins through the story, side quests and friendship, and NetEase restated it at gamescom 2026. Producer Ash told 4Gamer why: with a character gacha, "whether you pull that character changes the story you experience". Neverness to Everness does sell characters on banners. PC Gamer's guide says they "follow most of the usual rules established by its gacha forefathers", with each limited character's banner also giving three cosmetics at 50, 120 and 200 pulls (PC Gamer, updated Jul 10, 2026). Push Square's launch headline praised its generosity, with "470 free pulls and no 50/50".

Ananta is not free of chance, though. Its Steam page lists "Chance based in-game purchases", the App Store warns of "Loot Boxes" and Google Play of "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)" (read Nov 1, 2026). NetEase has not said which items those are, only that characters are not among them (Monetization, How to Get Characters).

Which came out first?

Neverness to Everness, by eight and a half months. Perfect World announced on Feb 27, 2026 that it would launch on Apr 29, 2026, after two global beta tests and showings at gamescom and Tokyo Game Show, and it did. Ananta has had no global beta: China had one offline closed test in Jan 2025, and the public has played demos only at Tokyo Game Show 2025 and gamescom 2026 (Beta Tests and Demos). In May 2026, as NTE launched and Ananta stayed silent, NetEase told investors the open-world field was "crowded in 2026" and that Ananta is "not a reskin" (Development History).

How did NTE's launch go?

Well, by its publisher's figures. Perfect World told shareholders on Apr 30, 2026 that NTE took more than 100 million yuan, about $14.64 million, on its first day, with Japan and the United States the largest markets and PC and PlayStation 5 about 75% of the revenue (Automaton, May 4, 2026). The same report says players spent more time exploring the city than fighting, and that Perfect World was considering paid city content such as skins, clothing, houses and cars. That is close to the business NetEase has planned for Ananta from the start: cosmetics, vehicles and homes rather than characters.

How do the cities and gameplay compare?

Both games are built on a city to live in. NTE's launch list included a wanted level and police pursuits, a detention center to work off a sentence or escape, a first-person view, cars, muscle cars, supercars and motorbikes with damage and weather-affected drifting, and mahjong and races with friends. Ananta's Nova City and Chongxiao offer gyms, arcades, cat cafes, mahjong parlors, hot springs and street racing (City Life and Activities), and travel by car, motorcycle, helicopter, yacht, subway, hang glider and swinging between buildings (Traversal). Ananta's distinctive pitch is switching between team members who each have their own job and story, a police officer, a hacker, a delivery rider and a content creator (Character Switching and Jobs).

Can you play either with friends?

NTE at launch, Ananta later. Perfect World's launch announcement lets players invite friends into their world to race, play mahjong and take part in a heist. Ananta's developers say a multiplayer mode for missions with friends is in development, and its marketing lead counted it among the long-term additions after launch (Multiplayer and Co-op).

Frequently asked questions

Is Ananta like Neverness to Everness? Yes, in setting and style: both are free-to-play, anime-styled open worlds in modern cities on PC, PS5, iOS and Android. The main difference is that Neverness to Everness sells characters through gacha banners, while Ananta gives every playable character through play.

Is Ananta a gacha game? Ananta has no character gacha: every playable character joins through the story, side quests and friendship. Its store listings do warn of random paid items, and NetEase has not said which ones, as of Nov 1, 2026.

Which came out first, Ananta or NTE? Neverness to Everness came out first, on Apr 29, 2026. Ananta launches on Jan 15, 2027.

Who makes Ananta and who makes NTE? Ananta is made by Naked Rain and published by NetEase Games. Neverness to Everness is made by Hotta Studio and published by Perfect World.

Does Ananta have multiplayer like NTE? Not at launch, as announced. Neverness to Everness lets friends join your world, while Ananta's multiplayer mode is still in development as of Nov 1, 2026.