Release Date and Time

0:00 Ananta launches worldwide on Friday, Jan 15, 2027, on PC (its own client and Steam), PlayStation 5, iOS and Android, free to play and on the same day in every region, China included. NetEase Games announced the date at gamescom Opening Night Live in Cologne on Aug 25, 2026, with a trailer that revealed the game's second city, Chongxiao. Arekkz Gaming's breakdown two days later calls it sooner than they had expected: the game had been reported as targeting 2026, they had thought 2027 more realistic, and they guess the January date lets it steer clear of Grand Theft Auto 6. NetEase has not announced the hour the game unlocks as of Oct 15, 2026. The only time shown to players is on the PlayStation Store, which lists 10:00 UTC on Jan 15, 2027; it is a store listing, not an announcement, and may be a placeholder. What the game is about is on Ananta.

Quick facts

What time does Ananta release?

NetEase has not said. The official site reads "Global Release on January 15th, 2027" and Steam "Global release January 15th, 2027", both without a time, and no press report of the announcement gives one. The PlayStation Store alone shows an hour: "Releases on: 1/15/2027 10:00 AM UTC" on its US page, and the same 10:00 UTC on its UK and Japanese pages. The store's own data marks the entry as a date-only listing, so the hour may simply be the store's default rather than NetEase's plan. Steam, for its part, says only that the game "plans to unlock in approximately 3 months". Apple's App Store disagrees by two hours. The pre-order data behind Ananta's App Store listing gives its expected release as 8:00 UTC on Jan 15, 2027 in the US, UK, German, Japanese and Korean stores alike (read Oct 15, 2026). That is exactly midnight Pacific time, which suggests a date entered without an hour, so it is no more an announcement than the PlayStation Store's hour; the store page itself shows only the date. Two stores with two different hours is one more reason to treat neither as NetEase's plan. This viki's countdown counts to the PlayStation Store's 10:00 UTC, the later of the two, until NetEase announces a time.

Ananta release time in your time zone

If the game does open at the PlayStation Store's 10:00 UTC, this is the local time around the world. January is winter in the north, so Europe and North America are on standard time, and summer in Australia and New Zealand, which are on daylight time.

Is the release worldwide?

Yes. Chinese press quotes the announcement as a simultaneous global launch on Jan 15, 2027, free to play on PC, PS5 and mobile (Gcores), and Inven Global reports that Korea launches with the global service. China's regulator licensed the game, as 《无限大》, in its Dec 2024 batch, for the PC client, mobile and PlayStation 5. Players in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau get their own App Store and Google Play listings, which the official site links for Traditional Chinese visitors; where to find each store is on How to Download.

How the date was announced

2:28 The date came with a trailer. "ANANTA Launch Date Trailer" premiered at gamescom Opening Night Live, broadcast at 8:00 p.m. in Cologne (11:00 a.m. Pacific) on Aug 25, 2026; it was already Aug 26 in Asia, which is the date Asian outlets give. Its last half minute passes tea fields, a village street and a carnival, then shows a title card reading "January 15, 2027"; the final card repeats the date under "Global release" with "Free to play" and the logos of PS5, Windows, the App Store and Google Play. NetEase announced at the same time that pre-registrations had passed 17 million from players in 110 countries and regions. By Oct 10, 2026 the trailer had about 10.7 million views on the official channel, more than any other Ananta video.

1:38 The same trailer revealed a second city. In PlayStation's upload, the Captain asks where he is and realizes "I'm back home", and someone wants to come along to find martial arts masters and legendary weapons. PlayStation's description: "The story of ANANTA unfolds between Nova City and Chongxiao's Lingyun City." Chongxiao is covered on Chongxiao and every trailer on Trailers.

Why January 2027?

9:09 Ananta was once expected sooner. At Tokyo Game Show in Sep 2025, producer Ash told Japanese press that development was still at an early stage but that the team wanted to deliver the finished game as soon as possible, and that he did not think it would take too long, as MugenFox relays the interview. The same month Weekly Famitsu printed "2026年配信予定" (planned for 2026), and Ash said internal materials carried that target, with firmer timing to follow.

NetEase then went quiet: Ananta was absent from NetEase's own "520" showcase on May 20, 2026. On the earnings call the next day, NetEase's Hu Zhipeng said the company would rather spend more time on quality than rush out "an ordinary product", and called the open-world field "crowded in 2026". The Jan 15, 2027 date followed three months later. NetEase has not explained the choice of January; Push Square's headline notes that it lands eight weeks after Grand Theft Auto 6, which is due on Nov 19, 2026. The date has not moved since it was announced, as of Oct 10, 2026. The game's full history is on Development History.

What to expect on launch day

6:40 Two cities and a long game. One of IGN's hosts, back from playing it at gamescom 2026, says he asked how many hours there would be at launch and was told about a hundred, with the release on Jan 15, after Grand Theft Auto 6. NetEase's publishing and marketing leads told Insider Gaming the same: "at least 100 hours of content" at launch, and support for "at least seven years" with new quests, characters and maps. Both Nova City and Chongxiao are in the launch game. A multiplayer mode is planned, but NetEase has not said it will be there at launch (Multiplayer and Co-op).

Will there be a beta before launch?

5:02 None has been announced, though NetEase has not ruled one out. Steparu, back from gamescom 2026, asks whether there will be any beta or closed test at all, noting that the team seems to aim for a one-time release like a console or PC game rather than the test rounds of mobile gacha games. As of Oct 10, 2026 there has been no global or Western beta and no sign-up for one; PC Gamer wrote in Aug 2026 that "it's not looking like there will be one before the game's January launch either". China had an offline closed test in Jan 2025, and the public has played demos at Tokyo Game Show 2025 and gamescom 2026 (Beta Tests and Demos).

Can you pre-load Ananta?

Not yet, and no pre-load date has been announced on any platform as of Oct 10, 2026: not on Steam, the PlayStation Store, the App Store, Google Play or the official site. NetEase has not given a download size either. Until NetEase announces them, the store pages take only wishlists and pre-registrations, and what is known about PC hardware needs is on PC System Requirements.

What happens before launch

Pre-registration milestones keep unlocking rewards: the 25 million tier (a Profile Card) was passed between Oct 10 and Oct 15, 2026, by the official site's counter, and the 30 million and 35 million tiers (100 Jillion Vouchers and a Character Outfit) are still ahead (Pre-registration and Rewards). Ananta is a nominee for Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, whose public vote closes on Oct 23 and whose winners are named on Nov 11, 2026, and The Game Awards announce their 2026 nominees in November (Reception). Which machines run it is on Platforms.

Frequently asked questions

When does Ananta come out? Ananta launches worldwide on Friday, Jan 15, 2027, on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS and Android, free to play and on the same day in every region.

What time does Ananta come out? NetEase has not announced a launch hour for Ananta as of Oct 15, 2026. The PlayStation Store lists 10:00 UTC on Jan 15, 2027, which is 2:00 a.m. PT, 5:00 a.m. ET, 10:00 a.m. in London, 6:00 p.m. in Beijing and 7:00 p.m. in Tokyo, while Apple's App Store data gives midnight Pacific (8:00 UTC); both are likely store defaults rather than NetEase's hour.

What time does Ananta release in EST and PST? If Ananta opens at the PlayStation Store's listed 10:00 UTC, that is 5:00 a.m. EST and 2:00 a.m. PST on Jan 15, 2027; NetEase itself has not announced an hour.

Does Ananta come out in China at the same time? Yes. Ananta launches simultaneously worldwide on Jan 15, 2027, China included, under its Chinese title 《无限大》.

Can I pre-load Ananta? Not yet. NetEase has not announced a pre-load date or a download size for Ananta on any platform as of Oct 10, 2026.

Was Ananta delayed? Ananta never had an official date before Jan 15, 2027, but Weekly Famitsu reported a 2026 target in Sep 2025, and in May 2026 NetEase said it would rather spend more time on quality than rush the game out.

Is there an Ananta countdown? Yes. This viki's countdown runs to 10:00 UTC on Jan 15, 2027, the PlayStation Store's listed time, and will follow NetEase's hour if one is announced; Steam says Ananta "plans to unlock in approximately 3 months" as of Oct 10, 2026.

Sources

• Ananta official site, NetEase (release date, read Oct 10, 2026; pre-registration counter read Oct 18, 2026)
• Ananta on Steam, Valve, read Oct 10, 2026
• Ananta on the PlayStation Store, Sony (release listing, read Oct 10, 2026)
• Ananta on the App Store and its store data, Apple (expected release in the US, UK, German, Japanese and Korean stores, read Oct 15, 2026)
• NetEase's Ananta to launch globally on January 15, 2027, Inven Global, Aug 25, 2026
• Ananta launches on January 15, 2027 for PS5, PC, mobile, RPG Site, Aug 25, 2026
• Ananta lands January 15, 2027 with a new trailer unveiling its second major city, GamingTrend, Aug 26, 2026
• Ananta sets January 2027 launch date as pre-registration passes 17m, PocketGamer.biz, Aug 27, 2026
• Ananta at gamescom 2026, Gcores, Aug 29, 2026
• Chongxiao: a city alive with nature, Ananta's second world, Inven Global, Aug 30, 2026
• Ananta will finally show up again at gamescom 2026, Siliconera, Aug 18, 2026
• China's December 2024 game approvals, 17173, Dec 27, 2024
• Producer interview, Famitsu, Sep 30, 2025
• Ananta absent from NetEase's 520 showcase, 17173, May 20, 2026
• NetEase Q1 2026 earnings call, Tencent News, May 21, 2026
• Anime open-world Ananta launches as a PS5 console exclusive 8 weeks after GTA 6, Push Square, Aug 2026
• Ananta will be supported for at least 7 years, Insider Gaming, Sep 4, 2026
• Ananta guide, PC Gamer, Aug 28, 2026
• NetEase earnings call on the first closed test, Yangtse Evening Post, Feb 21, 2025
• Golden Joystick Awards 2026 nominees, Denfaminicogamer, Sep 29, 2026
• gamescom Opening Night Live 2026, gamescom, Aug 25, 2026 (video description, air time)
• ANANTA Is Basically Anime GTA And It Looks Huge - Release Date, New City & Gameplay, Arekkz Gaming, Aug 27, 2026 (video)
• ANANTA Launch Date Trailer | Global Release January 15th, 2027, Ananta, Aug 25, 2026 (video)
• Ananta - Release Date Reveal Trailer | PS5 Games, PlayStation, Aug 25, 2026 (video)
• 10 BIG DETAILS REVEALED for ANANTA by Devs (Multiplayer,No Gacha & More!), MugenFox, Sep 26, 2025 (video)
• Ananta Is Weird, but Is It Good? - We Played It | gamescom 2026, IGN, Aug 29, 2026 (video)
• I Played ANANTA EARLY! (Gamescom Demo Da Wei Played), Steparu, Sep 3, 2026 (video)