No official release date has been announced. NetEase and its studio Naked Rain still talk about a 2026 window, but no quarter, no month and no open beta have been confirmed. And as the chances to announce something slip by one after another, a slide into 2027 is becoming just as credible a scenario.
The short answer
No, Ananta does not have a release date.
It’s frustrating, but that is the actual state of things. The game was announced at Gamescom 2023 under the codename Project Mugen, renamed Ananta in late 2024, and has stayed in a carefully maintained fog ever since. No new gameplay footage has been shown since September 2025.
Everything you see phrased as “confirmed for Q3 2026” or “launching in April” is an estimate, a reading of investor calendars or, in some cases, SEO filler. If you land on an article that gives you an exact day with no official source, keep it at arm’s length.
Quick reminder: what is Ananta?
Ananta is a free-to-play urban open-world action RPG developed by Naked Rain, NetEase’s in-house studio based in Hangzhou, with part of the team coming from Montreal. The pitch fits in one sentence: a mix of Genshin Impact, GTA, Spider-Man and Persona, set in an anime metropolis called Nova City, roughly the size of Manhattan.
You play an agent, the Captain, of the Anti-Chaos Department (A.C.D.), tasked with handling paranormal phenomena that disrupt everyday life in the city.
Two things clearly set it apart from its competitors. First, no character gacha: every playable character is obtained for free, through the story or encounters in the open world. No banners, no pity, no pressure on your wallet. Second, cosmetic-only monetization: clothing, vehicles, customization.
Announced platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, Android, and cloud gaming. Xbox is not confirmed.
What NetEase has actually said
The last substantial official statement dates back to the Q1 2026 earnings call on 21 May. Asked by an analyst how Ananta plans to stand out in a saturated open-world market, management answered, in substance: the game is an “urban open world” built around city life rather than combat, the team is focused on content quality, and NetEase would rather take the time it needs than rush out something average.
Translation: no date, no window, no beta announced. But also no sign of a project in trouble. The tone is still that of a game being polished, not one being rescued.
Timeline: from Project Mugen to today
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 24 August 2023 | Announced at Gamescom as Project Mugen |
| Nov to Dec 2024 | Renamed Ananta; new trailer on 5 December; operating licence obtained in China |
| January 2025 | First offline technical test in Hangzhou |
| September 2025 | 7-minute gameplay trailer, then playable at Tokyo Game Show 2025: first public hands-on |
| January 2026 | Second closed test; feedback described by management as in line with expectations |
| June 2026 | Absent from Summer Game Fest |
| July 2026 | Physical appearance at Bilibili World, on a partner’s booth: reused footage, nothing new |
| 31 July to 3 August 2026 | ChinaJoy ends without Ananta: not an exhibitor, absent from the NetEase and PlayStation booths |
Four announcement windows in 2026 have therefore closed with nothing. That is the most telling fact in the whole file.
Dates to watch in the coming weeks
Three dated events remain on the calendar, and the one most likely to produce something is not a trade show.
1. 20 August: NetEase Q2 2026 financial results
This is the real one. Ananta was brought up on the last two earnings calls, and the May answer remains the most substantial official statement of the year. An analyst call never produces a trailer, but it can produce a launch quarter, which is worth far more than a trailer.
Two scenarios. Either a quarter gets named, and the whole picture changes. Or the answer stays “we’re polishing the content”, with no calendar, and that, four months after May, is a real signal that 2027 is getting closer.
2. Gamescom, 25 to 30 August
Ananta is not an announced title on the programme, nor at Opening Night Live. A dated show is a place and a window, not a reservation. ChinaJoy just reminded everyone of that.
3. Tokyo Game Show, 17 to 21 September
Here the precedent is better: TGS 2025 is where the game became playable for the first time, after a mere appearance on a partner booth at ChinaJoy the same year. The same pattern repeated this summer at Bilibili World. Worth following, without reading it as a promise.
2026 or 2027?
Honestly, both hold up.
The case for 2026: NetEase has never walked back the 2026 window. The game has its Chinese licence, the closed tests went well, global pre-registrations have been open for a long time (more than 12 million announced). Technically, everything is in place.
The case for 2027: holding late 2026 would take a lightning marketing campaign, with an open beta, a date, content pre-orders and server rollout, and none of that has started. No new footage in eleven months. A global, multi-platform free-to-play does not launch in silence.
Anyone telling you today that one of the two options is locked in is going beyond what the public record says. If you like this kind of release-date watch, we do the same exercise on the GTA 6 release date.
What to do in the meantime
Pre-register on the official site (anantagame.com). It’s free, it usually unlocks launch rewards, and it’s the most direct channel to get notified.
Follow the official channels: major announcements land there first, before aggregator sites.
And be wary of overly precise dates. If an article gives you an exact day with no official source, it’s speculation in a nice outfit.
Quick FAQ
Is Ananta free? Yes. Fully free-to-play, with no character gacha. Monetization is cosmetic.
Will there be an open beta? None has been announced. Two closed tests have taken place (January 2025 and January 2026). Part of the community actually thinks NetEase may go straight to launch.
Which platforms? PC, PS5, iOS, Android, cloud gaming. Xbox not confirmed. Cross-platform is confirmed.
Simultaneous worldwide release? Not confirmed. A staggered rollout (PC first, mobile later) remains possible, as does a simultaneous global launch.
Updated 14 August 2026. The next thing that could change the picture is NetEase’s earnings call on 20 August.