Beating the 50/50 once and for all: Ananta won't be a gacha.
Despite looking every inch like the next big gacha, Netease’s upcoming free-to-play open-world RPG ANANTA won’t actually feature a character gacha system. According to a report by Famitsu (via Automaton), all playable characters can be unlocked simply by progressing through the story. Monetisation will instead focus on cosmetics such as outfits, vehicle skins, and home customisation.
That means no rolling for five-stars, no praying to RNG gods, and no chasing limited-time banners. Instead, ANANTA’s cash shop is all about fashion, flair, with a bit of home improvement.
GTA meets Spider-Man with a dash of Yakuza in a ZZZ world
On the gameplay front, ANANTA is shaping up to be a genre-blending cocktail. Imagine the open-world freedom of GTA and Watch Dogs, fused with Spider-Man’s smooth traversal, Sifu’s brawling combat, a touch of Batman: Arkham stealth, and the dramatic flair of Yakuza. At first glance it might look like a stylish gacha RPG in the vein of Zenless Zone Zero or Honkai: Star Rail, but here it’s all action, exploration, and customisation rather than character pulls.
From what’s been shown so far, it looks like a high-budget playground of urban chaos, packed with systems for exploration, customisation, and combat. It’s the kind of mashup that could appeal to fans of both stylish action games and sprawling open-world sandboxes. Our GosuGamers team had a chance to try the game on the ground at the Tokyo Game Show 2025, and here are our first impressions.
A shift away from gacha?
ANANTA isn’t the only title moving away from gacha monetisation. Earlier this year, Duet Night Abyss also announced it was ditching character gacha to avoid “forced spending” and the pay-to-win stigma, opting instead for a cosmetics-focused model. Both games highlight a potential trend: high-budget free-to-play RPGs that want to hook players with gameplay first, not loot boxes disguised as character rolls.
What’s next for ANANTA?
With more than 11 million pre-registrations already logged worldwide, ANANTA is drawing serious attention even without a release date in sight.With no gacha barrier and a promising blend of influences, the game could become one of the most exciting free-to-play launches in recent years.
