ANANTA gameplay explained: swinging, combat, switching characters and city life

In ANANTA you move through a city without stamina limits, fight with martial arts and telekinesis, switch between a growing cast of characters and build fame online. This summary follows NetEase’s materials and the reports of journalists who played the Tokyo Game Show 2025 demo (fact in the registry). Details may still change before January 15, 2027.

How do you get around in ANANTA?

Movement was designed without stamina, producer Ash Qi told GamesRadar in 2023 (fact in the registry). You swing between buildings on a line, run and climb walls, and NetEase promises you can reach anything you see. Its 2025 press release splits the city into three vertical layers (rooftops, mid-levels and ground floors) with indoor and outdoor areas. NetEase calls the movement design its 3C system, for character, camera and control.

Vehicles are the other half (transport). The August 2026 press release lists cars, motorcycles, helicopters, yachts, the subway and hang gliders (fact in the registry); the 2025 release adds buses and taxis, and Game Informer mentions skateboards and flying cars. Some characters have their own way to move: Taffy rides her hammer.

How does combat work?

Fights draw on action films and real martial arts, including Shaolin kung fu, according to Game Informer, and you can seek out masters to learn techniques (martial arts combat). You dodge, block and counter, take weapons from enemies and use street props such as golf clubs and trash bins. GamesRadar compared the timing to Batman: Arkham Asylum and reported that every playable character can pull objects with telekinesis. In Longqi Village, Tie Shan is shown training the Captain.

A team of four?

In 2023 the developers described battles with a team of four chosen characters and a shared special ability. Later materials talk about switching characters and say a team-up feature is still in development, without giving a party size. We list the four-character team as an open question.

Switching characters

You recruit agents to rebuild the ACD and switch between them (switching characters). NetEase names NCCA officer, hacker, delivery rider and content creator among the roles. Ash Qi told GamesRadar that a character you leave keeps living their own life, and he told Denfaminicogamer that new characters will follow the jobs that exist in the city. Six playable characters are on the official site, all unlocked by playing; here is who they are.

Fame and the phone

The premise is “Go Viral. Save the World.” Story missions, bounties, side quests and small interactions such as selfies with citizens raise the Captain’s fame, and more fame unlocks missions and influencer perks (fame and influence). The phone is the main tool: you post, follow a social feed that reacts to what you do and can snoop on passersby’s messages, which NetEase lists among the city’s interactions.

Residents and relationships

More than 100 residents have their own stories and quests (fact in the registry). Building relationships lets you recruit them into your Yeet Squad, which unlocks items, badges and combat abilities (relationships with residents). Ash Qi told TechRadar you can invite a favorite character to go shopping, eat out or see a show.

City activities

NetEase and the press have named these so far:

• Street racing at 3 a.m. and fight clubs in the Veluxity Zone.
• Arcades and mini-games: mahjong parlors, gyms, basketball, and carnival-style games in Chongxiao.
• Cafes and restaurants, including cat cafes and maid cafes, plus cinemas and clothing stores.
• Nightlife and live shows, such as the Sonic Boom Club in Nova City.
• Deliveries: in the Tokyo Game Show demo Taffy delivered a coffin with a vampire inside.
• Boating on Weilan Lake, which Ash Qi named as an activity only Chongxiao has.
• Petting cats in the parks.

Is there multiplayer?

Yes, though ANANTA can also be played solo. Producer Ash told IGN Japan that multiplayer is a closed format for friends, not an MMO, and that harder missions can be tackled together (fact in the registry). Party size and cross-play haven’t been announced (co-op with friends).

In September 2026 NetEase told AUTOMATON that a multiplayer mode is in development; what is known so far is in ANANTA multiplayer explained.

How all of this compares with GTA is in why ANANTA is called the anime GTA.