ANANTA map: Nova City, Chongxiao and Lingyun explained

ANANTA has two big maps at launch: Nova City, where the story begins, and Chongxiao, the Captain’s home (fact in the registry). Lingyun, a name that often appears as the second city, is a city inside Chongxiao (fact in the registry). You travel between the two maps by plane: the Steam page says one ticket takes the Captain back home.

Why the names get mixed up

Coverage from 2025, including Wikipedia, called the second city Lingyun. At Gamescom 2026 NetEase named the second map Chongxiao, and the Launch Date Trailer description talks about “Chongxiao’s Lingyun City” (outdated in the registry).

The first city changed its English name too. In 2023 interviews it was Nova Inception Urbs; since December 2024 NetEase writes Nova City, and the Chinese name 新启 stayed the same (fact in the registry).

Nova City

Nova City was the first map the team built. Producer Ash Qi told TechRadar it has a modern, entertainment-driven mood with an occasionally chaotic energy. In 2023 he described it as a seamless map of more than 10 areas, including a business district, a beach, public parks, an amusement park and a factory (fact in the registry).

The official site names two of its districts:

• Downtown: the center, with shopping streets, a waterfront deck, a cherry blossom park and a red Ferris wheel.
• Veluxity Zone: the district for thrill-seekers, with street racing and fight clubs, run by the ParaBoar gang.

The ACD, the NCCA police, Saturn Entertainment, Aerie Bank and Reign Group are based in Nova City. NetEase names Shanghai, Hangzhou and Tokyo as inspirations for its cities (fact in the registry). Lingyun is built on Shanghai and Hangzhou, which leaves Tokyo for Nova City, though NetEase hasn’t paired them that directly. Ash Qi adds that places aren’t copied one to one but reworked for the story.

Chongxiao

Chongxiao was revealed in the Launch Date Trailer on August 25, 2026. Ash Qi told TechRadar the team realized it needed a second map about a year into building Nova City. Chongxiao is noticeably larger than Nova City, he said, with more advanced technology, more cultural content and large tourist attractions (fact in the registry).

On the official site Chongxiao includes:

• Lingyun: the city modeled on Shanghai and Hangzhou, where the developers live and work.
• Mingpu District: a riverside district of Lingyun where glass towers meet low brick houses, under Zenith Tower.
• Weilan Lake and Bachong Pagoda: a lake in Lingyun and a pagoda that, by the official description, only sect members may enter.
• Longqi Village: a tea village where Wei Yinglong runs the temple.

TechRadar compared the trailer with the real cities: small stone pagodas in Weilan Lake resemble the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon on Hangzhou’s West Lake, and Mingpu has a tower close to Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Tower (seen in footage). NetEase hasn’t named real landmarks itself. Ash Qi says boating on Weilan Lake is one of the activities only Chongxiao has.

How big is the map?

NetEase hasn’t given any size in square kilometers. The producer has only stated a goal: the biggest open world among free-to-play games (fact in the registry). Two size comparisons circulate, and neither comes from NetEase:

• “Nova City is about the size of Manhattan”: from Icy Veins’ summary of Tokyo Game Show 2025 interviews; we didn’t find it in the original interviews (rumor).
• “The map is six times the size of Neverness to Everness”: from a fan wiki’s list of unverified leaks, without a source or date (rumor).

Will all of it be ready on January 15?

Unclear. In September 2026 Ash Qi said “right now we’re building Lingyun”, so how much of Chongxiao opens at launch is an open question. More cities are planned after launch: in 2023 Ash Qi mentioned future cities inspired by Europe and America, and in 2025 he said new cities and districts will come with the story (fact in the registry). There are no names or dates yet.

Every named place is on our interactive map and in the locations database. To pick a side, take the Nova City or Chongxiao quiz.