Is Ananta free-to-play and does it have gacha?

Yes, Ananta is free-to-play, and it has no character gacha. Steam lists it as Free To Play^[1], and NetEase has confirmed that every playable character is obtained for free through gameplay and story progression^[2][3]. The game will earn money from cosmetics, but some key details of that model are still unknown.

Is Ananta free?

Yes. The Steam page lists Ananta as Free To Play^[1], and NetEase's own press releases present it as a free-to-play game^[6][7]. That applies to all four launch platforms (PC, PS5, iOS and Android), as covered in our platforms guide.

Does Ananta have a gacha system?

Not for characters. The information first came out through Famitsu in September 2025 and was reported by Automaton: Ananta will not have a character gacha^[2]. The developers repeated it in a TechRadar interview in December 2025^[3], and PC Gamer confirms it in its August 2026 overview^[4].

In other words, you will not pull random banners to get Shi Ye, Taffy, Richie, Wei Yinglong, Seymour or any other character. They are unlocked by playing and following the story^[2][3]. Our characters overview lists who has been shown so far.

How will Ananta make money?

The monetization focuses on cosmetics. The developers cite character skins and outfits, and also mention home and vehicle customization^[2][3].

What is still missing is how those cosmetics will be sold. PC Gamer notes that it is not confirmed whether paid cosmetics are sold directly or through their own randomized system^[4]. A battle pass or any other paid system has not been announced yet either. We will not fill that gap with guesses.

Why do players still talk about gacha?

Because the promise is precise: it is the character gacha that is excluded. Some players point out that this wording leaves room for other randomized items, and wonder whether weapons or cosmetics could still come from random draws^[2][4]. This is a player debate reported by the press, not a NetEase announcement. For now, nothing official says such a system exists, and nothing officially rules it out.

The pre-registration rewards give a hint of the in-game economy, with an in-game currency, dyes, a profile card and an outfit, but no character (see pre-registration).

How does Ananta compare with Neverness to Everness?

The comparison comes up constantly. Neverness to Everness, from Hotta Studio, is another urban open-world anime game, and both were playable at Tokyo Game Show 2025^[5]. The main business difference is exactly this one: Ananta has no character gacha, unlike NTE^[5][4]. We go into more detail in Ananta vs NTE.

What is still unknown?

• Whether paid cosmetics are direct purchases or randomized: not announced yet^[4].
• A battle pass or any other monetization: not announced yet.
• Prices and the name and role of each in-game currency: not published yet.

We will update this page, with sources, as soon as NetEase details it. Quick answers to the most common questions are in our FAQ.