Ananta has not yet launched globally. This page includes details from official posts, developer interviews, hands-on previews, and the January 2026 Closed Beta Test as of February 16, 2026.
Nova City is the primary open-world setting in ANANTA. It is a sun-soaked coastal metropolis roughly the size of Manhattan, making it one of the largest urban game environments attempted in a single city. The Japanese urban styling is inspired by neighborhoods like Akihabara, rendered in the game's cel-shaded anime aesthetic with a full day-night cycle.
Districts and areas
The city includes beaches, amusement parks, industrial zones, shopping districts, business centers, residential areas, artistic quarters, neon nightlife zones, and cultural centers. The environment has three vertical layers: rooftops, mid-level platforms, and street level, all of which are explorable through parkour and grappling.
Named locations
Paradox Plaza
Glimmergold
Sonic Boom Club
Whalebone Library (also called Flying Bone Library)
Eve Gallery (Eve Art Museum)
Living world
NPCs follow daily routines, carry smartphones, and post on social media. They react to player behavior: steal someone's phone and they get angry; cause a scene and it might end up on the in-game social feeds. Random encounters appear on the map as red and blue markers. See City Life and Social Media Influence for more.
Future expansion
The developers have confirmed additional cities will be added over time. European-style and American-style cities are planned, along with countryside zones and new regions. Travel between cities has been mentioned but not detailed.
Naming history
Early Project Mugen materials used the abbreviation N.I.U. (Nova Inception Urbs). Later marketing shifted to simply "Nova City" or "Nova." This wiki treats them as the same location unless the developers clarify otherwise.
Sources
NetEase Games press release (Dec 2024) (accessed February 16, 2026)
Official gameplay trailer post (Sep 2025) (accessed February 16, 2026)
Icy Veins. TGS 2025 interviews (accessed February 16, 2026)
Gematsu game page (accessed February 16, 2026)