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 22, 2026.
Overview
In Ananta, the player assembles and controls a team of four characters. Rather than keeping the entire party together at all times, the game uses a switching system inspired by GTA 5's character transitions. When you switch to a different team member, the camera pulls up and flies across Nova City to wherever that character happens to be at the moment, already going about their own business.
How it differs from Genshin Impact
Players familiar with Genshin Impact or similar team-based action RPGs might expect characters to swap in place, with the new character materializing where the old one was standing. Ananta takes a fundamentally different approach. Each team member exists independently in the world, living their own daily life according to the Day-Night Cycle schedules. Switching to them means going to them, not summoning them to you.
This design choice has real gameplay consequences. It means your team is spread out across the city at any given time. Switching to a character who happens to be nearby is fast. Switching to someone on the other side of town takes a longer camera transition. It rewards awareness of where your team members are and what they are doing.
Interface and transitions
Character selection is accessed through a watch-like interface on the player's wrist (distinct from the in-game phone used for other features). When a switch is initiated, a smooth cinematic camera transition carries the player's perspective from the current character's location to the destination character's location. The camera pulls upward, sweeps across the city skyline, and drops down to the new character.
Developer examples have described scenarios like switching to a character "driving a car miles away" or transitioning to "another character close by who was ready with sniper support." These examples illustrate both the geographic range of the system and its potential for tactical use during combat encounters.
Character independence
When you are not controlling a character, they continue to exist in the world. They follow their own routines: going to work, eating meals, socializing. Producer Ash Qi has compared this to Marvel films, where "characters pursue their own lives but come together for major story events." This framing positions the team not as a static party but as a group of individuals with their own agency.
Each character has their own unique stats, abilities, and combat styles. The Captain fights differently from Taffy, who fights differently from Richie. This variety means that switching characters mid-encounter is not just about location. It is about changing your combat toolkit on the fly.
Team abilities
Beyond individual character abilities, the entire team can equip an extra buff or major ability. These team-level powers include options like crowd control and telekinesis, providing a shared tactical layer that benefits from having all four characters contribute. The exact details of how team abilities are acquired, upgraded, or swapped are not fully documented yet.
Combat vs. exploration
The team switching system operates in both open-world exploration and during major battle events. In exploration, you navigate as a single character and can switch at will to move to a different part of the city or just check on what another team member is up to. During boss fights and major encounters, switching takes on a more tactical dimension, letting you bring the right character and abilities to bear at the right moment.
The distinction between exploration switching and combat switching is important. Exploration switches involve the full cinematic camera fly-over. Combat switches (especially when characters are in close proximity during a fight) may use shorter transitions, though the exact behavior during heated combat has not been fully detailed.
Building your team
Players start with the Captain and gradually recruit additional characters through story progression. Taffy is among the first allies recruited. All playable characters are earned through gameplay with no character gacha involved. For the full roster, see the characters page.
Sources
IGN, Producer interview TGS 2025 (accessed February 22, 2026)
Icy Veins, TGS 2025 interview details (accessed February 22, 2026)
PC Gamer, No character gacha confirmed (accessed February 22, 2026)
TechWiser, GTA + Spiderman + Ananta comparison (accessed February 22, 2026)
MMORPG.com, Developer interview (accessed February 22, 2026)