Beta Test History
Complete timeline of Neverness to Everness beta tests and public demos, from the July 16, 2024 announcement through the Co-Ex Test ending February 20, 2026. Covers the Chinese CBT, Containment Test, Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show, pre-registration milestones of 20 million in 2 days, and confirmed platforms.
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Overview
Neverness to Everness (NTE) has undergone an extensive public testing period since its initial announcement on July 16, 2024. Developed by Hotta Studio (a subsidiary of Perfect World) using Unreal Engine 5, the game's pre-release history is marked by progressively larger and more feature-complete test phases, expanding from a PC-only Chinese beta to a global cross-platform test spanning four platforms. Each test phase introduced new characters, expanded the playable area of Hethereau, and added gameplay systems in response to community feedback.
July 16, 2024: Official Announcement
Neverness to Everness was officially announced on July 16, 2024, with two trailers released simultaneously: a cinematic trailer covering the plot and characters, and a 13-minute gameplay reveal trailer (with Simplified Chinese text). The trailers showcased:
The open world of Hethereau with its urban-supernatural aesthetic, rendered in Unreal Engine 5.
Combat featuring the Esper Cycle attribute system with character-switching mechanics.
Several playable characters including Nanally.
Driving, exploration, housing, and the game's blend of everyday city life with anomalous events.
The announcement generated significant interest, with many observers noting the game's ambitious scope as a supernatural open-world action RPG for PC, consoles, and mobile.
November 28, 2024: Chinese Closed Beta Test
The Chinese Closed Beta Test (CBT) launched on November 28, 2024 as a limited-scale test, marking the first time players could experience the game hands-on.
Platform PC only.
Region China only (not available internationally).
Content The initial version of Hethereau with Bridge Crossing and Unheard Shores as the primary explorable districts. Three chapters of main storyline content and multiple side quests.
New characters Two male characters were highlighted: Adler (playable) and Edgar, both members of the Eibon Antique Shop who accompany the protagonist.
Vehicles Players could visit New Way Car to purchase vehicles or rent cars from the roadside. Vehicles featured physical damage upon collision, requiring visits to New Way for repairs.
Systems The Esper Cycle combat system, basic exploration, new chapter bosses, and anomaly commission bosses.
The Chinese CBT provided the first wave of hands-on impressions and gameplay footage that reached international audiences through content creators and press coverage. Feedback from this test informed the significant expansion seen in subsequent phases.
July 3-16, 2025: Containment Test
The Containment Test ran from July 3 to July 16, 2025 (with pre-download available from July 2), and represented a major step forward:
Platform PC (Windows).
Region First global test. International players could participate for the first time.
Languages English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese text, with English, Japanese, and Chinese voiceover options.
Map expansion Hethereau was expanded to 1.5 times its original size with the addition of two new districts: Miguel District and New Herland District.
New characters Three new playable characters: Hotori (Cosmos attribute, Bar Eibon owner who wields an umbrella and can freeze time), Baicang (Incantation attribute, captain of ETD-4 from the Bureau of Anomaly Control), and Hathor (Lakshana attribute, Sterry Express courier, skilled in martial arts).
Housing Peak (Fenglin Villa) became available for purchase, with quick teleportation and Anomaly Furniture systems.
Snow Mode A newly added feature allowing winter conditions in the city, with snow affecting Photo Mode and vehicle handling on icy roads.
DLSS support The Containment Test launched with NVIDIA DLSS 4 support on PC.
Twitch Drops Two rounds of Twitch Drops events ran during the test period.
The Containment Test was widely covered by gaming press and content creators, generating significant community growth. The expansion of Hethereau to four full districts and the addition of new characters addressed many requests from the Chinese CBT.
August 2025: Gamescom
Neverness to Everness was showcased at Gamescom in August 2025 with a playable demo available on both PC and PlayStation 5, along with a new trailer titled "Hethereau Exclusive Feature."
PS5 debut This was the first time the game was publicly playable on PlayStation 5, confirming console platform support. A PS5 wishlist page was made available.
Path tracing The demo showcased full ray tracing/path tracing powered by GeForce RTX 50-series GPUs with DLSS 4 (Multi Frame Generation), bringing the game's supernatural urban world to life through advanced lighting, reflections, and shadows.
Booth experience Attendees could experience NTE with NVIDIA DLSS 4 featuring Multi Frame Generation, delivering exceptional image quality and performance at the booth.
The Gamescom showing positioned Neverness to Everness as a technically ambitious title. NVIDIA featured NTE in its official Gamescom 2025 announcements alongside other major titles supporting DLSS 4 and full ray tracing.
September 25-28, 2025: Tokyo Game Show
Neverness to Everness appeared at the Tokyo Game Show (TGS) from September 25 to 28, 2025, at Booth Hall 5 C02, with significant milestones:
First mobile demo TGS featured the first publicly playable mobile version of the game, giving attendees an exclusive hands-on ahead of the planned global launch.
Developer Q&A sessions Hotta Studio hosted sessions where players learned about the technical work behind bringing a large-scale open-world RPG to mobile devices.
Japan market focus The TGS appearance targeted the Japanese market specifically, an important audience for action RPGs.
New trailer A TGS-specific trailer was released alongside the demo.
The mobile demo at TGS was closely watched by industry observers, as the quality of mobile ports for open-world games is often a concern. Positive reception suggested that NTE could successfully deliver its open-world experience across all target platforms.
February 6-20, 2026: Co-Ex Test
The Co-Ex Test (short for Coexistence Test) ran from February 6 to February 20, 2026 (with pre-download available from February 4), and was the most comprehensive test phase to date:
Platforms PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android the first time all four target platforms were available simultaneously, with cross-platform play between all devices.
Crime system Introduction of the Crime and Wanted System with three-star wanted levels, police pursuits, drone attacks, and the full detention center experience including wall washing, prisoner trading, and the spoon escape mechanic.
Vehicles Expanded vehicle system with new muscle cars, supercars, and motorbikes. Added first-person driving, horn honking, vehicle dismount animations, realistic damage including tire popping and explosions, and enhanced NPC traffic AI.
Anomaly Dungeons Two cooperative multiplayer dungeons (The Bank, The Hospital) designed for group play.
Social activities Fishing, taxi driving, racing, mahjong, rhythm games, coffee shop work, and the Pink Paws Heist (an equalized team-based heist activity).
Drone flying New Bird's Eye View mechanic for unrestricted aerial exploration and photography.
New characters teased Eight new characters appeared in the Co-Ex Test trailer: Chiz (described as a bank manager/urban guide), Shinku, Iroi, Nitsa, Elyms, Lingko, Exe, and Chaos. Playability status for most remained unconfirmed.
Twitch Drops A Twitch Drops event ran from February 6 to February 13, with viewers able to earn a beta draw ticket for Co-Ex Test access.
The Co-Ex Test was the largest and most feature-complete public test. The name "Co-Ex" (Coexistence) reflected both the cross-platform coexistence and the in-game theme of humans coexisting with supernatural phenomena. Following the test's conclusion on February 20, the developers released a statement promising smoother gameplay, better translation, and bug fixes based on player feedback.
Pre-Registration Milestones
Pre-registration for Neverness to Everness opened alongside the Co-Ex Test on February 6, 2026, on the iOS App Store, Google Play Store, and PlayStation Store. The response was remarkable:
20 million pre-registrations were surpassed within just 2 days of sign-ups opening.
The pre-registration campaign includes tiered milestone rewards: 15 million pre-registrations unlock Beetle Coins, 20 million unlock Elite Hunter Guides, 25 million unlock Fabricated Dice, 30 million unlock a character named Haniel, and 35 million unlock additional Fabricated Dice.
Release Date
As of February 2026, a listing on the Apple App Store shows a release date of May 15, 2026. A moderator of the NTE Global Discord server has also claimed this date. However, this date has not been officially confirmed by Hotta Studio or Perfect World Games through official channels.
Confirmed Platforms
Based on all test phases and demonstrations, Neverness to Everness will be available on:
PC Available since the Chinese CBT. Supports ray tracing, path tracing, and DLSS 4 on compatible NVIDIA hardware.
PlayStation 5 First publicly playable at Gamescom 2025. Playable during the Co-Ex Test. PS5 Pro enhanced.
iOS Mobile version debuted at TGS 2025. Playable during the Co-Ex Test.
Android Playable during the Co-Ex Test alongside iOS.
No Xbox or Nintendo Switch versions have been announced as of February 2026.
Evolution Across Tests
Tracking the game's evolution across test phases reveals a clear pattern of expansion and refinement:
CBT (Nov 2024) China-only PC. Two districts (Bridge Crossing, Unheard Shores). Initial character roster. Vehicle purchasing and damage at New Way Car.
Containment Test (Jul 2025) First global PC test. Map grew 1.5x with Miguel and New Herland districts. Three new characters (Hotori, Baicang, Hathor). English/Japanese/Chinese language support. Housing, Snow Mode, DLSS 4.
Co-Ex Test (Feb 2026) Four platforms with cross-play. Crime system, detention center, expanded vehicles (muscle cars, supercars, motorbikes), cooperative dungeons, social activities, Pink Paws Heist, drone flying, eight teased characters.
Each test phase addressed community feedback while introducing substantial new content, building confidence that the full launch will deliver a polished and content-rich experience.
Related Pages
Hethereau The city that expanded across test phases.
Esper Cycle The combat system refined through testing.
Gacha System The Scarborough Fair system tested across phases.
Crime and Wanted System System introduced in the Co-Ex Test.
Vehicles and Traversal Vehicle system expanded across all test phases.
Multiplayer Cross-platform multiplayer demonstrated in the Co-Ex Test.
Hathor Character introduced in the Containment Test.
Hotori Character introduced in the Containment Test.
Baicang Character introduced in the Containment Test.
Bureau of Anomaly Control Organization central to the game's narrative.
Bridge Crossing District available since the first CBT.
Unheard Shores District available since the first CBT.
Miguel District District added in the Containment Test.
New Herland District District added in the Containment Test.