Overview
The official Neverness to Everness launch roadmap was published on February 26, 2026, alongside the release date announcement. The roadmap details all planned improvements between the Co-Ex Test beta and the April 29 global launch. Hotta Studio was notably transparent about the game's shortcomings during testing, organizing the roadmap across multiple categories with specific commitments for each area. The developers also stated that some major upcoming features were being kept hidden and would be revealed through future shows and streams rather than the roadmap itself.
Performance and Stability
The roadmap prioritizes addressing performance issues identified across all platforms during beta testing:
Overall performance and stability improvements on PC, PlayStation 5, and mobile platforms
General bug fixes across all systems
Cross-device stability improvements
PC and mobile optimization as top priorities
Smoother new player onboarding experience
Visual and Technical Enhancements
NTE is receiving significant graphical upgrades for its official launch, leveraging the latest rendering technology:
Enhancement | Details |
|---|---|
Unreal Engine 5.7 Upgrade | Engine upgrade with Global Illumination System support for dramatically improved lighting. |
NVIDIA DLSS 4 | Multi-Frame Generation support for PC players, enabling higher framerates on compatible hardware. |
Full ray tracing and path tracing support on PC, delivering dramatic upgrades in lighting, shadows, and reflections. | |
Lumen Bug Fixes | Fixing noticeable ghosting artifacts in the existing Lumen implementation that players reported during beta. |
Additional Visual Options | New graphics settings including ray tracing toggles for players to customize their visual experience. |
UI and Interface Overhauls
Multiple interface systems are being overhauled based on beta tester feedback:
Complete overhaul of the Awaken interface (the duplicate skill unlock screen), which beta testers described as "rather boring"
Improvements to the character UI screen for clearer information display
Enhanced mobile UI with better touch controls and layout
Improved UI text display for natural readability across all supported languages
Several broader UI overhauls (specific details remain under wraps)
Localization: improved translations and terminology cleanup across all supported languages for better readability
Character Detail Improvements
Character visuals and animations are receiving targeted polish for launch:
Area | Improvement |
|---|---|
Hair and Facial Models | Enhanced detail and rendering quality for character faces and hair. |
Base Animations | Improved idle, walking, and interaction animations across all characters. |
Combat Animations | |
Lip Syncing | Major improvements to lip syncing, one of the most complained about aspects during beta testing. |
Mobile Character Rendering | Dedicated mobile-specific character rendering improvements. |
Open World and Companion Improvements
The open world experience in Hethereau is receiving expansions to companion and social systems:
First-person perspective option for hand-holding interactions with companions
More companion interactions with improvements to existing dialogue
Option to invite Chiz as a companion (S-Class Cosmos character unlocked at City Tycoon Level 18)
Expanded hangout interactions
New spontaneous city encounters with NPCs
Additional invitable characters
Fresh outfit options for characters
Improved companion pathfinding (addressing beta glitches)
Quest triggering fixes (beta required repositioning far away to trigger some quests)
Vehicle and Driving System
The vehicle system is receiving attention across all platforms:
Improved driving feel across all platforms (driving was noted as stiff during beta)
Driving UI polish
Expanded car variety with new vehicle models
Improved car camera behavior (beta had aggressive camera sensitivity without adjustment options)
Enhanced Traffic AI with NPCs actively driving diverse vehicles to create realistic urban traffic flow
Housing System
The housing system is receiving quality of life improvements:
Expansion of existing housing features
Better furniture placement mechanics
Improved controls for decoration
Increased interactions available within housing
Hethereau Hobbies and Mini-Games
Hethereau Hobbies are getting expanded with new features and quality of life fixes:
Activity | Improvement |
|---|---|
AI players added to address the online-only complaint. No single-player practice mode existed in beta. | |
Racing | AI opponents added for when not enough real players are available for matchmaking. |
Enhanced with improved animations, camera work, and audio. | |
Various enhancements to the claw machine experience. | |
Ride-Along Companions | More companions available to join you during activities. |
Matchmaking | General matchmaking improvements to address issues from beta. |
Visual and variety improvements are also planned across all mini-games.
Combat and Content Updates
High-Risk Commissions
New bosses are being added to High-Risk Commissions to expand the endgame experience.
Anomaly Commissions
Anomaly Commissions are receiving new areas and an improved overall experience for anomaly encounters.
Pink Paws Heist
The Pink Paws Heist is receiving major updates for launch:
Multiplayer support being fully implemented
More level variety
Adjusted enemy and item spawn logic
Improved rewards and pacing
Shorter completion time
Prison System
The Detention Center prison gameplay is being expanded with more escape methods, jobs, and rewards. The prison system was newly introduced during the Co-Ex Test.
Multiplayer and Rewards
General multiplayer improvements are planned, alongside reward adjustments addressing beta feedback:
Enhanced Fon rewards for Circle Bounty (many players complained rewards were too low during beta)
Increased rewards for Riftcrystal Mining Permits
General multiplayer stability and quality improvements
Controls and Accessibility
Feature | Details |
|---|---|
Controller Haptic Feedback | Improved haptic feedback on PlayStation 5 DualSense and compatible controllers. |
Keyboard Bindings | Additional keyboard binding options for PC players. |
Mobile UI Controls | Enhanced touch controls and mobile-specific interface improvements. |
Character Training | Better tutorials for characters, with specific improvements for Esper Cycle instruction. |
Photo Mode
A new photo mode is being added with additional effects and overall system polish. This complements the existing drone photography system introduced during the Co-Ex Test.
New Character
Aurelia (A-Class), previously known as Mitsuki during beta testing, is confirmed as a new character for the launch window. She is described as an ex-band member. The free A-Class character Haniel is also available through pre-registration if the 30 million milestone is reached.
What is Not on the Roadmap
The developers explicitly stated that they are keeping major upcoming features hidden, preferring to show them through future streams and reveal events rather than including them in the roadmap. This suggests that additional content, characters, and game modes beyond what is listed here will be revealed closer to or after launch.
Beta Test Progression
For context on the improvements, here is how the game evolved across its testing phases:
Test | Date | Key Focus | |
|---|---|---|---|
Chinese CBT1 | November 2024 | PC, Mobile | Initial story content, basic driving, core combat |
Containment Test (CBT2) | July 3-16, 2025 | PC only | Combat overhaul (Parry Attack, Critical Dodge), DLSS 4, expanded world |
Co-Ex Test (CBT3) | February 6-20, 2026 | PC, PS5, iOS, Android | Multi-platform, prison system, drone flying, mini-games, vehicle customization |
China Open Beta Delivery Status
The Mainland China version of Neverness to Everness (titled 异环) went live on April 23, 2026 under the publishing of Perfect World Games and the development of Hotta Studio. The CN launch arrived on the calendar date announced on February 26 alongside this roadmap and served as the practical delivery check for every roadmap commitment listed above. Pre-download on the CN client opened on April 21, 2026 at 09:00 UTC+8, approximately 50 hours before servers opened, and the full install fit inside the 45 GB figure published as the minimum storage requirement.
Roadmap Items Observed Live
Items flagged on the CN launch client and confirmed by in-game observation include the Unreal Engine 5.7 upgrade with Lumen ghosting fixes, NVIDIA DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation, the full Awakening interface overhaul, the expanded vehicle roster with cars, motorcycles, and novelty rides, the Pink Paws Heist three-player co-op activity in friends-only and matchmaking modes, the Mahjong and Street Racing AI opponents for off-peak play, and the City Stamina pool running independently of the Anomaly combat stamina pool.
Items Confirmed for Global April 29
The global launch build uses the same 1.0 content patch as the CN version with locale and pre-registration differences. Cross-platform features confirmed live at CN launch carry across to the global release. Pre-download for the global client opens on April 27, 2026 at 10:00 UTC+8 under the same 45 GB envelope. The global client adds English, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, and Russian alongside the Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese locales that the CN client ships with, and voice-over options include English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese.
Post-Launch Storefronts (Announced 2026-05-23)
Steam Launch (July 2026). Hotta Studio and Perfect World Games confirmed a Steam release alongside the Version 1.1 Special Program. The Steam store page is live with App ID 4508340 and lists a July 2026 release window. The Steam build is Free to Play with in-app purchases and runs on Windows 10 64-bit only. The existing Hotta Studio launcher, App Store, Google Play, TapTap, and PlayStation Store continue to operate alongside Steam. Cross-progression carries over from the existing PC client.
Epic Games Store (July 2026). An Epic Games Store page also went live on May 23, 2026, listed as Coming Soon. The Epic build is expected to follow the Steam release window. Like Steam, Epic is a storefront expansion on top of the existing global launch and does not replace any current channel.
Samsung Galaxy Store and GeForce NOW. The Version 1.1 Special Program also confirmed two additional post-launch distribution channels: the Samsung Galaxy Store for Galaxy device users, and GeForce NOW for cloud streaming. Specific availability dates for these channels were not announced.
Version 1.1 (Mid-June 2026)
The Version 1.1 update introduces two new S-Class characters, Lacrimosa (Chaos element, Phase 1 banner) and Chaos (Chaos element, Phase 2 banner around June 24), a new Dream Corridor map area, a Porsche collaboration vehicle, a Persona 5 music collaboration, the Patrol Cleanup Plan daily activity, and quality-of-life improvements carried over from the May 21 hotfix.