ANANTA just dropped a new gameplay trailer ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, and it’s already turning heads. Fans are calling it “GTA, but anime-style”, and from what we’ve seen, that comparison makes sense. The game leans heavily into open-world freedom and pure chaos, but with a stylish anime twist. Here’s everything we learned in this new trailer!
GTA x Anime
For years, most popular anime-inspired gacha titles have stuck to the same formula: fantasy settings, familiar combat systems and predictable mechanics. ANANTA breaks away from that mold by offering complete freedom, not only in combat but also in how you explore the world.
The trailer shows off several ways to move through the city. You can swing across rooftops just like Spider-Man using your powers, zip around in cars with the same reckless energy as GTA, or just take a casual stroll if that’s your vibe. The best part? These traversal mechanics aren’t tied to specific characters, they’re available to everyone.
The GTA influences don’t stop there. ANANTA also features an in-game smartphone, quirky open-world minigames, first-person driving, and even a minimap that feels strikingly familiar. Some may also notice a similarity with the Watch Dogs franchise, with hacking mechanics!
Fists, Racket, Rocket Launcher: Everything is Fair Game!
ANANTA’s combat system offers another clear not to GTA. In most gacha games, you’d expect flashy ultimates, magic attacks, and character-specific powers. While those will likely appear in the final release, the trailer takes a different approach. It highlights the freedom to fight with whatever tools are at hand.
The game introduces a weapon wheel, letting you swap gear and customize your fighting style on the fly. It feels very GTA, giving players plenty of options to handle battles however they prefer.
The trailer showcases the main characters engaging in confrontations with street thugs, apprehending criminals, and even employing infiltration tactics to navigate through sensitive areas. This suggests missions won’t be one-size-fits-all, you’ll be able to tackle them using stealth or brute force. And since you’re part of an investigation team, you can go beyond simple combat by actually making arrests in the open world.
Characters and Customisation
Of course, since ANANTA is a gacha game, players are also eager to see the lineup of characters and how much customisation it will offer. And from the looks of it, the community has plenty to be excited about.
The trailer briefly shows a character wheel, hinting at the cast we’ll have access to early on. You can check their name and affiliation on the official website if you’re interested. It’s still unclear which ones will be free and which might require gacha pulls. There are also rumors that there won’t be any character gacha, and that only specific cosmetics will be locked behind gacha. However, without an official statement, we can’t be certain. That said, it seems likely that a good chunk of them will be available without spending.
Customisation is another big win for ANANTA. The game will let you change outfits with in-game currency, meaning skins aren’t tied to gacha systems or microtransactions. You’ll earn money through missions and can use it to style not just the main cast but also other characters. It’s a refreshing approach that gives players the freedom to design their characters without being forced to pay extra.
The excitement is clearly building. Following the trailer’s release, ANANTA shot to the number one trending spot on BiliBili, China’s biggest social media platform, overtaking Honkai: Nexus Anima. With the Tokyo Game Show right around the corner, expectations for ANANTA couldn’t be higher, and news will keep coming, so stay tuned for more!
