Start with the headline: ANANTA will not sell characters through gacha. On September 15, 2026, Chinese media (Tencent News, Netease Hao, 17173, Sohu, Sina Finance) and English media (Escapist, Beebom) relayed the same official statement — the game runs on “no character banner at all, cosmetic-only payment” and launches free-to-play on January 15, 2027 for PC, PS5 and mobile. In plain terms: no matter how much you spend, you cannot buy a stronger character, only a better-dressed one.
But “cosmetics only” leaves real questions — which cosmetics, is there a monthly pass, can cosmetics themselves be rolled? The studio has not published those details. Below we split the information into three honest buckets: confirmed, an original tally from our own archive, and awaiting official confirmation, so community guesses never get written up as fact.
1. Confirmed: where the money goes, and where it does not
The things you do not pay for happen to be the three gacha titles usually spend the most on:
- Characters: unlocked free by advancing the main story and exploring the world — no banner, no random draw. This matches our Character Acquisition entry, the Is ANANTA a gacha game? explainer, and the real-time multi-character design covered in Combat & Identity Switching.
- Weapons and items: no official word places any weapon or item in a paid draw; you earn them through progression and world loot. Our weapons and items archives are documentation only, not a store.
The money you do spend is grouped under “appearance”:
- Outfit skins — character fashion. Our Shared Wardrobe entry covers the cross-character sharing of unlocked outfits that lowers repeat cost.
- Vehicle livery — customization for the hover cars and bikes in the movement system.
- Home decor — housing and furnishing cosmetics (17173/Sohu coverage names this category explicitly).
And pre-registration is free — see global launch date and pre-registration rewards. There is no large open beta before launch; pre-registration remains the only entry ticket (beta policy).
2. Original here: a “0 in the banner” tally
Drop “cosmetics only” onto our own archive and you get a cross-check competitors do not publish:
Our character archive lists 15 publicly revealed characters (12 confirmed playable and paired with guides), our weapons list 14 entries and items list 20. Against the September 15, 2026 official word, zero of these sit in a paid draw banner; the purchasable categories collapse to just three appearance groups — outfits, vehicle livery, home decor.
Method: counts come from our src/content collections; “0 in the banner” is a check against the confirmed wording, not a promise about the future store — if official adds sellable items after launch, the announcement governs.
3. Awaiting official confirmation: don’t mistake speculation for fact
The hottest community questions, still unpublished by the developer — we refuse to state them as conclusions:
- Exact pricing: per-item price bands for outfits and livery are unknown.
- Monthly pass / battle pass: whether a Battle Pass or growth fund exists has no official statement.
- Can cosmetics be rolled?: characters are banner-free for sure, but whether cosmetics ship as gacha/loot boxes is unstated — this decides whether free players can complete the looks, so watch future notices.
- Premium currency name and rates: a few channel articles mentioned a token name, but it appears in no global press release — exchange mechanics await official confirmation.
House rule: anything without an official source is marked “awaiting confirmation”; we invent no character names, prices or numbers.
4. What this means for a normal player
One line: this is a game you cannot get stronger by paying for — but you may happily pay to dress a character you love. Set expectations accordingly:
- Chasing power? Put the budget toward the tier list and team-building guides, not a fantasy of “buying characters” — they are free.
- A cosmetics fan? Wait for store rules to see whether looks are direct-purchase or rolled; that determines whether free players can collect them all.
- Countdown: launch is January 15, 2027 — track it on the release countdown; platforms and specs on the game info page.
FAQ
Is ANANTA a pay-to-win game? What is its monetization model?
ANANTA is free-to-play with cosmetic-only monetization: there is no character banner, and payments focus on outfit skins, vehicle livery and home decor. Chinese and English media relayed this official stance on September 15, 2026.
Can you play ANANTA without spending? Are characters gacha?
Yes. Characters unlock free through the main story and world exploration — no gacha, no banner. Weapons and items come from progression and world loot, with no official word placing them in a paid draw.
What exactly do you buy in ANANTA? Which cosmetics?
The purchasable content the studio has named is three appearance categories: character outfits/skins, vehicle livery, and home decor, plus a Shared Wardrobe that lets same-account characters share unlocked outfits. Individual items and the full list await official store details.
Will paying money make me stronger in ANANTA?
By current official wording, no. Cosmetics do not change combat stats, and you cannot buy a stronger character because characters unlock free with no banner. Whether any cosmetic carries a numerical bonus is not stated item by item and awaits official detail.
Does ANANTA have a monthly pass or a Battle Pass?
The developer has not announced whether a subscription pass, growth fund or similar recurring product exists — this is unconfirmed and we do not speculate.
Can ANANTA cosmetics be obtained by rolling? Is there a cosmetic banner?
Characters are definitely banner-free, but whether cosmetics sell as gacha or random boxes is unstated and depends on post-launch store rules — this directly affects whether free players can complete outfits. Pre-registration itself is free, there is no large open beta before launch, and it remains the only entry path; rewards are in our pre-registration guide.
Sources
- Tencent News / Netease Hao / 17173 / Sohu / Sina Finance, September 15, 2026: NetEase’s ANANTA has no character banner, cosmetic-only payment, free launch on PC/PS5/mobile January 15, 2027.
- Escapist “NetEase confirms ANANTA is free-to-play with no character gacha, cosmetics-only monetization”; Beebom “Ananta Confirms It Will Have No Character Gacha”.
- Games Press official release: January 15, 2027 date, 110 countries, 17M+ pre-registrations, free-to-play.
- Field counts from this site’s characters, weapons, items, Shared Wardrobe and Character Acquisition entries.