Honkai: Nexus Anima has a launch window at last. HoYoverse will release its creature-catching RPG in spring 2027, 4Gamer reports, and the last closed test before that starts on November 25.
We couldn't open HoYoverse's own announcement directly, so everything below is credited to the outlets that carried it: 4Gamer, Inven Global and Gematsu. Gematsu names the publisher as miHoYo, while 4Gamer and Inven Global use HoYoverse. All three agree on the two dates that matter.
Where and when
Gematsu says the game launches on PC, iOS and Android. 4Gamer adds that pre-registration is already open on the App Store. No exact launch date has been reported, and 4Gamer's listing shows the price as undecided.
The Final Closed Beta runs on the same three platforms from November 25. Only the start is public for now: Gematsu reports that miHoYo says details of the test schedule will follow in later announcements, so don't plan your holidays around an end date just yet.
How to get in
Sign-ups are open now through the official website, where you fill out a recruitment questionnaire. It isn't first in, best dressed. Gematsu calls this a limited-slot test, and Inven Global says access is granted by random draw. Gematsu reports that selected players will hear through the eligibility checker, email, SMS and other channels.
The bit worth reading twice: player data gets wiped when the test ends, according to both Gematsu and Inven Global, so don't expect anything you catch here to carry over to launch.
What the test adds
The beta sends you out as an Animaster from the town of Iia, as Gematsu spells it. Gematsu lists a traditional bank, a high-rise office building and a lighthouse island among the settings. You can also rest in your own RV at any time and build habitats for your Anima while you explore. 4Gamer and Inven Global report the same camper van and habitat additions.
A few more changes are on Gematsu's list:
- Chromatic forms of Anima can turn up while you're out exploring.
- More juvenile Anima join the adventure, so you can raise them from fledgling upwards.
- New interactions include holding hands, hugging and being hoisted into the air by an Anima.
- Nexus Arena is a new mode where you build any lineup, get matched against opponents and push for higher ranks.
- The open world and challenge stages get tougher enemies.
The change gacha players will care about
The useful one is buried in the banner rules. Gematsu reports that the Eidos Event Bond and Anima Event Bond are being adjusted so the first 5-star Eidos or Anima you get is guaranteed to be the current limited one. Getting the current limited Eidos also lets you claim the matching Anima Companion for free.
Inven Global reports the same guarantee under different translated names, describing the first 5-star from each limited bond event as guaranteed to be that period's featured limited version. These are the rules for this test. Neither outlet says they will carry over to launch unchanged.
Jax's take: That first-5-star guarantee is the line I'd watch. No lost coin flip on your first big pull is a genuinely friendly rule for a gacha, and it's a beta feature rather than a promise, so testers should push on it now. If it survives to spring, it's a bigger deal than the bank lobby.
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