The short version
- Free on Windows PC. No purchase, no trial period.
- The gacha is the most free-to-play-friendly system in the genre right now — no 50/50, pity carries over.
- The open world and the city are the reason to play.
- The story and combat are the reason some people quit.
- Older hardware struggles. Check the requirements before you commit.
What NTE actually is
Neverness to Everness is a free-to-play urban open-world RPG from Hotta Studio — the team behind Tower of Fantasy — built on Unreal Engine 5 and published by Perfect World Games. It launched globally on April 29, 2026 and arrived on Steam and the Epic Games Store in July.
You play an Appraiser in Hethereau, a neon-lit city where supernatural Anomalies are treated as an ordinary municipal problem. The comparison people keep reaching for is "anime GTA," and it's half right: there's a drivable city, police chases, player housing, and street-level exploration. But the combat is closer to Genshin than to Rockstar, and the structure is a gacha game, not a crime sandbox.
It runs on PC, macOS, PS5, iOS and Android with full cross-progression. Start on PC, continue on your phone, same account.
The gacha is the best thing about it
This is not a small detail. It's the single strongest argument for trying NTE over anything else in the genre.
Most gacha games make you win a coin flip before you get the character you actually wanted. NTE doesn't. It uses a dice-board system called The Fair: the featured S-Rank is guaranteed within 90 pulls, improved rates kick in at 70, and — critically — pity carries over between limited banners.
What that means in practice: you can plan. Save toward a character, and the progress you build doesn't evaporate when the banner rotates. Reviewers across the board have called this one of the most generous systems currently on the market, and it's the reason free-to-play accounts can realistically clear the content they want to clear.
Sixteen characters were available at launch, ten of them S-class, with new ones added through version updates.
Hethereau is the draw
The city is where the budget went, and it shows. Traffic moves, districts have their own character, and the supernatural elements are woven into daily life rather than bolted on — a mind-controlling UFO anomaly is treated with roughly the same bureaucratic energy as a parking violation.
Beyond the main questline there's driving and vehicle customisation, player housing, a Companion system that builds relationships with the cast, and a steady supply of side content that leans into slice-of-life comedy. Your crew is Eibon, a permanently broke group of Anomaly Hunters led by Hitori, who would rather drink than take a commission.
If the appeal of an open world is wandering around a place that feels lived-in, NTE delivers that.
Where it falls short
An honest review has to spend time here, because these are the things that make people drop the game.
The story doesn't land. This is the most consistent criticism across every source. The main character reads as a supporting player in their own game, the pacing is slow early, and the English voice direction has taken repeated hits from players. Reviewers have called the writing lackluster, and version 1.2 didn't improve the situation.
Combat is competent, not memorable. It works, but in a genre that already includes Zenless Zone Zero's chain combat and years of refinement from Genshin, "fine" is a hard sell. Depth is divisive — some players find enough to chew on, others hit a ceiling quickly.
Performance is a real problem on older hardware. Stuttering, overheating and crashes are among the most-discussed issues in the community. Frame drops during driving sequences and in dense areas were common at launch. Hotta Studio has shipped optimisation patches and stability is improving, but it isn't solved. Driving physics in particular still feel floaty.
Reception reflects the split: the Steam version sits at Very Positive, while the PS5 version holds a 73 on Metacritic — mixed to average. Both readings are defensible depending on what you came for.
Will it run on your PC?
This is worth checking before you download rather than after. NTE is an Unreal Engine 5 open-world title and it is not forgiving of aging hardware.
A mid-range machine from the last few years handles it at reasonable settings. Anything older should expect to drop resolution and effects, and dense zones will still cost you frames. On mobile, anything below a recent flagship chipset means compromising on settings — and the gap between a high-quality PC session and a low-quality mobile one is stark enough that players describe them as two different games.
Check the current requirements on the store page before committing to the download.
One decision you can't undo
Server choice is permanent. Asia, America, Europe and SEA don't share data, and neither do the Chinese and global versions. Pick the one your friends are on, because you won't be moving later.
Who should play it
Try it if: you want an urban open world instead of another fantasy continent, you're tired of losing 50/50s in other gacha games, you like character collection with a slice-of-life angle, or you have hardware from the last few years and want something new that costs nothing.
Skip it if: combat feel is the thing you care about most, you need strong writing to stay invested, or you're running an older PC or phone and can't tolerate technical rough edges.
It's free. That genuinely does lower the stakes — an hour or two will tell you which group you're in.
Common questions
Is NTE free?
Yes. Free to play on Windows PC with optional in-game purchases.
Do I need to have played Tower of Fantasy?
No. Same studio, unrelated game and setting.
Is the gacha fair?
It's the most free-to-play-friendly system in the genre right now. No 50/50, featured S-Rank guaranteed within 90 pulls, and pity carries between limited banners.
Can I switch servers later?
No. Server choice is permanent and accounts don't transfer.
How does it compare to Genshin and Zenless Zone Zero?
Genshin has the most content and the most maturity. ZZZ has the fastest combat. NTE has the urban setting and the friendliest gacha economy.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, with cross-progression. But the experience gap between PC and lower-end mobile is significant.
NTE is free on Windows PC
No purchase required. An hour in Hethereau will tell you whether it's for you.
Play free on PCAffiliate link — FireGams may earn a commission if you start playing through it, at no cost to you. This doesn't affect what we write. Artwork © Hotta Studio / Perfect World. FireGams is independent.