Ananta vs GTA 6: 5 Reasons Fans Are Choosing the Free Anime Rival

Free entry, a confirmed PC launch and a city built for anime chaos: why Ananta fans are choosing it over GTA 6 before either game arrives.

A plane flies above the illuminated Vice City sign in a Grand Theft Auto VI promotional screenshot.
Vice City in GTA 6. Credit: Rockstar Games; official image via PlayStation.

Ananta fans have found a particularly effective way to annoy the GTA crowd: announcing they would rather play the free anime game. The Ananta vs GTA 6 argument already has players choosing sides over price, PC access and which city looks more fun to cause trouble in. Rockstar has the reputation. Ananta has a surprisingly persuasive pitch.

The discussion about replacing GTA 6 with Ananta starts with a meme, then gets straight into wallets and priorities. Fans are openly treating Ananta as their next big open-world obsession. Here are five reasons that choice makes sense.

1. Ananta’s free-to-play price is hard to argue with

GTA 6 costs $79.99 for the Standard Edition in the US, with the Ultimate Edition at $99.99. Ananta is free to play. That is a very attractive opening offer for anyone whose gaming budget already has several competing demands.

You can try Ananta, explore its city and decide whether you love it before committing money. Convincing friends to download it should be considerably easier, too. The group chat does not need an $80 sales presentation.

Critics in the thread expect expensive skins and vehicle cosmetics. Fair concern. Optional spending can get ridiculous. Fans’ answer is equally straightforward: they can leave those purchases alone and still play. Free entry remains a real advantage.

Ananta characters gathered around a red car, with trees and a modern city skyline behind them.
Official Ananta promotional artwork. Credit: NetEase Games / Naked Rain. ANANTA / NetEase Games

2. PC players actually have an Ananta release date

The Ananta release date is January 15, 2027, with PC, including Steam, joining PS5 and mobile at launch. GTA 6 arrives on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A GTA 6 PC release date has not been announced.

For players sticking with their PC, that makes Ananta an easy game to get excited about. There is a date to plan around and no need to buy a console for access.

Console owners get GTA first. PC players have a different calculation, and Ananta is giving them something concrete to look forward to.

3. Swinging across the city looks ridiculously fun

Ananta gameplay sells the joy of getting distracted. Swing between buildings, race through streets, jump into a fight and turn nearby objects into weapons. The showcased combat includes dodges, counters and improvised attacks with everything from golf clubs to trash bins.

That combination has obvious appeal if your favourite part of an open world is messing around between missions. Movement itself becomes an attraction. A skyline full of places to swing toward is a strong invitation to ignore whatever you were supposed to be doing.

The anime GTA 6 nickname catches the city chaos, but Ananta’s exaggerated action is the real hook. For players who want spectacular movement and close-range brawling, it looks like an excellent playground.

An Ananta character sits high above a dense modern city skyline in a promotional gameplay screenshot.
Ananta's city skyline from above. Credit: NetEase Games / Naked Rain; promotional screenshot via TechRadar.

4. The characters come without character gacha

Naked Rain has said Ananta will have no character gacha, with monetization focused primarily on skins. Getting attached to the roster without immediately calculating a banner budget? Anime RPG players have good reason to like that.

The developers want players to choose characters freely and experience their different lives. That makes the cast a particularly appealing part of Ananta’s pitch: several personalities to explore a city with, without a character-pull lottery deciding who you get to enjoy.

Cosmetic spending still deserves scrutiny. But removing character gacha is a strong reason for anime fans to give Ananta their attention.

5. A fresh city fantasy can beat familiar hype

Ananta’s modern Asian city setting brings a different flavour to the genre. Bright shopping streets, dense skylines and an anime cast make everyday urban life look inviting. Our Nova City and A.C.D. guide introduces the setting behind that appeal.

In the debate over Ananta becoming the better open-world game, GTA defenders argue that a familiar formula is exactly what they want. Absolutely. Other players are ready for a different atmosphere, and Ananta gives them a colourful reason to wander.

Calling Ananta better than GTA 6 before either launches is classic fandom impatience. Choosing it because it offers free entry, a PC launch date and a city you cannot wait to swing through is perfectly reasonable. Ananta has already made that choice look tempting. January is its chance to make it stick.