A brand-new Ananta gameplay demo will be featured during Gamescom Opening Night Live. The new preview will give us our first look at the NetEase open-world RPG that players are calling the anime Grand Theft Auto.
Ananta Gamescom Gameplay Demo Date Revealed

An Ananta Gamescom demo has been announced for Tuesday, August 25, 2026. The preview will take place during the event’s Opening Night Live stream. The Ananta first look was revealed by industry titan Geoff Keighley in a post on X. This is quite the surprise, given that we haven’t heard much about the RPG since 2025.
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The Ananta Gamescom preview will start at 11 AM PT, or 2 PM ET. However, it’s unclear when the NetEase RPG will appear at that specific time, or later on during the livestream. Making it even more tricky for those planning to watch, the Gamescom showcase will air at different times depending on your region, and for some viewers, it won’t begin until August 26.
For your convenience, we have created an easy-to-read table below that shows when the Ananta Gamescom preview goes live in every region:
Ananta Gamescom Livestream Start Times
| Region | Date | Local Time |
|---|---|---|
| US Pacific | August 25 | 11:00 AM PT |
| US Mountain | August 25 | 12:00 PM MT |
| US Central | August 25 | 1:00 PM CT |
| US Eastern | August 25 | 2:00 PM ET |
| Brazil | August 25 | 3:00 PM BRT |
| United Kingdom | August 25 | 7:00 PM BST |
| Central Europe / Germany | August 25 | 8:00 PM CEST |
| India | August 25 | 11:30 PM IST |
| China / Hong Kong / Singapore | August 26 | 2:00 AM |
| Japan | August 26 | 3:00 AM JST |
| South Korea | August 26 | 3:00 AM KST |
| Australia (Sydney) | August 26 | 4:00 AM AEST |
| New Zealand | August 26 | 6:00 AM NZST |
Ananta Gamescom Presentation Details Leaked

Ahead of the official announcement, a leak claims to have revealed what will be included in the Ananta Gamescom presentation. According to a post on Reddit, the Ananta demo will feature two cities. The game will also reportedly be released on Steam at launch, although we still don’t have a release date.
Finally, media outlets that are getting to play the Ananta Gamescom demo will reportedly be able to release their previews starting on August 26 at 10 AM. So, if you want even more details about the NetEase developed RPG, this is likely when we’ll learn more about its open world, gameplay, and two cities. Although it should be pointed out, NetEase has not officially confirmed any of this. So I would take this rumor with a grain of salt.
For now, though, Gamescom Opening Night Live will give players their first major look at Ananta since 2025. Hopefully, the new gameplay demo will also reveal when we can expect the anime-inspired open-world RPG to launch.
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