HoYoverse Enters the Auto-Chess Arena
HoYoverse is not slowing down. With Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero all running as active live-service titles, the studio has announced its fourth major project: Honkai: Nexus Anima. This one is a departure from the action RPG formula that HoYoverse is known for. Nexus Anima is an auto-chess strategy game blended with creature collection mechanics, set within the broader Honkai universe. Beta invites started going out in early 2026, and the initial impressions from testers have been overwhelmingly positive.
The auto-chess genre has seen success on mobile with titles like Teamfight Tactics and Chess Rush, but Nexus Anima aims to push the format further by wrapping it in a full narrative experience with persistent progression, a creature evolution system, and the production values that HoYoverse is known for. It is a calculated bet on a genre that has a dedicated but underserved audience on mobile, and HoYoverse's brand recognition gives it a significant head start.
Gameplay: Auto-Chess Meets Creature Collection
The core gameplay revolves around collecting, evolving, and deploying creatures called Anima on a hexagonal battlefield. Each match plays out in rounds. You place your Anima on the board, position them strategically, and then watch them fight automatically against the opposing team. Between rounds, you draft new Anima from a rotating shop, merge duplicates to evolve them into stronger forms, and equip them with relics that modify their abilities.
Where Nexus Anima differentiates itself from standard auto-chess is in the creature collection layer. Outside of matches, you explore a Honkai-themed overworld where wild Anima can be encountered, captured, and added to your permanent roster. Each Anima has a rarity tier, an elemental type, and a set of abilities that unlock as it evolves. The collection aspect gives the game a progression loop that extends beyond individual matches, creating a reason to keep playing between competitive sessions.
The Anima themselves are gorgeous. HoYoverse's art team has designed dozens of creatures that range from small, cute companions to massive, intimidating beasts, all rendered with the studio's signature attention to visual detail. Animations are fluid, evolution sequences are cinematic, and the battlefield effects during combat are visually spectacular without becoming cluttered or hard to read.
Synergy systems add strategic depth. Anima belong to different factions and elemental types, and fielding multiple Anima from the same faction or element activates team-wide bonuses. A full Nature team might gain regeneration each round, while a Shadow-heavy composition could debuff enemy defense. Finding the right combination of synergies based on the Anima available to you in each match is where the strategic skill ceiling lives.
What We Know from the Beta
Beta testers have highlighted several strengths. Match pacing is quick, with most games lasting 15 to 20 minutes, making it ideal for mobile play sessions. The tutorial does an excellent job of onboarding new players who may not be familiar with auto-chess mechanics, walking them through positioning, economy management, and synergy building without feeling patronizing.
Performance on mobile devices has been solid. The game runs smoothly on mid-range phones, which is important for a title that HoYoverse clearly wants to reach a broad audience. Loading times are short, matchmaking is fast during beta periods, and the UI is clean and responsive. A few beta testers noted occasional frame drops during particularly flashy ultimate ability animations, but these are the kinds of issues that typically get resolved before a full launch.
The social features are well-developed. You can spectate friends' matches in real time, trade certain low-rarity Anima with other players, and compete in weekly ranked seasons with exclusive cosmetic rewards. A guild system is planned for post-launch, with guild-versus-guild tournaments and cooperative PvE challenges.
Expected Monetization
HoYoverse has not published final monetization details, but the beta offers a clear picture of the likely model. A gacha system exists for acquiring rare Anima, with premium currency (tentatively called Nexus Crystals) available through gameplay and purchase. The pity system appears generous by HoYoverse standards, with a guaranteed highest-rarity Anima within 50 pulls.
A season pass will run alongside each competitive season, offering cosmetic rewards, Nexus Crystals, and evolution materials. Cosmetic skins for Anima are also present in the beta, allowing players to customize the appearance of their favorite creatures. Importantly, all Anima are obtainable through gameplay. Spending accelerates collection but does not gate access to specific competitive advantages.
This is a meaningful distinction for a competitive game. Auto-chess titles live and die by their competitive integrity, and gating powerful units behind paywalls would undermine the format. HoYoverse appears to understand this, keeping the monetization focused on cosmetics, convenience, and collection speed rather than power.
How Nexus Anima Fits Into the Honkai Franchise
Nexus Anima is set in a pocket dimension within the Honkai universe, which gives the narrative team creative freedom without needing to align tightly with Star Rail or the original Honkai Impact 3rd storyline. Characters from other Honkai games appear as NPCs and quest givers, providing fan service for longtime players while keeping the story accessible to newcomers.
From a business perspective, Nexus Anima diversifies HoYoverse's portfolio beyond action RPGs. If it finds an audience, it proves that the studio can successfully operate in multiple genres simultaneously, a capability that few mobile game developers have demonstrated at this scale. For players, it means another high-quality option from a studio that consistently delivers polished experiences. Beta registration is still open in select regions, so if the concept appeals to you, signing up now gives you the best chance of early access before the global launch later in 2026.
