When HoYoverse announces a new game, the first thing players usually ask is simple how much it is going to cost. With Honkai Nexus Anima, the same question comes up right away whether it is actually Free To Play or locked behind a paywall. The trailer already shows off a colorful world filled with creatures you can bond with, battle, and collect, but knowing the model behind it matters just as much as the gameplay itself.
Since HoYoverse has a history of running big titles on the free-to-play model, there is a lot of expectation here. Still, Nexus Anima is not just another gacha or clone, as it has its own rhythm, with gameplay that stretches beyond simple creature collecting.
Can You Play Honkai Nexus Anima For Free?
All signs point to Nexus Anima being free. HoYoverse is building Honkai Nexus Anima as a monster-collecting RPG with a structure that looks very familiar to Pokémon fans, but at the same time, it feels much larger in scope. The debut footage highlights an open world where your Anima can fight, play, and even tear up environments in ways that go far beyond what you’d find in Game Freak’s games.
The story beats lean into classic anime like a fractured “Nexus” world, powers scattered into the form of Anima, and a protagonist with a mysterious past. However, the real hook is collecting, raising, and battling creatures. Some of the Anima even look like playful nods to existing Pokémon: a fluffy orange pup that feels like Fidough mixed with Yamper, a bear cub reminiscent of Stufful, and even a seagull wearing what looks like an old-school wig.
Like HoYoverse’s other games, there’s a strong chance it’ll follow a gacha-style system, where pulling or unlocking different Anima is part of the grind. If that ends up being the case, the game itself will almost certainly be free-to-play, with monetization tied to cosmetics, pulls, or upgrades.
Honkai Nexus Anima Requirements
Unlike some of their earlier tests, where specs were vague, HoYoverse laid out clear requirements. Here are the following spec requirements for the game:
- Windows 10 64-bit or higher
- Intel i5 (11th Gen) / AMD Ryzen 5 5000 series
- RTX 2060 / Radeon RX 5600 XT
- 16GB RAM
- 15GB free storage
For iOS users, it’s a bit stricter:
- iPhone 12 Pro or newer
- iOS 14.0 or higher
- 6GB RAM
- 10GB storage
Honkai Nexus Anima has cross-platform too, so progress can carry between PC and iOS if you like swapping devices. Just don’t expect to share accounts with family or friends. Cross-account sharing is currently blocked.
