{"rewrite":{"id":"r_e889127efbbc86b52d14a0d3","clusterId":"c_9c404fcbf989308254d75008","slug":"infinite-ananta-lets-players-steal-cars-and-peek-at-npc-smartphones-in-longqi-village","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Infinite ANANTA Lets Players Steal Cars and Peek at NPC Smartphones in Longqi Village","summary":"NetEase Games showed its urban open-world RPG Infinite ANANTA at gamescom 2026, and the release date was set for January 15, 2027. The game is free to play and headed to PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. A media hands-on session offered two modes: a stealth-focused story mode and an exploration mode set in Longqi Village, where a character named Wei Yinglong can interact with objects and NPCs, including picking up a smartphone dropped by a fallen villager.","whyItMatters":"The latest build trades the previous Tokyo-style car action for a peaceful Chinese village where the freedom to touch anything, including NPCs' dropped smartphones, is the selling point.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe gamescom 2026 build of Infinite ANANTA splits into two roughly 15-minute modes, and the one that stands out is exploration in Longqi Village, a countryside area making its debut. Playing as Wei Yinglong, the player can enter parked cars, pound rice cakes, knock down signs, and mess with passersby. In one case, driving through an area made an NPC collapse, and the fallen character dropped a smartphone that the player could then pick up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story mode, by contrast, runs on stealth and escape sequences rather than the car action of the TGS2025 demo, with QTE prompts during cinematic cuts. NetEase Games set the free-to-play release for January 15, 2027 on PlayStation 5, Android, iOS, and PC. The village minigames, like ring toss, have no aiming cursor, so they rely on feel.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Infinite ANANTA's Longqi Village demo lets players pick up a fallen villager's smartphone, a small gesture that turns environmental storytelling into a mechanic. NetEase Games is betting on that freedom to sell the open world.","twitterPost":"Infinite ANANTA's demo has players grabbing a fallen villager's smartphone. NetEase Games is selling the open world on that level of freedom.","threadsPost":"Infinite ANANTA's Longqi Village demo includes picking up a smartphone dropped by a fallen villager. That detail, not the car theft, is what signals how far NetEase Games is willing to push interactivity in an open-world RPG. The release date is January 15, 2027, and it's free to play.","newsletterBlurb":"Infinite ANANTA is out January 15, 2027, and the gamescom 2026 build shows a quieter side. Longqi Village lets you interact with nearly anything, including NPCs who drop their smartphones. The story mode trades last year's car action for stealth and escape sequences.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GAME Watch (Impress)\",\"url\":\"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/preview/2136009.html\",\"title\":\"Advance Preview of \\\"Infinite ANANTA\\\": Experience the Freedom to Even Peek at NPCs' Smartphones in the Peaceful Longqi Village\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4655,"outputTokens":693,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787931752,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T15:33:44.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-28T15:36:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T15:33:44.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_9c404fcbf989308254d75008","canonicalTitle":"「無限大ANANTA」のどかな龍栖村を先行プレイ。NPCのスマホまで覗ける自由さを体験！","representativeArticleId":"a_f9e29bf08cd59ddf6399cfeb","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"無限大ANANTA\"],\"studios\":[\"NetEase Games\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-28T02:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-28T02:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T15:36:46.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GAME Watch (Impress)","url":"https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/preview/2136009.html","title":"「無限大ANANTA」のどかな龍栖村を先行プレイ。NPCのスマホまで覗ける自由さを体験！"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["無限大ANANTA"],"studios":["NetEase Games"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}