HoYoverse Unveils New Game "Honkai: Nexus Anima" Featuring Autochess Gameplay, Beta Signups Open

August 28, 2025 John Silver Comments

HoYoverse has revealed Honkai: Nexus Anima, the next game in the long-running Honkai series, and is already taking applications for its first closed beta, the “Nexus Bond Test.” The studio, best known for Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, describes Nexus Anima as a creature-collecting strategy title that blends team-building with the fast-paced combat. Based on the trailer, the core gameplay looks like Auto Chess / Teamfight Tactics.

The beta is scheduled for PC and iOS, with registration open until September 12. While HoYoverse hasn’t committed to a release window, the test should give players an early look at how the game’s “Anima” companions work in both exploration and combat. For series fans, Nexus Anima represents the first major attempt to pivot Honkai toward the monster-taming genre which has risen in popularity due to ongoing success of Pokemon.

Platforms: PC and iOS for the closed beta, with data wipes planned when testing ends.
Core hook: Collect and bond with Anima which are creatures that embody paired concepts such as Light and Dark or Life and Death.
Auto Chess Like Gameplay: Combine Anima abilities to craft synergies and tactics during “Nexus Battles" which looks like Teamfight Tactics.
Story setup: Players take the role of a dimension-hopping traveler who breaks free from captivity and sets out to restore the world’s severed bonds.

Nexus Bond Teaser: Side by Side | Honkai: Nexus Anima