HoYoverse officially released a teaser and in-game footage for Honkai: Nexus Anima as the clock rolled past midnight on August 29th. Known for their games Honkai: Impact 3rd, Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Tears of Themis, the new installment of Nexus Anima is another game that will fall within the larger Honkai franchise universe and feature a new game style: auto chess.
A teaser for Honkai: Nexus Anima was first released. Titled “Nexus Bond Teaser: Side by Side | Honkai: Nexus Anima,” it opens with a character sleeping on a desk. Creatures, known as Anima, are shown interacting with one another, the environment, and people. The teaser focuses on a horse-like Anima as it journeys through the world to retrieve a paper that blew off of the opening character’s desk. It sets a fun and playful atmosphere for Honkai: Nexus Anima. All aspects of the teaser are subject to change.
In-game footage from Honkai: Nexus Anima was also released shortly after the teaser on their YouTube Channel. It opens with footage of characters riding Anima, showing the different modes of movement: flying, riding, and gliding. Different locations are also put on display: an urban streak, a boardwalk, a beach, and a park area. Character creation was also teased, as were events with that players can engage with as the Anima. Aspects of the top-down auto chess game mode was also briefly previewed starting at 2:59 of the in-game footage. All in-game footage is subject to change.
On the official Honkai: Nexus Anima website, future players can discover some of the Anima that will be available in the game, such as Puddlipup, a pudding-themed dog, and Taileep, a long-tailed cat/weasel creature. Characters can also be previewed and are grouped into Sovereigns, Novarchs, and Others. Some familiar faces can be seen on the website, such as Kiana from Honkai: Impact 3rd and Blade from Honkai: Star Rail. As with all over content discussed thus far, everything currently on the website is subject to change.
Closed-beta recruitment is currently open for Nexus Anima, from August 29, 2025 12:00 (UTC+8) to September 12, 2025 23:59 (UTC+8). More information regarding the recruitment, called “Nexus Bond Test” by HoYoverse, can be found on this post on HoYoLab under the official Honkai: Nexus Anima account. There is also giveaway for giftcards, beta access, and merchandise currently underway. Information regarding the giveaway can be found through this post. No official release date for Honkai: Nexus Anima has been announced.