Nexus Anima Announces Beta Test

Honkai: Nexus Anima has officially opened pre-registration for its very first closed beta test, alongside a gameplay trailer and a dedicated website. Developed by HoYoverse, the studio behind Genshin Impact, Honkai: Nexus Anima is an upcoming creature collection autochess gacha game set within the Honkai: Star Rail universe. Centered around creatures called “Anima,” the project has long been subject to rumors and speculation among the community.

In April, it was revealed that HoYoverse had filed a trademark for the name “Honkai: Nexus Anima” in South Korea and China. On the same day, multiple Twitter accounts bearing the name Honkai: Nexus Anima were created for different languages, sparking rumors. Immediately after, a teaser trailer featuring Kiana and Blade from Honkai: Star Rail in a Pokemon-style battle was shown at an event, all but confirming the existence of a new game. Now, the veil is fully lifted from what the next Honkai game has to offer.

Honkai: Nexus Anima Closed Beta Test Revealed

Honkai: Nexus Anima has announced that it is kicking off recruitment for its upcoming closed beta, officially titled the “Nexus Bond Test,” on August 29. Applications will remain open on the game’s website from August 29, 12:00 PM (UTC+8) until September 12, 11:59 PM (UTC+8). To apply, players will have to create a HoYoverse account and fill out a questionnaire. While no start date for the CBT has yet been revealed, the official FAQ states that details will be shared at a later date. Notably, HoYoverse has confirmed that participants will be free to share gameplay footage from the Nexus Bond Test without any restrictions.

The Nexus Bond Test will be exclusive to PC and iOS devices. For PC, the recommended specifications include an 11th Generation Intel i5 processor, an RTX 2060 GPU, and 16 GB of RAM. The iOS version requires at least an iPhone 12 Pro to run smoothly. Additionally, Honkai: Nexus Anima will be cross-platform compatible, meaning players will be able to use the same account on both devices, though account sharing is strictly prohibited. After the beta test wraps up, all save data will be wiped.

Alongside the CBT announcement, HoYoverse also revealed a four-minute gameplay trailer for Honkai: Nexus Anima, showcasing open-world exploration, character customization, multiple mini-games, and many of the Anima coming to the game. A section of the trailer was dedicated to showing off combat, which appears to function similarly to auto-battler games like Teamfight Tactics. Interestingly, one of the queries in the questionnaire to apply for the beta test is “What is the highest rank you’ve reached in Teamfight Tactics?” This suggests similarities between the two games.

The Nexus Bond Test is only the first CBT for Honkai: Nexus Anima, as HoYoverse has stated that more chances to join will appear in the future. It’s a common trend for many gacha games to host two or three multi-stage beta tests before the final release to iron out the kinks.