Aniimo opens closed beta test sign-ups with new creatures and features for 2026
That Twining mechanic looks boss
- Sign up for the 2nd CBT on the official website
- Homeland feature lets you upgrade your base
- New Aniimo creatures to meet
While Pokemon arguably still reigns supreme as THE creature-collecting, monster-taming, be-all-and-end-all franchise in the genre, there's no doubt tons and tons of contenders fighting to knock Pikachu off that throne - and it seems like Aniimo is poised to be one of them. The upcoming open-world RPG has just opened sign-ups for its second closed beta, and with what I've seen from the trailer, it's incredibly appealing to add my name in there too.
As revealed at The Game Awards, the new trailer offers a quick look at the creatures you'll encounter in the RPG, and if you're keen, you can sign up on the official website for a chance to grab a CBT slot next year.
Supposedly, if you do get in, you'll get access to the new Homeland feature, where you can build your home base with your Aniimo (similar to Palworld, I assume?). What's interesting to me is that there's also going to be a Twining mechanic, where you can take on an Aniimo's form and use their abilities to your heart's desire. That actually sounds pretty awesome - taking on the form of cool creatures is always interesting.
If you're more of a social butterfly, there's the Operation: Egg Heist competition to dive into, where you can duke it out with other teams of Pathfinders to gather - as the title suggests - eggs on a heist. You'll need to avoid incoming attacks from wild Aniimo though, so stay sharp!
That said, if you somehow can't land a spot in the CBT, you can still pre-register to get first dibs as soon as it launches. Aniimo is set to release in 2026, with no exact window at the moment.
By the way, we talked about this a little bit during the Tokyo Game Show episode of the Pocket Gamer Podcast if you're curious!
