Discover the Hidden Gem: An Action-Packed RPG Offering 100+ Hours of Adventure Beyond Genshin Impact

The prevalence of free-to-play video games has surged significantly in recent years. Titles such as Destiny 2, Warframe, and the ubiquitous Fortnite have set the standard, alongside mobile-oriented gacha games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves. This model allows gamers to dive into new experiences without the financial commitment of a full-priced game, which often hovers around the $70 mark.

Monetization in these free-to-play games typically hinges on in-game purchases. These can range from battle passes and cosmetic skins to gacha systems, where players spend money to unlock characters with distinct abilities and weaponry. Recently, Arknights: Endfield has entered the scene, debuting on January 22, 2026. This new action RPG already boasts over 100 hours of content, offering players a wealth of exploration and gameplay.

Developed and published by Hypergryph, Arknights: Endfield expands on the universe established by its predecessor, Arknights. Unlike its tactical RPG and tower defense roots, Arknights: Endfield ventures into action RPG territory. The original Arknights inspired an anime adaptation, Arknights: Prelude to Dawn, which proved so popular that it spawned a sequel series, further cementing its impact in both the gaming and entertainment spheres.

Arknights Lets Players Control the Endfield Industries Administrator

Image via Hypergryph

As mentioned, Arknights: Endfield, is an action RPG developed and published by Hypergryph. Arknights: Endfield is set in the same universe as Arknights, which is more of a tactical RPG and tower defense game than an action RPG. Arknights also went on to inspire Arknights: Prelude to Dawn, an anime inspired by the game, which saw so much success that it went on to receive a sequel series.

Arknights: Endfield isn’t a sequel to Arknights, though. While they do take place in the same universe, their stories are not directly connected. In Arknights: Endfield, players control the Endministrator (Endmin for short), which is just a fancy name for the administrator of Endfield Industries, an industrial technology company whose main goal is to stabilize the planet of Talos-II.

According to Endfield’s official website, the Endministrator “stands as a key guardian who protected civilization on this planet and saved humanity from multiple catastrophic disasters. The Endmin’s heroic deeds have given rise to many stories, tales, and even rumors. However, the Endmin’s identity remains elusive and only a handful of people have seen the legend in person.”

As the opening chapter of the game unfolds, players learn that, over 150 years ago, Terrans (human settlers) found Talos-II and started building a new civilization there, but shortly after their arrival, the Aggeloi declared war on the Terrans. The Endmin was one of the leading forces to fight back against the Aggeloi, hostile living constructs that caused so much harm that they ended up stranding the Terrans on Talos-II.

Interestingly enough, the Endmin actually died during the original war with the Aggeloi, but thanks to the technology and power supplies available on the planet, the Endmin was revived. Allegedly, the Endmin is brought back once every few decades, when a devastating conflict breaks out, or another catastrophe happens that no one else seems to be able to deal with.

Every time the Endmin is revived, its overall health worsens. When the Endmin is revived in the modern era, aka, the chapter in which the game opens, Endfield is under attack by a new threat who call themselves the Bonekrushers. Their leader has the power to summon Ankhors, constructs that cause the creation of Aggeloi. W

ith these powers under her control, she can spread blights across Endfield, which the Endmin (the player) must stop with Endfield Industries’ latest in technological advancements.

Arknights: Endfield Features a Lot of Familiar & Beloved Gameplay

Image via Hypergryph

As an action RPG, Arknights: Endfield features a sand-box-style semi-open world layout where players can explore different zones of Talos-II. Each zone is connected to one another, giving players plenty of places to explore, destroy Ankhors, and fight back the blight sweeping across the planet.

As the Endministrator, players will have an active role in developing each new zone they come across. This game isn’t like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, where players just explore the open world map to unlock teleport waypoints and find treasure chests. Instead, players actually have to work on building up each zone to be efficient and livable.

The game does feature team-based combat. Players can create a team of four characters, and this is where Endfield becomes very similar to some of the gacha games mentioned above. In order to create these teams, players will either have to rely on the free units the game rewards them as they advance through the story or pull on operator banners to obtain new, powerful operators to fill out their team.

As any fan of Genshin Impact will tell you, this style of game is never cheap, so it’s important to take advantage of the free units offered to you and be wary of pulling on character banners you aren’t actually interested in. That said, players never have to sink a dime into the game if they don’t want to.

Arknights: Endfield will provide you with enough characters to build out a fully usable team without ever having to spend money. So, if players do want to remain truly free-to-play, they have the freedom to do that.

Despite the team-oriented combat, it does differ from games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves because all the members that make up the team can do damage at the same time. Older gacha games either rely on turn-based combat (like Honkai: Star Rail) or they force the player to rotate between the characters on the team, only allowing one to be on the field at a time.

What really sets Arknights: Endfield apart from other gacha games is the AIC Factory mechanic. As the Endmin, players will need to utilize different Endfield facilities to build production lines for important supplies like medicine, food, and weapons.

Players can use blueprints to create these self-sustaining and automated factories, or they can choose to challenge themselves by building custom designs. This aspect of the game is definitely the most time-consuming part, and what gives players so much to do once the main story comes to an end.

Another responsibility players take on is building and maintaining the Endfield Industries company, bringing some of that tower-defense and tactical RPG flair back from the original game. This mechanic even requires players to build trust with other operators, and allows them to show off their achievements to visitors.

In Arknights: Endfield, players are quite literally responsible for building and shaping the world, which provides dozens of hours of content to fill their time with. It’s the perfect free action RPG for players looking for a game they can play forever.

Systems

ESRB

nr

Developer(s)

Hypergryph

Publisher(s)

Hypergryph

Engine

Unity

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Number of Players

Single-player