When is the Zenless Zone Zero release date? HoYoverse, the developers behind anime game juggernaut Genshin Impact, has a new gacha game to add to their stable. Described as an urban fantasy action RPG, Zenless Zone Zero follows the events and citizens of New Eridu, “the last shelter for urban civilisation.”
In typical HoYoverse fashion, Zenless Zone Zero boasts an extensive character roster that’s in service to both its story and Zenless Zone Zero banners. ZZZ’s cyberpunk city imbues the RPG with a sci-fi tone, though its fast-paced combat is more in line with Genshin Impact than Honkai Star Rail. There’s already plenty to chew through ahead of the Zenless Zone Zero release date – not only do we have gameplay trailers, but our time in the Zenless Zone Zero beta can give you an early preview of what to expect at launch and beyond.
Zenless Zone Zero release date estimate
We expect the Zenless Zone Zero release date to fall in late 2024. The release year was confirmed by HoYoverse in an announcement trailer during The Game Awards 2023. Our quarterly estimate is based on HoYoverse’s beta test release schedules for both Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail.
The second Zenless Zone Zero closed beta test, otherwise known as the Equalizing Test, is now live. Genshin Impact’s second beta was held six months before the final release and Honkai Star Rail’s took place 11 months before the final release. So, on that basis, we’re looking at around late 2024.
The Equalizing Test went live on Friday, November 24, 2023 at 7pm PST / 10pm EST / 3am GMT / 4am CET / 2pm AEDT for selected participants. Given the duration of the Zenless Zone Zero events in the beta, we expect it to end on or around December 24, 2023.
The anime game is set to arrive on PC and Mac, and will be available to download for free via HoYoverse’s in-game client. The Zenless Zone Zero special program held at Tokyo Game Show 2023 also confirmed that it’s coming to iOS and Android for mobile users, as well as unspecified consoles – but if Honkai Star Rail’s console release is anything to go by, we expect Zenless Zone Zero to arrive on PlayStation 5.
Zenless Zone Zero trailers
The announcement trailer shows fights across rain-swept streets and industrial structures in the sprawling metropolis of New Eridu. Zenless Zone Zero characters are depicted wielding all manner of ranged and melee Zenless Zone Zero weapons including swords, dual pistols, axes, and heavy machine guns.
Characters are grouped into factions or alignments in accordance with the story, though you can mix and match them to create the best four-unit squad. There are 14 playable characters available at launch, with more set to be introduced in later updates, so brush up on our Zenless Zone Zero tier list to keep an eye out for the best units.
The Zenless Zone Zero release date announcement trailer aired during The Game Awards. It features the three main factions that appear in the story at launch: Belobog Heavy Industries, the Victoria Housekeeping Co., and the Cunning Hares – otherwise known as Gentle House. These factions intersect as they seek out Belle and Wise, the two playable protagonists who juggle running the Random Play video store with their double life as a Proxy under the pseudonym Phaethon.
Zenless Zone Zero gameplay
As Proxies, Belle and Wise investigate dangerous supernatural phenomena called Hollows. These are rifts that grow and create distorted dimensions filled with monsters referred to as The Ethereal.
Belle and Wise take on dangerous commissions within Hollows via the Inter-Knot, an online network that the citizens of New Eridu use to reach out for help. Outside of commissions, the siblings manage their co-owned video store and catch up with their neighbors on Sixth Street for combat buffs, equipment upgrades, and arcade minigame rewards.
Zenless Zone Zero’s visual design is familiar to those who have played Genshin Impact, but the setting invokes a more futuristic, urban styling. HoYoverse promises “a fluid, cinematic, action-oriented combat system” with players taking control of multiple characters in a similar fashion to that of Genshin Impact. You can also customize your characters with Zenless Zone Zero Disk Drives and Zenless Zone Zero Bangboo to improve their performance.
When you’re not playing through the main story and side commissions, you can also test the mettle of your Zenless Zone Zero team comp in Hollow Zero, a roguelike game mode that includes procedurally generated floors, enemies, and rewards. Naturally, you’ll need some pretty powerful units to make it to the end of Hollow Zero in one piece, so check out our Zenless Zone Zero builds for Billy, Nicole, and Anby for a good starter comp.
That’s all we have for the Zenless Zone Zero release date estimate and the latest news on the action-adventure game. In the meantime, be sure to check out the Zenless Zone Zero system requirements to see if your PC is up to scratch, as well as if we can expect Zenless Zone Zero on Steam any time soon.