Pawprint Studio has narrowed Aniimo’s Q3 window down to a September 16 launch on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, with the date revealed in a new trailer during gamescom Opening Night Live. The mobile version follows a week later on September 23 via Google Play and the App Store.
The free-to-play, creature-catching open-world RPG casts players as Pathfinders exploring the continent of Idyll, where more than 200 different Aniimo are available to seek out, capture, battle, upgrade, research, and evolve. Different forms appear depending on systems like the weather and each biome, so the same creature won’t always look the same. The signature mechanic is Twining, which merges you with your Aniimo to unlock new abilities and perspectives, letting you battle, move, and explore Idyll through the lens of the creature you’ve twined with, and even experience the everyday exchanges of Aniimo society from the inside.
Idyll itself is split into multiple regions with their own interconnected ecologies, including Driftwise Meadow with its emotion-based ecosystem, the fiery Sandcastle Hill, and the flourishing Rosetower Wood. On the multiplayer side, PvP modes like Egg Heist pit teams against one another, while co-op tools include the Horn for calling in help from friends and strangers in the open world, the Flute for inviting others to a location or finding players nearby, and a Come to Me ability that instantly summons your allies.
There’s a cozy layer, too. The Homeland system lets you farm and harvest alongside your Aniimo, decorate your home, and treat your creatures to fairground rides, with Aniimo-powered facilities accessible from the RV Campsite. PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S players can also preorder two bonus packs now, the Aniimo Pre-Order Pack: Advanced Edition and the Aniimo Pre-Order Pack: Collector’s Edition, which include in-game rewards like the platform exclusive Fluffy Friend accessory and an in-game battle pass.
Following the global closed beta that ran on PC and mobile last month, Aniimo now launches into a September so crowded that some games have already fled it, arriving one day after Marvel’s Wolverine and ahead of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered on September 29.
