Concept art for Arknights: Endfield. Arknights: Endfield is an upcoming free-to-play action-RPG with factory-simulation elements, developed by Chinese studio Hypergryph and published globally by their Gryphline label. It is a spin-off of Hypergryph’s 2019 tower-defense title Arknights, expanding the original’s sci-fi world with a new genre and story. The game is slated to launch on January 22, 2026 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android.
Gameplay Mechanics
Endfield departs from tower-defense to a real-time 3D action RPG. Players assemble a team of up to four operators and fight in live combat: during battles all four members appear on the field at once, though only one is directly controlled at a time. The combat system uses a combo-skill foundation. Each character has unique abilities and attacks (basic, tactical, combo, and ultimate moves), and heavy combos fill a shared “skill gauge” for powerful follow-ups. Enemies have an “imbalance” meter: filling it through sustained attacks makes them vulnerable to execution strikes. In practice, players switch between operators to chain skills and exploit these mechanics, creating a tactical, party-based combat flow.
Inside an Endfield Automated Industry Complex (AIC) facility. A signature feature is deep base-building and industry management. Endfield introduces the Automated Industry Complex (AIC) mode, where players construct factories and production lines to support their adventures. Harvested ores from remote mining sites are funneled along ziplines, processed in machinery, and routed via conveyor belts to craft equipment and consumables. Players must manage electricity, material inputs/outputs, and multiple resource types. This system is explicitly inspired by factory-sim titles (e.g. Factorio, Satisfactory), and developers describe it as adjustable so that players can balance RPG versus factory gameplay. Reviewers of early builds praise the AIC as “deep, complex, and absurdly rewarding”. Indeed, optimizing production chains becomes a core loop: one preview noted that progressing the story often requires upgrading the factory, ensuring players spend significant time building and fine-tuning machines.
Exploring Talos-II’s wilderness. Beyond combat and factories, Endfield features semi-open-world exploration. Players traverse Talos-II’s wild landscapes and ruined outposts to gather materials, encounter threats, and advance the story. In beta previews, players were shown exploring the Wuling region as part of the early scenario. The world is populated with points of interest from settlement hubs to hazardous Corruption zones that reward exploration with resources and lore. According to Hypergryph, Endfield is designed so that exploration and factory-building are interlinked: players can tailor their experience (for example, spending more time gathering resources in the field or expanding base infrastructure) to suit their playstyle.
Storyline and Worldbuilding
Endfield’s story takes place on Talos-II, a moon colonized by Terran pioneers (from Arknights’s planet) via an interdimensional portal known as the Æthergate. About 152 years before the game’s present, explorers from Terra settled Talos-II; roughly a century later, the Æthergate collapsed, leaving them stranded. This backstory ties directly to Arknights: familiar elements like Originium (the showy energy mineral) and Rhodes Island (the Arknights pharmaceutical corp) reappear in Talos-II’s lore. In effect, Talos-II is a frontier world born from the original Arknights setting, allowing characters and concepts to carry over.
Talos-II is a dangerous, unstable environment. The world suffers periodic “Catastrophes” supernatural disasters that reshape the land the most notable being “Corruption,” a spreading blight of twisted terrain and monsters. Native life includes vicious “Aggeloi” creatures, which attack expeditions in the wild. In addition, human scavengers called “Landbreakers” (bandit clans) roam the fringes, preying on travelers and dig sites. Much of Talos-II remains untamed wilderness; pockets of civilization are fragmented among competing factions. This setting creates a tone of post-disaster survival and reclamation.
Against this backdrop, the player is the Endministrator, head of Endfield Industries. Working with Superintendent Perlica, the Endministrator revives a high-tech program to rebuild industry on Talos-II. The Protocol Recycling Department is reactivated, and engineers establish the Automated Industry Complex (AIC) as a testbed for new technology. In narrative terms, the game begins with the AIC being deployed to “Valley No. 4,” one of the most barren areas, to prove the machinery’s reliability and kick off wider exploration. Key themes emerging from the story include rebuilding civilization after catastrophe, the clash of frontier exploration versus corrupting forces, and cooperation (or rivalry) among pioneer groups.
Key Characters and Operators
Endministrator (Player): The customizable protagonist (also called “Endmin”) who becomes chief of Endfield Industries. This character can be male or female and serves as the player’s in-game avatar.
Superintendent Perlica: The pragmatic, rules-focused executive of Endfield’s recycling program. She oversees the rebuilding effort and often pushes the team to accept risks. Early impressions note that Perlica is a standout character in one preview she was described as the story’s “relatable anchor,” her principled nature providing comic relief and grounding.
Chen Qianyu: A veteran Endfield operator, known as a sword-wielding martial arts specialist. Born and raised on Talos-II, Chen is an upbeat warrior who trains relentlessly and often accompanies the Endministrator and Perlica on missions. (Her background links to Talos-II’s local militias.)
Other Operators: Many new and familiar allies join the cause. Several popular Arknights characters appear in Endfield’s roster for example, Wulfgard (a former Landbreaker turned mercenary), Lifeng, Ember, Arclight, and others. These characters retain their trademark skills (e.g. Ember’s sword artistry, Wulfgard’s brute strength) and take roles in Endfield’s crisis-response team. Each operator has a class (Caster, Defender, Guard, etc.) and fits into the four-person combat teams that the player fields.
Development History
Endfield was announced in 2022 and represents Hypergryph’s next major title after Arknights. The developers opened official channels and released a pilot trailer in mid-2022. A series of tests followed: a closed PC technical test occurred in January 2024, and a wider beta test (Beta Test II) took place in late 2025. (In fact, Hypergryph streamed previews and gameplay during November 2025 to build hype.) On December 11, 2025, at The Game Awards, the release date was revealed as January 22, 2026.
Arknights: Endfield is built on a modified Unity engine and will release on Windows, PlayStation 5, and mobile (iOS/Android) platforms. Early reception from test players has been positive about the gameplay systems. Critics have noted the game’s polished interface and seamless menus, even given the complexity of combining RPG, gacha, and factory mechanics. The factory-building feature in particular has been lauded as a highlight. On the other hand, some feedback pointed to mixed feelings on the story and pacing: one preview mentioned that the narrative ideas were intriguing but the execution felt “generic,” with even the main villain coming across as forgettable. Overall, the public reception suggests excitement for Endfield’s ambitious scope, tempered by hopes that Hypergryph will refine the weaker story elements before launch.
Monetization Model
Arknights: Endfield follows a free-to-play gacha model, much like its predecessor. Players earn (or buy) in-game currency (Oroberyl) to perform randomized summons (“pulls”) for new operators and gear. Each character banner is “pure” (only operators, no junk items). The gacha incorporates standard mechanics: there is a pity system guaranteeing a ★6 operator at 80 pulls, and a 50/50 chance of getting the featured character on a ★6 pull. (If the 50/50 is lost, subsequent pulls can still yield top-tier characters from other banners before the featured one returns.) Community guides note that, as with other gacha games, Endfield rewards careful saving and timing: players are encouraged to accumulate pulls and use them strategically rather than spending them impulsively. In short, Endfield’s monetization mirrors the familiar Arknights scheme: gameplay is free, but players can spend money to acquire Oroberyl for more summons, with in-game pity systems to mitigate bad luck.
Sources: Official announcements and developer interviews; game previews and hands-on coverage (e.g. RPGSite, Destructoid, icy-veins); Arknights: Endfield wiki and guides.
