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Arknights: Endfield | Review Thread

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Game Information

Game Title: Arknights: Endfield

Platforms:
  • PlayStation 5 (Jan 22, 2026)
  • PC (Jan 22, 2026)
  • Mobile (Jan 22, 2026)
Trailer:
Developer: Hypergryph

Publisher: Gryphline

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 81 average - 89% recommended

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Metacritic - 79 Based on 10 critic Reviews

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Critic Reviews


CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 9 / 10
Arknights: Endfield surprised me more than once now, and that's pretty impressive for this kind of game. I honestly didn't think I could be this pleased with a gacha game, but it's proven to me that this genre is capable of containing thoughtful, deeply engaging games. As Ryan said, "Gacha's core is only a business model. What truly earns players' recognition is the quality of the game itself." And Arknights: Endfield certainly earns its recognition.


GameGrin - Andrew Duncan - 8 / 10
A mish-mash of genres that blend well and give you a lot to do for the price of free.


Gamer Escape - Mike Thomas - 8 / 10
Arknights: Endfield is a unique beast. It is a very fun game that I found very hard to play. I do want to reiterate that I like this game. The best part about games as a service is if what I found frustrating proves to be a sticking point for others, then those issues can and will be addressed. I also think Endfield is a game that can give you as much back as you want to put in. Engaging with ALL of its systems isn't strictly necessary. In that sense, free-to-play is a damn steal!

I, personally, am going to try and engage my big boy brain and continue to play Endfield. I want to see where it goes. If its post-launch support is anything close to the effort that has been put into building this game, I think we're all in for a treat.


Gamersky - Chinese - 8.7 / 10
Arknights: Endfield confidently showcases its strengths in art direction, character design, and world-building, while also making a bold move by introducing automation-focused construction systems. This experimentation inevitably brings along some rough edges and shortcomings, but that very sense of dissatisfaction reflects the game's willingness and sincerity in trying to offer something new.


Niche Gamer - Niche Gamer - 9 / 10
Arknights: Endfield is an outstanding game that only misses the mark with not much in the way of locations besides the 2 open areas you can roam and fight enemies in, at least at the start.


Pro Game Guides - Unscored
With the release date drawing nearer, we can't help but wonder if Arknights Endfield is the one game to shake up all the adjacent live service game genres (gacha or otherwise). We loved playing through the Beta Test II and for now it seems like it's all on the right track, and wonderfully so.


The GameSlayer - Michael Manning - 8 / 10
Arknights Endfield is a genuinely exciting showing from Hypergryph, building off of their original hit with a massively widened scope. Engaging combat, beautiful locales, and the satisfaction of building a working facility clash with the same sins every Gacha has to commit to keep themselves profitable. If you can appreciate the gradual satisfaction of grinding or watching a factory work, Endfield might just be your newest obsession.


The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4 / 5
Arknights: Endfield is a fantastic free-to-play game. It is still beholden to some of the hangups of a gacha game, with progress gates and luck of the draw dictating your main team.


TheGamer - Harry Alston - 3 / 5
I can't help but be a little disappointed with Arknights: Endfield. On paper, it has the makings of an excellent gacha game, and with some updates in the future, it potentially might become one. But for now, it's a slow and often tedious experience. I can't see myself jumping in on launch day like I had originally intended, because I've burned out on the experience much quicker than I thought I would.







 
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You know what, you guys, I think Gacha launch reviews are completely pointless and WuWa is a clear and prime example of this. Hell, ZZZ even which at launch and in 1.X was the best Persona-like game with excellent real-time combat similar to fighting games and yet it got 7s and 7,5s. And WuWa... well we all know what happened and 3.0 skyrocketed it into a gacha stratosphere, even though 2.0 was a huge improvement on 1.0 already.
 

It's an action RPG gacha, but with a twist, as it has base building, base defense, and automation stuff inspired by Factorio and Satisfactory. It also has some Death Stranding like mechanics, since players from other worlds can leave you zip lines, defense turrets, mining equipment, etc., to help you out in your own world.

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I actually forgot one important detail that might sway you, believe it or not… all party members (four in total) are on the field and fight alongside you, just like in the Xenoblade games.
I LOVE Xenoblade 2 but it's gacha mechanic was the worse part of that game but thankfully in Xenoblade 2 it's wasn't F2P online only game so I could tolerate it gacha stuff but even then it had frustrating moments because of gacha mechanics.
 
I LOVE Xenoblade 2 but it's gacha mechanic was the worse part of that game but thankfully in Xenoblade 2 it's wasn't F2P online only game so I could tolerate it gacha stuff but even then it had frustrating moments because of gacha mechanics.
I know you like XC2, and I also know you hate gacha mechanics. I was mentioning this stuff because it's pretty different from the usual action‑RPG gachas we've been seeing lately that are inspired by Genshin, where you swap characters in and out during combat. I actually think this game will filter out a good chunk of people because of the factory‑management system, even if the devs somewhat simplified it by introducing blueprints, which is basically factory modules made by the devs and/or players that you can drop into your setup without having to tinker too much.
 
I know you like XC2, and I also know you hate gacha mechanics. I was mentioning this stuff because it's pretty different from the usual action‑RPG gachas we've been seeing lately that are inspired by Genshin, where you swap characters in and out during combat. I actually think this game will filter out a good chunk of people because of the factory‑management system, even if the devs somewhat simplified it by introducing blueprints, which is basically factory modules made by the devs and/or players that you can drop into your setup without having to tinker too much.
I told this once before if they ever decide make me a game without gacha and F2P stuff then I'm more than happy to give it a try but from looks of it I don't think that's ever going to happen.

These devs love their gacha stuff.
 
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I told this once before if they ever decide make me a game without gacha and F2P stuff then I'm more than happy to give it a try but from looks of it I don't think that's ever going to happen.

These devs love their gacha stuff.
Yeah, that's fair. Gacha is predatory by nature, so I totally get not wanting to engage with games that have it at their core.
 
I've updated the OP with a couple more reviews and refreshed the MC and OC screenshots. Also, here's a small summary of IGN's review‑in‑progress.

Edit: I also went ahead and fixed the missing quotes in the CGMagazine and Niche Gamer reviews and added a link to the OT as well.

There's still so much to see before I deliver my final score, like expanding the factories, fully automating my production, and leveling up my team and gear – and that's before I uncover the truth behind the Endmin's amnesia. So far, though, I've found myself comfortable in its world, and I'm keen to get stuck in and see how far I can push before I hit an inevitably uncomfortable grind.

 
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