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The four biggest free anime games on PC right now are Genshin Impact, Wuthering Waves, Zenless Zone Zero and NTE: Neverness to Everness. They cost nothing to play, but they don't ask for the same PC: the lightest one runs on a decade-old graphics card, the heaviest wants a 16-series GPU, 16 GB of RAM and 110 GB of free space.
Here's the short version:
- Oldest or weakest PC: go with Zenless Zone Zero (GTX 970, 8 GB RAM minimum).
- Older laptop or entry-level desktop: Genshin Impact (GTX 1050, 8 GB RAM minimum).
- Mid-range PC with a big SSD: Wuthering Waves (GTX 1060, 16 GB RAM, 150 GB).
- Newer PC, 16 GB+ of RAM: NTE: Neverness to Everness (GTX 1660, 16 GB RAM, Unreal Engine 5).
- Storage is the trap. Every one of these needs 75–150 GB. Check your drive before your graphics card.
All the specs below come from the publishers themselves (Steam store pages and HoYoverse support), checked in October 2026.
Which free anime game should you play on PC?
The honest answer: the one your PC can run comfortably. All four are open-world (or open-ish) action games with anime art, a gacha system for characters, and regular free updates. The gameplay differences matter, but a game that stutters on your machine isn't fun no matter how good it is.
So this guide ranks them by hardware first, then tells you what each one is like to play.
| Game | Min. GPU | Min. RAM | Storage | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zenless Zone Zero | GTX 970 | 8 GB | 75 GB | Old PCs, short sessions |
| Genshin Impact | GTX 1050 | 8 GB | 110 GB | Budget laptops, exploration |
| Wuthering Waves | GTX 1060 / RX 570 | 16 GB | 150 GB | Mid-range PCs, fast combat |
| NTE: Neverness to Everness | GTX 1660 / RX 5600 | 16 GB | 110 GB | Newer PCs, city open world |
Genshin Impact: the safe first pick
Genshin Impact is the game that made this genre huge on PC. You explore a fantasy world, swap between a team of four characters and combine elemental attacks. It's slower-paced than the others, with a lot of exploration and puzzles between fights.
What it needs: HoYoverse lists Windows 10 64-bit, a 6th-gen Intel Core i5 or a Ryzen CPU, 8 GB of RAM and a GTX 1050 (or Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics) as the minimum, with 110 GB of free storage. The recommended setup is a 7th-gen Core i7 or Ryzen 5000, 16 GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 6 GB.
That Iris Xe mention matters: it means plenty of thin-and-light laptops from the last few years clear the bar, at low settings.
Worth it if you like exploring at your own pace and you're on a laptop or an older desktop. Skip it if you want fast, skill-heavy combat from the first hour.
Genshin isn't on Steam. You get it from HoYoverse's own launcher or the Epic Games Store.
Play Genshin Impact free on PC
Wuthering Waves: the best combat, the most storage
Wuthering Waves, from Kuro Games, is the action-focused one. Dodging, parrying and timing matter much more than in Genshin, and the world is built for fast movement.
What it needs: on its Steam page, Kuro Games lists Windows 10 64-bit, a 9th-gen Core i5 or Ryzen 7 2700, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1060, RX 570 or Arc A380, and 150 GB of storage, with an SSD recommended. The recommended setup doubles the RAM to 32 GB, asks for an RTX 2060 or RX 5700 XT, and says the SSD is required.
That's a big jump from Genshin. The 16 GB of RAM rules out a lot of budget laptops that ship with 8 GB, and 150 GB is more than half of a 256 GB drive.
Worth it if you have 16 GB of RAM, an SSD with room, and you want the most demanding combat of the four. Skip it if your laptop has 8 GB of RAM or a small drive.
Play Wuthering Waves free on PC
Zenless Zone Zero: the lightest of the four
Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ) is HoYoverse's urban action game. Instead of a big open world, you run shorter, combat-focused missions with a stylish, comic-book look. It's the easiest to play in short sessions.
What it needs: the Steam page lists Windows 10 64-bit, a 7th-gen Core i5, 8 GB of RAM, a GTX 970 and 75 GB of storage, with HDD supported and SSD recommended. Recommended is a 10th-gen Core i7, still 8 GB of RAM, and a GTX 1660.
A GTX 970 came out in 2014. If your PC is old but was decent when it was new, ZZZ is the one most likely to run well.
Worth it if your PC is older, your drive is small, or you only have 30 minutes at a time. Skip it if you want a huge world to explore.
Play Zenless Zone Zero free on PC
NTE: Neverness to Everness: the new, heavy one
NTE is the newest of the four. It launched worldwide on April 29, 2026, from Hotta Studio and Perfect World Games, and arrived on Steam in July 2026. It's an open world set in a supernatural modern city, built on Unreal Engine 5.
What it needs: the Steam page lists Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel Core i7-10700, 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 or RX 5600 and 110 GB of storage. Recommended is a Core i7-12700, 32 GB of RAM and an RTX 3060 or RX 6700.
Note the CPU: even the minimum is an 8-core chip. NTE is the only game here where an older quad-core processor is a real problem, not just your graphics card.
Worth it if you have a PC from the last few years and want the newest setting of the four. Skip it if you're on a budget laptop or a CPU older than 10th-gen Intel.
Play NTE: Neverness to Everness free on PC
Which one runs on your PC?
Match your graphics card first, then check RAM and storage:
- GTX 970 / GTX 1050 / Intel Iris Xe, 8 GB RAM: Zenless Zone Zero and Genshin Impact.
- GTX 1060 / RX 570, 16 GB RAM: all of the above, plus Wuthering Waves.
- GTX 1660 / RX 5600 or better, 16 GB RAM, recent 8-core CPU: all four, including NTE.
Minimum specs from publishers usually mean low settings and a modest frame rate, not a smooth experience on high. If you sit right at the minimum, plan on lowering shadows and effects first.
How much storage do free anime games need?
More than people expect:
- Zenless Zone Zero: 75 GB
- Genshin Impact: 110 GB
- NTE: 110 GB
- Wuthering Waves: 150 GB
These are the publishers' listed figures, and they grow with updates. An SSD is recommended for all four (required for Wuthering Waves at recommended settings), because these games stream a lot of data while you move through the world.
The bottom line
If you're not sure what your PC can handle, go with Zenless Zone Zero: it has the lowest requirements and the smallest size on disk. If your PC is a few years old with 8 GB of RAM, Genshin Impact is the classic choice. Wuthering Waves is worth the 150 GB if you have 16 GB of RAM and love action combat. Save NTE for a newer machine.
FAQ
Are these anime games really free on PC?
Yes. All four are free to play. They make money through optional in-game purchases, mostly for characters and cosmetics.
Which free anime game has the lowest PC requirements?
Zenless Zone Zero. Its Steam page lists a GTX 970 and 8 GB of RAM as the minimum, with 75 GB of storage.
Can I play these games on a laptop?
Often, yes. Genshin Impact lists Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics in its minimum specs. Wuthering Waves and NTE need 16 GB of RAM, which rules out many 8 GB laptops.
Do I need an SSD?
It's recommended for all four, and Wuthering Waves says an SSD is required at its recommended settings. An HDD may work at minimum, with longer loading times.
Sources
- Genshin Impact system requirements — HoYoverse Support (checked October 2026)
- Genshin Impact system requirements — Game8 (updated August 8, 2025)
- Wuthering Waves on Steam — Kuro Games (checked October 8, 2026)
- Zenless Zone Zero on Steam — Cognosphere (checked October 8, 2026)
- NTE: Neverness to Everness on Steam — Perfect World Games (checked October 8, 2026)
- Neverness to Everness — Wikipedia (release dates, engine)
Free to play on PC. Partner links.
