# Arknights (明日方舟)
**Arknights** (明日方舟) is a free-to-play, anime-styled tower defense mobile game with gacha character collection, developed by Hypergryph Network Technology Co., Ltd. (鹰角网络) of Shanghai and first released in mainland China in 2019.[1](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/126009561.pdf) Players command the "Doctor", directing combat personnel called Operators to defend a base against advancing enemies, and the game has grown into a transmedia franchise spanning anime, manga, music, and the spin-off game [Arknights: Endfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/arknights-endfield).[2](https://app.w3g.jp/arknights) • [3](https://www.arknights.wiki/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | Developed by Hypergryph (Shanghai); published in China by Hypergryph and internationally by Yostar[1](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/126009561.pdf) • [3](https://www.arknights.wiki/) |
| Genre | Real-time strategy tower defense with gacha recruitment[1](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/126009561.pdf) |
| Engine | Unity[4](https://www.mobygames.com/game/140571/arknights/releases/) |
| Release dates | China: iOS April 30, 2019, full open service May 1, 2019; Japan, Korea, and global: January 16, 2020; Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau: June 29[5](https://ak.hypergryph.com/news/201904391) • [3](https://www.arknights.wiki/) |
| Setting | The fictional world of Terra, whose countries and cultures draw on real-world prototypes and references[1](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/126009561.pdf) |
| Revenue | Cumulative global revenue passed US$700 million by May 2021; Japan alone passed US$500 million by August 2024[6](https://www.ithome.com/0/553/839.htm) • [7](https://sensortower.com/ja/blog/arknights-rpd-stands-out-in-japan) |
| Anime | *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn*, the first anime adaptation, produced by Yostar Pictures, premiered in 2022[8](https://madison-proceedings.com/index.php/aemr/article/download/2138/2125/4394) |
| Spin-off | *Arknights: Endfield*, an action RPG with factory building, released January 2026 on PlayStation 5, PC, and mobile[9](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/mobile-gaming/players-are-apparently-spending-tens-of-hours-building-factories-in-arknights-endfield-as-dev-says-the-sandbox-mechanics-set-the-game-apart) |
## Gameplay
Arknights is a real-time tower defense game in which the player, addressed in-story as the Doctor, places Operators on a tile-based map to stop waves of enemies from reaching a protected objective.[2](https://app.w3g.jp/arknights) • [10](https://escholarship.org/content/qt47n870q2/qt47n870q2_noSplash_457d79f85f236fb5e4ab32526530cac5.pdf) The game's maps, called Operations, are where most of the game takes place; a Deployment Waiting Zone shows the friendly units, including Operators, summons, and deployable devices, available for the current stage.[11](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Operation)
**Deployment points and attributes.** Deploying an Operator costs Deployment Points (DP), which function as the resource budget of a stage, so the opening of a map becomes a sequencing problem in which units arrive in an order the player can pay for rather than the order they would like.[12](https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Attribute/Cost) • [13](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights) Each Operator carries attributes including HP, Attack, Defense, Resistance, redeployment time, DP cost, block count (how many enemies the unit can hold in place), and attack interval.[14](https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1709071765/rdaleorg/xdlbcb4hebxj9gtthaqt/QuillIssueFive23-24.pdf) Ground and flying enemies path separately, terrain can block line of sight for ranged Operators, and retreating a unit to reposition it costs redeployment time, making placement and timing central to the game's difficulty.[13](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights)
**Recruitment and gacha.** New Operators are obtained through [Headhunting](https://www.edgepedia.org/headhunting), a gacha system, and through a free [Recruitment system](https://www.edgepedia.org/recruitment-system) in which players select job tags and timer durations to recruit Operators without spending gacha currency.[15](https://appireview.com/com.YoStarEN.Arknights) The six-star rarity pull rate is a flat 2%, with the pity counter, which raises the rate, only beginning to climb after fifty rolls without a six-star result.[13](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights) As of August 2024 the roster contained 81 male and 257 female characters, a distribution one academic study notes as relatively gender-neutral in orientation for the genre.[16](https://www.paradigmpress.org/as/article/download/1419/1252)
**Game modes.** Beyond the main campaign and limited-time events, the game has added several side modes. Contingency Contract is a recurring hard-mode event in which players stack chosen modifiers, such as enemy stat buffs and reduced deploy slots, to climb an opt-in risk ladder.[13](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights) Integrated Strategies is a roguelike mode that hands the player a randomized, incomplete squad on a shifting map.[13](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights) Stationary Security Service plays like a deck-building game, reminiscent of titles such as *Magic: The Gathering* and *Yu-Gi-Oh!*, while Stronghold Protocol (officially "AC", for "autochess") is a seasonal auto-chess style mode in which allied units act on their own and activate skills automatically.[17](https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Stationary_Security_Service) • [18](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Stronghold_Protocol) Reclamation Algorithm is a survival-oriented campaign structured into days and Acts, with resource harvesting and fog-of-war mechanics.[19](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/RA)
## Development and release
Hypergryph Network Technology Co., Ltd. was founded in Shanghai, and Arknights was the company's first project.[3](https://www.arknights.wiki/) • [20](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Hypergryph) Yostar, the publisher that later handled the game's international servers, played a major part in Hypergryph's founding: Yostar's chief executive officer Yao Meng used part of the money he had from selling his family house to fund the project, an investment the game's success repaid.[20](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Hypergryph)
The game launched on the App Store in China on April 30, 2019, with full open service on all platforms from May 1, 2019.[5](https://ak.hypergryph.com/news/201904391) Yostar released the game in Japan, Korea, and global markets on January 16, 2020, and it reached Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on June 29.[3](https://www.arknights.wiki/) The Traditional Chinese service was initially published by Longcheng and transitioned to Gryphline, Hypergryph's international publishing arm, in 2024.[21](https://resources.oreate.ai/updates/official-arknights-release-timeline-from-global-launch-to-endfield)
New games in China require a publishing permit (banhao) from the National Radio and Television Administration, and during a period when the NRTA underwent departmental reforms, permit issuance was suspended for almost a year without notification, affecting the release environment for Chinese games including Arknights.[20](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Hypergryph) A PC client for the Chinese server entered technical open testing on February 10, 2026, distributed through the [Hypergryph](https://www.edgepedia.org/hypergryph) launcher with cross-platform play against existing mobile accounts.[22](https://ak.hypergryph.com/news/0717)
## Commercial performance
Arknights was commercially successful from the start: its revenue in the first month after release exceeded 600 million RMB, and from November 2019 to November 2020 it made an estimated US$170 million net of Apple and Google store fees, excluding revenue from China.[8](https://madison-proceedings.com/index.php/aemr/article/download/2138/2125/4394) In the United States it generated $12 million in the first quarter of 2020, 22% of the title's overall overseas revenue, a notable result in a market where anime-themed games were not mainstream.[23](https://pandaily.com/chinese-mobile-games-perform-strongly-in-the-us-market-in-q1-2020/)
**Revenue by market.** By May 2021, around the game's second anniversary, cumulative global revenue had passed US$700 million, with May 2021 monthly revenue reaching a then-record $49 million.[6](https://www.ithome.com/0/553/839.htm) Sensor Tower data for January 2020 through August 2024 put China first in download share at 27% and Japan second at 17%, but Japan first in revenue share at nearly 40%; the Japanese market passed US$500 million in cumulative revenue in August 2024, having reached $150 million in 2020, $280 million cumulative in 2021, and $370 million in 2022.[7](https://sensortower.com/ja/blog/arknights-rpd-stands-out-in-japan)
## Adaptations and spin-offs
The franchise extends well beyond the game. *Arknights: Prelude to Dawn*, the first anime adaptation, produced by Yostar Pictures, was released in 2022 and adapts the opening of the game's story, the Reunion arc, set in the dark science-fiction world of Terra where disease, discrimination, and political conflict drive the plot.[8](https://madison-proceedings.com/index.php/aemr/article/download/2138/2125/4394) • [24](https://animenagi.com/what-arknights-prelude-to-dawn-is-about-story-and-world-explained/) A second television anime season, *Perish in Frost*, was announced with a teaser in April 2023.[25](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/tag/arknights) The franchise also includes serialized manga, music albums, and cinematic shorts, which one study of overseas expansion cites as examples of localization through coherent story worlds.[26](https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/68d89d9308020.pdf)
**Arknights: Endfield.** A 3D spin-off, *Arknights: Endfield*, combines action RPG combat with factory-building and automation mechanics, a mix press coverage described as setting it apart in the crowded post-*Genshin Impact* gacha market.[9](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/mobile-gaming/players-are-apparently-spending-tens-of-hours-building-factories-in-arknights-endfield-as-dev-says-the-sandbox-mechanics-set-the-game-apart) It passed 35 million pre-registrations before launching in January 2026 on [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5), PC, and mobile, and after launch Japan became its top revenue market at 32% of mobile revenue.[9](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/mobile-gaming/players-are-apparently-spending-tens-of-hours-building-factories-in-arknights-endfield-as-dev-says-the-sandbox-mechanics-set-the-game-apart) • [27](https://gamegeeker.com/news/arknights-endfield-japan-becomes-top-revenue-market)
## References
1. [Analysis of the Integration Application of Chinese Elements and Game Illustration in the Strategy Game Arknights, Atlantis Press](https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/126009561.pdf)
2. [アークナイツの売上・セルラン・ダウンロード数の統計データ, W3G](https://app.w3g.jp/arknights)
3. [Arknights.wiki 首页](https://www.arknights.wiki/)
4. [Arknights Releases, MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/game/140571/arknights/releases/)
5. [[明日方舟]4月30日App Store平台首发，全平台公测即将开启, 明日方舟官网](https://ak.hypergryph.com/news/201904391)
6. [《明日方舟》上市 2 周年总收入突破 7 亿美元, IT之家](https://www.ithome.com/0/553/839.htm)
7. [4.5周年を迎えたアークナイツが2024年8月に日本での累計収益5億ドルを突破, Sensor Tower](https://sensortower.com/ja/blog/arknights-rpd-stands-out-in-japan)
8. [Advances in Economics and Management Research: Arknights revenue analysis](https://madison-proceedings.com/index.php/aemr/article/download/2138/2125/4394)
9. [Players are apparently spending 'tens of hours' building factories in Arknights: Endfield, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/mobile-gaming/players-are-apparently-spending-tens-of-hours-building-factories-in-arknights-endfield-as-dev-says-the-sandbox-mechanics-set-the-game-apart)
10. [University of California thesis on Arknights deployment mechanics, eScholarship](https://escholarship.org/content/qt47n870q2/qt47n870q2_noSplash_457d79f85f236fb5e4ab32526530cac5.pdf)
11. [Operation, Arknights Terra Wiki](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Operation)
12. [Cost, Arknights Wiki (Fandom)](https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Attribute/Cost)
13. [Arknights Review 2026, Gamingonix](https://gamingonix.com/reviews/arknights)
14. [The Quill, Issue Five (student publication on Arknights attributes)](https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1709071765/rdaleorg/xdlbcb4hebxj9gtthaqt/QuillIssueFive23-24.pdf)
15. [Arknights Review, AppiReview](https://appireview.com/com.YoStarEN.Arknights)
16. [The male gaze in character design and the contribution of female players in Arknights, Paradigm Press](https://www.paradigmpress.org/as/article/download/1419/1252)
17. [Stationary Security Service, Arknights Wiki (Fandom)](https://arknights.fandom.com/wiki/Stationary_Security_Service)
18. [Stronghold Protocol, Arknights Terra Wiki](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Stronghold_Protocol)
19. [Reclamation Algorithm, Arknights Terra Wiki](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/RA)
20. [Hypergryph, Arknights Terra Wiki](https://arknights.wiki.gg/wiki/Hypergryph)
21. [Official Arknights Release Timeline From Global Launch to Endfield, Oreate AI Guides](https://resources.oreate.ai/updates/official-arknights-release-timeline-from-global-launch-to-endfield)
22. [《明日方舟》PC下载安装指引, 明日方舟官网](https://ak.hypergryph.com/news/0717)
23. [Chinese Mobile Games Perform Strongly in the US Market in Q1 2020, Pandaily](https://pandaily.com/chinese-mobile-games-perform-strongly-in-the-us-market-in-q1-2020/)
24. [What Arknights: Prelude to Dawn Is About, AnimeNagi](https://animenagi.com/what-arknights-prelude-to-dawn-is-about-story-and-world-explained/)
25. [Arknights tag, Crunchyroll News](https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/tag/arknights)
26. [The Application of International Communication Strategies in the Overseas Expansion of Games, Journal of Literature and Art Studies](https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/68d89d9308020.pdf)
27. [Arknights: Endfield Hits No. 1 in Revenue in Japan, GameGeeker](https://gamegeeker.com/news/arknights-endfield-japan-becomes-top-revenue-market)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Strategy games › Tower defense games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license