New Genshin Impact rival kicks off 2025 with a beta test

Etheria: Restart starts 2025 off right by letting you into a closed beta test, where you can experience the story, combat, customization, and much more in this turn-based RPG. The game is by XD Inc and will come to mobile platforms and PC, with cross-platform synchronization.

You can register for the beta for free here, and play on iOS, Android, or PC. We’re excited to see how this game runs on the best gaming phones out there, and how it compares to other gacha games.

This is the second beta for Etheria – the first test happened in the late summer of 2024, but was only available in China. Data didn’t carry over and will likely not carry over from this one, either.

So, what is the game? It’s a turn-based, team-building-focused title set in a virtual realm. Here, people coexist with those who can use animus powers, but all is not well, as danger looms on the horizon in the form of a global freeze. Your job is to fight back with a carefully crafted team, complete with weapons and equipment.

This year’s CBT lets you dive into the combat, and test out the PVP system in the game’s arena. There’s the PVE mode, too, which promises to feature excellently animated battles that employ strategy through the turn-based setup.

We’re mostly excited to meet the characters on offer. The official site so far shows 14 – males and females included, though the ratio sways to the latter – with intricate and fun designs. It appears that characters use a classic selection of elements, along with different weapons in combat. Etheria has a similar art style to games like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves, so we’re very intrigued.

If you want to know more about the upcoming game, check out our guide for when the Etheria: Restart release date may be, and take a look at our Etheria: Restart preview from the 2024 Tokyo Game Show.