Aniimo is beginning its worldwide launch, bringing Pawprint Studio’s free-to-play creature-collecting open-world RPG to PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Servers open first in the Americas on September 15 before the wider September 16 rollout, with iOS and Android versions scheduled for September 23. Pawprint Studio marked the launch with a new Xbox Wire post detailing the creatures, progression changes and other improvements made following the game’s beta tests.
Players enter the continent of Idyll as Pathfinders and can discover more than 200 Aniimo at launch. Creatures appear under different environmental, weather and time-of-day conditions, and can be captured using Aniipods after players locate them in the open world. Many can also evolve, giving the collection system additional progression beyond simply finding each species.
Aniimo’s defining mechanic is called Twining, which allows Pathfinders to effectively become creatures they have collected rather than only commanding them in battle. Twining grants access to an Aniimo’s movement and abilities, which can be used for combat, traversal, puzzle solving and reaching otherwise inaccessible parts of the environment. Depending on the creature, players can glide, dive, burrow or use other specialized abilities while exploring Idyll.
Pawprint Studio says the launch roster includes new additions such as Squarrel and its evolution, Squashel. The squirrel-like Aniimo can roll downhill while holding its tail and uses fast combo attacks based around tail abilities. Its addition forms part of a roster that the developer intends to continue expanding after launch.
The final version also incorporates changes made in response to feedback from multiple pre-release tests. Pawprint Studio has redesigned the Irisalis Legendary Aniimo encounter across its capture process, gameplay flow and encounter ritual, with the revised structure intended to become a template for future Legendary events. Training has also been adjusted through a simplified Held Item system, higher Star Dust drop rates and progression caps that unlock alongside an Aniimo’s level.
Homeland, Aniimo’s building and personal-space component, has received similar changes. Players have their own RV and can return to a Homeland where they can plant crops, place decorations and customize their surroundings with collected Aniimo. Pawprint says it has refined progression and upgrades within the system while expanding its map with more activities and interactive elements.
Aniimo is not exclusively a single-player creature collector. Its multiplayer content includes cooperative exploration and competitive activities, while Egg Heist is described as a PvEvP mode in which three-player teams search and fight across the Lost Isles. Players can also encounter one another around the game’s social spaces and take part in real-time challenges throughout Idyll.
Pawprint Studio has additionally optimized gamepad and mobile controls and added multilingual voice acting for the main storyline. Translation quality across supported languages has also been revised following beta feedback, with the developer positioning the launch build as the starting point for continued updates rather than a finished endpoint for the project.
On Xbox, Aniimo supports Xbox Play Anywhere and is available on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Game Pass subscribers are also being offered a recurring Aniimo reward pack containing an Aniipod Ultra, 15 Growth Flowers and 300 Glimmer, with the game appearing alongside the September 2026 Xbox Game Pass lineup. Because Aniimo itself is free-to-play, the subscription benefits center on additional in-game items rather than providing access to a paid base game.
The release is being staggered by region despite Pawprint describing it as the game’s global launch. American servers open September 15 at 10 PM EDT, while Europe follows at 2 AM UTC and Asia-Pacific at 10 AM UTC+8 on September 16. Pre-downloads opened ahead of launch, with Pawprint recommending at least 40GB of free storage for the PC version and roughly 30GB to 35GB for the console clients.
Aniimo now enters live service on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with Pawprint Studio saying player feedback will continue to influence future events and content. Mobile players will join one week later on September 23, extending the same creature-collecting world to iOS and Android.
