Zenless Zone Zero Guide#
Introduction#
Zenless Zone Zero is an urban-themed action RPG developed by miHoYo and published overseas under the HoYoverse brand, blending high-speed action combat with roguelike mechanics. The story unfolds in New Eridu, a futuristic city eroded by a mysterious disaster known as the Hollows. You play as a Proxy, guiding Agents into Hollows, fighting hostile entities called Ethereals, and uncovering the truth behind the catastrophe.
The game is free to download and monetized through gacha. It is produced by Zhenyu Li and was spun off from the Honkai Impact 3rd team around 2019. It runs on the Unity engine, with music produced by HOYO-MiX and 3Z-STUDIO.
Release and Platforms#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Global launch | July 4, 2024, 10:00 (UTC+8); pre-download began July 2 |
| Launch platforms | PC, iOS, Android, and PS5 released simultaneously, with no staggered exclusivity window |
| Xbox version | Xbox Series X |
| Steam version | Released on Steam in June 2026, also supporting Linux and SteamOS |
| Earlier PC channels | The official launcher and the Epic Games Store |
| Regional publishing | miHoYo/HoYoverse operate mainland China and overseas, alongside the Nijigen server in Taiwan and Gamota in Vietnam |
As of this page’s update (October 2026), the game is live on five platforms.
Core Gameplay Loop#
Zenless Zone Zero revolves around three core pillars:
- Three-agent action combat: You build a squad of three Agents and swap freely mid-fight. Core mechanics include dodge, Perfect Dodge, Defensive Assist (parry), Chain Attack, and Ultimate. Enemy tells are the basis of every offensive and defensive read — a yellow flash means the attack can be parried, a red flash means it must be evaded.
- Hollow exploration: As a Proxy, you guide Agents deeper into Hollows to complete commissions. At launch, exploration was presented as a TV-grid “Array” mode. From Version 1.2 the main story stopped using Array mode; Version 1.4 reworked older chapters into the “Marcel Maze” mode; and from Version 2.0 most content shifted to real-time 3D exploration, with the Array format retained only in certain content.
- Gacha and progression: Signal Search yields new Agents and Bangboo, developed long-term across four progression tracks: level, skills, W-Engine, and Drive Discs.
Agent System#
Agents are the playable characters of Zenless Zone Zero, defined across four dimensions: attribute, specialty, faction, and rarity. As of Version 3.2, the game features 60 Agents.
- Attributes (7): Physical, Fire, Ice, Electric, Ether, plus Frost (represented by Agents such as Hoshimi Miyabi) and Auric Ink (represented by Agents such as Yixuan).
- Specialties (6): Attack, Stun, Anomaly, Support, Defense, and Rupture.
- Factions: Cunning Hares, Belobog Heavy Industries, Victoria Housekeeping, Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, Sons of Calydon, Obol Squad, plus later additions including Hollow Special Ops Section Six, Yunkui Summit, Stars of Lyra, and Spook Shack.
Detailed rosters and building priorities are covered in the Agents section.
Signal Search#
Signal Search is divided into the Exclusive Channel (Agent), Exclusive Rerun Channel, Stable Channel, W-Engine Channel, W-Engine Reverb, and Bangboo Channel. Pity rules at a glance:
| Channel | Hard pity | Rate-up rule | Worst case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exclusive/Stable (S-rank Agent) | 90 pulls | 50/50; after losing, the next S-rank is guaranteed featured | 180 pulls |
| W-Engine Channel (S-rank W-Engine) | 80 pulls | 75/25 | 160 pulls |
| Bangboo Channel | 80 pulls | You lock a target before pulling; any S-rank is that target, with no 50/50 | 80 pulls |
Every channel shares a guarantee of at least one A-rank or higher per 10 pulls. A single pull costs 160 Polychrome, a ten-pull 1,600. Reaching 300 cumulative pulls on the Stable Channel grants one free S-rank launch Agent of your choice (Nekomata, Koleda, Soldier 11, Lycaon, Grace, Rina). From Version 3.1, the Exclusive and W-Engine Channels support a feature select of six S-rank targets, so off-banner results come from that selection.
Battery System#
Battery Charge is the resource consumed to enter farming modes. The cap is fixed at 240 and regenerates at 1 point every 6 minutes; an Ether Battery restores 60 points instantly. Version 1.2 (September 25, 2024) added Reserve Battery Charge: once the cap fills, overflow time converts into Reserve Battery Charge, which recovers 1 point every 18 minutes and caps at 2,400.
Factions#
Cunning Hares — a freelance Agent crew taking on all kinds of jobs, and key allies through the early main story.
Belobog Heavy Industries — an industrial group focused on Hollow infrastructure and heavy machinery.
Victoria Housekeeping — a housekeeping service on the surface, an elite Agent team underneath.
Criminal Investigation Special Response Team — an official law-enforcement body handling Hollow-related crime.
Sons of Calydon — an outer-district faction operating in the outskirts and wastes.
Obol Squad — an elite military unit led by the NPC sword Magus. Playable members include Soldier 11 (Fire/Attack), Trigger (Electric/Stun), Seed (Electric/Attack), and Orphie (Orphie Magnusson & Magus, Fire/Attack), accompanied by the Bangboo Mercury.
Exact faction rosters follow the in-game database and the official wiki.
Launch Performance#
Shortly after launch (July 2024), Zenless Zone Zero passed 50 million global downloads. First-month mobile revenue exceeded 100 million USD, and according to GameLook, July revenue alone surpassed 2 billion yuan.
Zenless Zone Zero at a Glance#
| Item | Data |
|---|---|
| Release date | July 4, 2024 (simultaneous across four platforms) |
| Current platforms | PC, iOS, Android, PS5, Xbox Series X |
| Genre | Action RPG / hack-and-slash with roguelike mechanics |
| Engine | Unity |
| Attributes | Physical, Fire, Ice, Electric, Ether, Frost, Auric Ink — 7 total |
| Specialties | Attack, Stun, Anomaly, Support, Defense, Rupture — 6 total |
| Agent count | 60 (as of Version 3.2, per September 30, 2026) |
| W-Engine count | 100 |
| Banner channels | Exclusive, Exclusive Rerun, Stable, W-Engine, W-Engine Reverb, Bangboo |
| Pity | Agent 90 pulls / W-Engine 80 pulls / Bangboo 80 pulls |
| Battery cap | 240 points (recovers 1 point every 6 minutes) |
| Inter-Knot level cap | 60 (levels 20/30/40/50 require Inter-Knot Reputation promotion quests) |
| Patch cadence | Roughly 42 days (6 weeks) per major version |
| Current version | 3.2 “Beneath Her Hidden Past” (released September 9, 2026) |
Version Update History#
| Version | Name | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Welcome to New Eridu | 2024-07-04 |
| 1.1 | Undercover R&B | 2024-08-14 |
| 1.2 | Tour de Inferno | 2024-09-25 |
| 1.3 | Virtual Revenge | 2024-11-06 |
| 1.4 | A Storm of Falling Stars | 2024-12-18 |
| 1.5 | The Moment It Shines | 2025-01-22 |
| 1.6 | Upon the Forgotten Ruins | 2025-03-12 |
| 1.7 | Bury Your Tears with the Past | 2025-04-23 |
| 2.0 | Where Twilight Meets the Clouds | 2025-06-06 |
| 2.1 | The Belated Surge | 2025-07-16 |
| 2.2 | Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night | 2025-09-04 |
| 2.3 | Do You Still Remember the Dream | 2025-10-15 |
| 2.4 | The Impending Abyss | 2025-11-26 |
| 2.5 | When the Faint Light Leads | 2025-12-30 |
| 2.6 | Encore of an Old Dream | 2026-02-06 |
| 2.7 | Heroes Never Die in the Past | 2026-03-24 |
| 2.8 | Sunset over New Eridu | 2026-05-06 |
| 3.0 | Confessions of a Sleepwalker | 2026-06-17 |
| 3.1 | The Long Goodbye | 2026-07-29 |
| 3.2 | Beneath Her Hidden Past | 2026-09-09 |
Version 3.2 added the S-rank Agents Claret and Roxy; the next version is 3.3. Full version milestones and the impact of each change are covered in the Version Updates section.
FAQ#
Is the game free?#
Yes — free to download and play, with optional in-game purchases for gacha.
Which platforms are supported?#
PC, iOS, Android, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, plus Steam since June 2026 (compatible with Linux/SteamOS).
Is there PvP?#
No. The game is built entirely around PvE.
Is it beginner-friendly?#
Yes. The Stable Channel has dedicated newcomer rules: the first five ten-pulls are 20% off (costing 8 master tapes each), an S-rank Agent is guaranteed within the first 50 pulls, and your first S-rank from that channel is guaranteed to be an Agent.
Section Topics#
- Getting started: early-game route, battery rules, and gacha planning
- Walkthrough: the progression route from day one to endgame
- Agents: attributes, specialties, and factions
- Team comps: squad-building logic
- Combat system: dodge, parry, chain attacks, and attribute anomaly
- Controls and settings: cross-platform input and assist-swap timing
- Bosses: weekly Notorious Hunt and boss-fight fundamentals
- Items and equipment: W-Engines and Drive Discs
- Hollow system: Hollow exploration modes and the Zero Hollow
- Challenge content: rules for the six high-difficulty modes
- Endgame: long-term farming goals and reset cadence
- Resources: currencies, battery, and exchange planning
- Tips: stun windows and resource priorities
- Achievements: completion routes
- Secrets and hidden content: city collectibles and easter eggs
- Story and lore: Hollows, Ethereals, and New Eridu
- Gallery: faction visuals and location art
- Version updates: patch cadence and historical milestones
- FAQ: platforms, pity, and mechanics
- Bangboo: channel rules and Bangboo progression
Related Games#
- Wuthering Waves — an open-world action RPG built around a comparable gacha-driven character roster
- Persona 5 Royal — a stylish urban RPG with turn-based combat and strong presentation
- Nier: Automata — fast action combat with a comparable focus on style and story
- Stellar Blade — a character-driven action game centered on parries and combo play
- Cyberpunk 2077 — a dense futuristic city setting as the backdrop for its action RPG systems
Related Rankings#
Best RPGs of All Time · Most Anticipated Games of 2026 · Best Open-World Games
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — getting started and battery planning, the walkthrough route, the full Agent roster with attributes and specialties, team compositions, combat mechanics and parry timing, control settings, boss strategies, W-Engines and Drive Discs, Hollow exploration, endgame farming loops, achievement routes, hidden secrets, the Bangboo channel, and every version milestone — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Zenless Zone Zero section.