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Once Human Kicks Off Cross-Platform Test—Here’s How You Can Join the Chaos
March 2, 2025The post-apocalyptic madness of Once Human just got a whole lot more inclusive. Whether you’re holed up at your desk with a gaming rig or lying on your bed with your phone precariously balanced on your face, NetEase is letting you hop into the chaos wherever you please.
The highly anticipated cross-platform test for Once Human is officially underway, and if you’ve been wondering how to join the mayhem, here it is!
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is Once Human?
For those who missed the memo, Once Human is NetEase’s twisted love child of survival horror, sandbox chaos, and open-world scavenging. Imagine a world where nature itself decided it’s had enough of your nonsense and evolved into a mutant nightmare with tentacles, goo, and way too many teeth.
In Once Human, players scavenge, craft, build, and fight for survival against other players and some truly disturbing environmental threats. It’s PvPvE, meaning you’ll have to deal with monsters and players trying to ruin your day. If that sounds like your cup of post-apocalyptic tea, buckle up because now’s your chance to jump in on both PC and mobile.
What’s New with the Cross-Platform Test?
The cross-platform test is essentially NetEase’s grand experiment, seeing if Once Human can run smoothly across both PC and mobile devices — without turning your phone into a sizzling brick.
It’s running from now until March 30, giving players in Europe, Japan, and North America the chance to hop in, whether they’re on a high-end gaming PC or a smartphone that’s seen better days.
The coolest part? Full cross-progression. So, you can build your apocalypse-proof base on your PC and then hop into the same world later from your phone while waiting for your food delivery. Technology, right?
How to Join the Once Human Cross-Platform Test
If you’re itching to give the cross-platform experience a try, NetEase has made it relatively easy (for once). All you have to do is:
- Fill out a quick survey to register your interest.
- Wait for your invite (if you’re lucky).
- Once you’re in, you can log in with your existing Once Human account, and your progress will carry over between the PC and mobile versions.
That’s right — no starting over. You can collect scrap, battle mutants, and avoid getting shot by other players seamlessly between devices. Your apocalypse, your rules.
What Can You Expect in the Test?
The cross-platform test uses the same global servers as the PC version, so all content currently available in the PC build is open to mobile players too. That includes:
- All main scenarios and quests.
- The “Visional Wheel” and “Lunar Oracle” systems, which sound fancy but basically help you shape your character’s powers and future.
- PvPvE combat, meaning the player trying to befriend you could also be planning to loot your corpse five minutes later.
In short, this isn’t some watered-down mobile demo. It’s the full Once Human experience, just shrunk down to fit in your pocket.
The Good, The Bad, and The Monstrous
NetEase’s survival horror experiment has had a mixed reception so far. Early reviews praised its deeply addictive scavenging and base-building mechanics, but the combat system and cluttered UI left some players cold.
However, since its launch, NetEase has been tinkering under the hood. From cosmetic loot boxes to new premium offerings, they’ve been trying to strike a balance between keeping the lights on and not turning the game into a cash grab. Feedback on Season 2 was, in the developers’ own words, “quite demoralising.”
Still, the cross-platform test could be a turning point. If NetEase can pull off a smooth, stable experience across both PC and mobile — and prove they can actually listen to feedback — Once Human might just have a fighting chance to carve out a niche in the overcrowded survival genre.
Moreover, bringing Once Human to mobile isn’t just about convenience. It’s a sign of where gaming is headed, with more studios trying to create experiences that seamlessly transition between platforms. Console-quality survival horror that you can play on the bus? That’s the dream.
Of course, there’s always the risk that scaling a complex PvPvE world down to mobile could be a nightmare, but that’s exactly what this test is meant to figure out.
Final Thoughts (Without a Conclusion)
Whether you’re a die-hard Once Human player or someone who just enjoys watching survival horror unfold from a safe distance, the cross-platform test is worth paying attention to. It’s not just about testing servers and cross-progression — it’s a chance for NetEase to prove they can actually pull off their ambitious vision. If they succeed, we might be looking at one of the first truly seamless cross-platform survival horror games. If they fail? Well, there’s always the next apocalypse.
While games are fun, it’s highly important to note that there’s more to life than sitting countless hours playing video games – there’s a purpose and more to life; seek out that purpose more often!
